Shopify Boots Firearms and Accessories Sellers
If you’re a firearms or accessories seller whose eCommerce presence relies, or more appropriately relied, on Shopify, there’s a good chance this week has been rather stressful. Closing the loop on an August announcement that the Ottawa, Ontario company would be banning the sale of most firearms, ammunition, and accessories from its platform, the company began its purge earlier this week.
We have found ourselves in a position of having to make our own decisions on some of these issues. And along the way we had to accept that neutrality is not a possibility.
Tobi Lütke, Chief Executive Officer, Shopify (2017)
Unsurprisingly for a platform as large as Shopify, several industry brands have been affected. JMac Customs, Kilo Guns, M-13 Industries, Meridian Defense, Noveske Rifleworks, and dozens of others were suddenly booted in a wave of deletions that seems to have begun on Tuesday and carried into Wednesday.
According to a letter sent to affected sellers, previous communication issued by Shopify indicated all stores needed to be compliant with the August 13, 2018, Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) by December 31 or face the ban hammer. While there was some confusion with respect to enforcement dates when the policy was initially revealed, none of the recently banned sellers have contradicted Shopify’s claim that prior notice was provided. In other words, everyone knew this day was coming – even if enforcement is roughly a month late. This clearly is not a defense of the policy’s substance, but it does suggest that sellers had four to five months to prepare for this week’s events. Other prominent companies, like Franklin Armory and Spike’s Tactical, were affected but proactively migrated away from Shopify.
Some enthusiasts have taken the battle to social media, hammering Shopify for the policy change and accusing them for being “Unamerican.” The criticism is certainly warranted, but it’s important to remember that Shopify isn’t an American company. It’s unlikely they’re all that concerned about doing things the “American” way or anything of that nature. So while they’re on the wrong side of liberty and the new AUP is offensive to freedom-minded folks, the best option is just to abandon them as soon as possible. Simply put, they’re not going to change their minds.
The frustration is understandable. Every major social media platform restricts gun sales and ads. Similarly, financial institutions like Bank of America and Fifth Third have closed business’ accounts over firearms. It often seems as though it would be easier (and financially safer) to operate an illicit firearms business than navigate the policy minefield built by the finance and tech giants that control most of the options to link reputable buyers and sellers. There are alternatives, though.
You may ask, then, where is everyone headed? The industry consensus – for the moment – appears to be Bigcommerce. Bigcommerce is quite a lot smaller than Shopify, but they service a growing number of firearms companies and, to date, have not taken sides politically. Notably, moving to a platform like Bigcommerce is a horizontal move that shouldn’t carry a massive learning curve for previous Shopify users. If open source solutions aren’t feasible, moving forward with someone like Bigcommerce seems like the next best option.
An information security professional by day and gun blogger by night, Nathan started his firearms journey at 16 years old as a collector of C&R rifles. These days, you’re likely to find him shooting something a bit more modern – and usually equipped with a suppressor – but his passion for firearms with military heritage has never waned. Over the last five years, Nathan has written about a variety of firearms topics, including Second Amendment politics and gun and gear reviews. When he isn’t shooting or writing, Nathan nerds out over computers, 3D printing, and Star Wars.