Experts Marketplace Partner guidelines

To ensure that all merchants and Partners have a positive experience when buying or selling services, we've created a set of requirements and expectations for Partners in the Experts Marketplace. These requirements and expectations outline what is acceptable and unacceptable in the Experts Marketplace, and how violations are addressed. It's your responsibility as a Partner to ensure that you are compliant with all Experts Marketplace requirements and expectations.

Prohibited actions and unacceptable behaviors

If you perform any of the following actions or engage in any of the following behaviors while you're listed in the Experts Marketplace, then Shopify could take disciplinary action including, but not limited to, removal from the marketplace. Depending on the severity of the infraction, these actions and behaviors might result in removal from the Shopify Partner Program.

Communication and representation

• 恐吓、骚扰、威胁、仇恨言论abusive or improper language, violent messages, or anything that is otherwise inappropriate as determined by Shopify at our sole discretion.
• Spamming merchants.
• Publishing or sending malicious content to merchants.
• Generating false reviews, drafting reviews on a merchant’s behalf, or incentivizing reviews.
• Misrepresenting your identity, abilities, or property.
• Promoting non-relevant businesses, websites, or third-party services.
• Receiving a high volume of merchant complaints.

Privacy

• Disclosing sensitive, private, or confidential information pertaining to merchants or other Partners.
• Exporting or copying any merchant information for personal gain.
• Using or attempting to use another user’s account or information.

Other

• Creating multiple partner accounts to circumvent Experts Marketplace guidelines, promote competitive advantages, or mislead merchants.
• Using the Experts Marketplace for unlawful purposes or to conduct illegal activities.
• Adding additional code, files, or programs that are designed or intended to do one of the following:
  • Disrupt, damage, limit, or interfere with the capacity of a merchant's store to make sales.
  • Damage a merchant’s reputation.
• Using stolen, unlicensed or trademarked content, or attempting to use, sell, or edit copyrighted material.
• Extorting additional payments, or withholding job deliverables in exchange for payments beyond what was agreed upon in the job description.
• Any actions otherwise determined by Shopify to be in violation of ourPartner Program AgreementorAcceptable Use Policy.

Quality and performance standards

Your membership in the Experts Marketplace communicates to merchants that you are an industry-leading Partner who produces high quality work and is able to meet merchant demands. To ensure that all Partners in the Experts Marketplace meet merchant expectations, you must meet the following performance standards. Failure to meet these standards might result in removal from the marketplace.

• Communicate about job updates and important issues within the Experts message board.
• Provide responses to any client messages within 72 hours. If you know in advance that you won't be able to respond to messages within 72 hours, because of vacation, illness, or other reasons, then notify clients of your return date.
• Meet the due dates you communicate to the merchant.
• Set expectations about the job before beginning work. Both parties must be in agreement. The best way to set expectations is through aproposal.
• Communicate changes to the job or milestones well before the due date.
• Produce high-quality work. Work done on jobs submitted through the marketplace must either meet or surpass industry standards.
• Respond to all jobs in a timely manner.
• 解决merchant’s job brief and initial concerns in the initial response to a job.
• Use the job decline feature sparingly, if at all. Too many declined jobs can negatively impact the number of leads you receive and your search ranking. To avoid declining jobs, ensure that your organization is able to perform the services listed on your profile and associated service listings.
• Fill out profiles and associated service listings thoroughly. Include many examples of your own past work.
• Have a refund policy and adhere to the policy when you address refund requests.

Experts Marketplace requirements

To maintain membership and continue receiving leads in the Experts Marketplace, Partners must ensure their organization meets marketplace requirements.

Job requirements

• For payment of services coordinated through Experts Marketplace, use Shopifyinvoiceswhenever possible.
• Use a collaborator account in all situations where admin access to a shop is required. After a job is complete, you must ensure your access to the collaborator account has been revoked. You must not access a shop after the related job is complete.
• When using third party content, works, or software that is unsupported by Shopify during a job, ensure that merchants are thoroughly informed of all risks, support information, and instructions. Merchants also must be legally able to use said work, content, or software.
• Be active and engaged in the Experts Marketplace. If over 30% of jobs expire, then you won't receive new jobs through the Experts Marketplace and may be removed from the marketplace.
• When receiving an initial job brief, propose services that correspond with the service category and the merchant’s initial request. You must not propose services merchants have not requested or agreed to.
• All services rendered must not violate or infringe upon any copyright, trademark, or any other rights of any third party.
• Provide a refund policy to clients during the proposal stage for all jobs in the Experts Marketplace.

For more information about receiving jobs and communicating with merchants, refer toReceiving jobs and communicating with merchants.

Profile requirements

• Your organization, its attributes, and its capabilities must be accurately represented in the marketplace.
• All content included in your profile and associated service listings must be professional and must belong to your organization.
• Profiles and associated services provided must be accurate and up to date.
• Profiles and associated services provided must not redirect merchants to external sites or platforms.

For more information about setting up a profile, refer toSetting up your Experts Marketplace profile.