How to Run a Product Recall on Shopify (Step by Step)

A product recall on Shopify is more than unpublishing a product. You need to reach every customer who already bought it, tell them clearly what the risk is and what to do, and be able to prove later that you did. Shopify has no recall feature, so this guide walks through each step, what the recall notice must say, and how to do it without spreadsheets.

Recall or withdrawal?

A withdrawal stops a product from being sold. A recall goes further: it reaches the products that are already in customers' homes. If a product you sold can hurt someone, through a choking hazard, a battery that overheats, a chemical above the legal limit or a strap that breaks, you need a recall, not just a withdrawal.

A recall can start with your own discovery, a supplier's warning, a customer complaint, or an official notice from an authority such as the EU's Safety Gate or the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).

Before you start: get the facts straight

• What exactly is affected: which products and variants, which batches or lot numbers, and which barcodes.
• When it was sold: the first and last order dates for the affected stock.
• The hazard: what can go wrong and how serious it is, in plain words.
• What customers should do now: for example, stop using it immediately and unplug it.
• The remedy: repair, replacement or refund, and how customers get it.
• Who else must know: your supplier or manufacturer, your insurer, and the authorities.

The recall, step by step

1. Stop the sale. Set the affected products to Draft in Shopify so nobody else buys them. If the product page gets traffic from search or social media, you can instead keep it visible with a clear recall notice so returning customers see it.
2. Find every customer who bought it. Search your orders for the affected products and variants in the affected date range. Note every customer's email and language. Remember refunded and partly fulfilled orders, and orders placed as a guest.
3. Write the recall notice (see what it must say below), and translate it for customers who shop in other languages.
4. Notify customers directly. Email each affected customer individually. Don't rely on a newsletter: marketing tools only reach customers who agreed to marketing, and a recall must reach every buyer.
5. Track who confirmed. Ask customers to confirm they've read the notice and to choose their remedy. Keep a list of who confirmed and when.
6. Remind the rest. Not everyone opens the first email. Send reminders to customers who haven't confirmed after a few days.
7. Tell the authorities in the countries where you sold the product (see below).
8. Keep the evidence. Record when the recall was created, when each email was sent and delivered, who confirmed, and when the product was taken off sale.
9. Close the recall when the remedy is done. Only put the product back on sale once the problem is fixed.

Steps 2, 5, 6 and 8 are where manual recalls usually fall apart: an export of orders into a spreadsheet, a mail merge, and a column of "confirmed?" ticks that nobody can verify later.

What the recall notice must say

Under the EU General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR, Article 36), a recall notice to consumers should include:

• the heading "Product safety recall";
• a clear description of the product, with a picture, its name and brand, product identifiers such as batch or barcode, and where and when it was sold;
• a clear description of the hazard, without wording that downplays the risk, such as "voluntary", "precautionary" or "in rare situations";
• exactly what the customer should do, including stopping use immediately;
• the remedy on offer and how to get it;
• a free contact phone number or online service for questions.

Even outside the EU, this is a sound structure for any recall notice. Keep it short, specific and in the customer's language.

Choosing the remedy

GPSR (Article 37) requires an effective, free and timely remedy, consisting of at least one of: a repair, a replacement with a safe product of the same type and at least the same value and quality, or a refund of at least the price paid. Offering customers a choice makes them more likely to respond. Whatever you offer, the customer should not pay for shipping or returns.

Telling the authorities

• EU: businesses notify the market surveillance authorities of the countries concerned through the Safety Business Gateway. Recalls of dangerous products are published on Safety Gate.
• US: companies must report to the CPSC under Section 15(b) of the Consumer Product Safety Act, generally within 24 hours of learning of a reportable defect or risk.
• UK: notify the local Trading Standards service or the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS).

The authority may ask for proof of what you did and how many customers you reached, which is one more reason to keep the evidence as you go.

Doing it with MerchantKits Recall

MerchantKits Recall runs the whole recall from inside your Shopify admin:

1. Create the recall: choose the affected products and variants, the order dates, the reason, the risk and the remedy.
2. Find the customers: the app searches your orders and lists everyone who bought those products. You can exclude customers before sending.
3. Preview and send: the notice goes out in each customer's language (8 languages), with your store name, the reason, the risk, the remedy and your instructions. Nothing is sent until you confirm. Replies go to your store's email address.
4. Customers confirm on a page on your own store domain and, if you offer options, choose their remedy. You see who confirmed.
5. Reminders go to customers who haven't confirmed: up to two, every 3 days by default (Starter and Pro).
6. Stop the sale in one click: set products to Draft and restore them when the recall closes, or keep them visible with a recall banner on the product page.
7. Prove it: every step is logged with its time. Download a CSV and a PDF evidence report for authorities or insurers (Starter and Pro).

Catching recalls early

Many small stores find out about a recall last, after the brand, the authority and sometimes the customer. If you resell other brands' products, check official recall lists regularly: the EU's Safety Gate and the US CPSC publish new notices every week.

On the Pro plan, MerchantKits Recall checks both against your products every day. An exact barcode match means a barcode of your product appears in a notice, and you get an email right away. A "possible match" shares the brand and a model number and needs your review before you start a recall.

Selling to the EU? Recalls are one half of GPSR; the other is the safety information on your product pages. See Shopify GPSR compliance: what to show on product pages.

Frequently asked questions

This article is general information, not legal advice. Recall obligations depend on the product, your role in the supply chain and the countries where you sold it. In a real recall, talk to the relevant authority, your insurer and a lawyer.