"Unacceptable business practices" in Merchant Center: what it means and how to fix it

What it usually looks like on a store

On a storefront this looks like a business that can't be pinned down: a coworking or virtual address presented as headquarters, no word on where orders ship from while the copy suggests local delivery, a brand name borrowed from a bigger company, or a generous refund policy the store doesn't honor. Google weighs the site together with outside sources.

What Google says

One of the egregious sections of Google's Misrepresentation policy. It covers scams that hide or misrepresent information about the business, its products or services: a false identity, business name or contact details, impersonating a brand, hiding where the business is based or where orders ship from, showing a virtual address as headquarters, and refusing refunds that a published policy promises. Google suspends on detection without a prior warning and reinstates accounts only in compelling circumstances.

Scamming people by hiding or misrepresenting info about your business, products or services isn't allowedGoogle, Misrepresentation

Displaying a false or virtual physical address as your headquarters while operating entirely from an undisclosed regionGoogle, Misrepresentation

Intentionally hiding the actual location from which your products are shipped to create a false impression of localized deliveryGoogle, Misrepresentation

Denying return and refund for a product despite having a clear refund or return policy that allows for returns and refundsGoogle, Misrepresentation

How to fix it

Based on Google's help pages, in plain language:

1. Read the unacceptable business practices section of the Misrepresentation policy and compare it with your website, listings and account details.
2. Make the legal business name, physical address, phone number and email consistent across your website and Merchant Center account.
3. State the location orders ship from, and don't present a virtual or borrowed address as your headquarters.
4. Remove listings you aren't licensed or qualified to sell and anything that implies an affiliation with a brand, organization or government body you don't have.
5. Make sure your return and refund policy matches how you handle returns in practice, and honor it.
6. If you believe the suspension is an error, submit an appeal and explain why. Complete identity verification if Merchant Center asks for it.

What to check on your website

These are the checks we run that relate to this issue. A problem in any of them can be enough on its own.

• Consistent business identity: The business name is the same across your site name, structured data and footer, and your site says who the business is.
• Contact information: Shoppers can reach you: a contact page plus at least one direct method (email or phone), with no placeholder details.
• Business address: A real business or returns address is shown somewhere a shopper can find it (contact page, footer or policies).
• About the business: An About page tells shoppers who runs the store.
• Return and refund policy: A return/refund policy page exists, is linked, and states the return window, item condition, how refunds are paid and how to start a return.
• Shipping policy: A shipping/delivery page exists and states costs and delivery times.

Requesting a review

Google suspends accounts for this on detection and without prior warning. If you believe there's been an error, Google says to submit an appeal and explain why, and accounts are only reinstated in compelling circumstances. Account reviews typically take 7 business days. After unsuccessful reviews a cool down period can start, during which the review button is disabled and Google support can't shorten it.

Questions

Sources

• support.google.com/merchants/answer/6150127
• support.google.com/merchants/answer/13693195
• support.google.com/merchants/answer/13585221

Checked against Google's help pages on 2026-10-08. Listvane is an independent tool made by Great Work LLC. It isn't affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by Google. Google and Google Merchant Center are trademarks of Google LLC.