BoxCommerce Prohibited Product List

What is a prohibited product list?

The PPL (Prohibited Product List) is a policy that defines the types of products that cannot be sold or supported on the BoxCommerce platform.

Why is a prohibited product list important?

The PPL (Prohibited Product List) is designed to maintain compliance with legal and ethical standards, ensuring a safe and trusted environment for all merchants and their customers.  This protects the BoxCommerce platform’s integrity and ensures fair practices.

Please note:  This PPL (Prohibited Product List) is subject to updates and modifications by BoxCommerce at any time, without prior notice.

By signing up for a BoxCommerce account, you agree that you will not use BoxCommerce's services to accept payments for sale of any Prohibited Products.

Unacceptable Practices / Businesses

1. Sell any product, service or activity that is deceptive, misleading, predatory, prohibited by one or more Card Networks, or that provides no added benefit to the buyer (this being determined by BoxCommerce in its sole discretion).
2. Sell malware and including, but not limited to, computer viruses, worms, trojan horses, spyware, dishonest adware, crimeware, unauthorized rootkits, and other malicious and unsolicited software.
3. Involve the sales of activities that are identified by government agencies as having a high likelihood of being fraudulent.
4. Start-up drop shippers
5. Marketplaces and 3rd party businesses.
6. Data pass (merchants up selling or cross selling products of other merchants and then sharing the cardholder data with the third party or receiving cardholder data from third parties).
7. Companies whereby it is impossible to identify the UBOs or the company/group structure does not provide a clear picture on the UBO's, ultimate beneficial owners. Listed on Match or VMAS, excessive disputes or fraud (or tactics to evade Card Brand excessive chargeback or fraud programs).
8. Companies involved in future services (merchants that provide investment on future maturity goods or services -greater than 4 months for delivery- with an intention of gaining return on investment (e.g., wines/spirits or timber investment))
9. Companies involved in unacceptable marketing activities or practices, negative response marketing techniques by any type of seller, including, but not limited to:
10. Door-to-door sales
11. Direct Marketing-Subscription Sellers
12. Celebrity images/names used in product advertisement
13. Essay/Thesis writing services or cheat schemes
14. Inbound Telemarketing Companies that receive calls as the result of post cards or similar mailings (as opposed to catalog or media advertising)
15. Outbound telemarketing or facsimile
16. Products that promote or facilitate illegal activity
17. Products promoting healing claims, health/anti-aging benefits, affiliations with any religious blessings and lucky charms
18. Sites that promote Hatred, Racism, Violence, Harassment, Abuse or Religious Persecution
19. Social Media Advertising, "click" farms (excluding Social Media Management)
20. High Risk Marketing content (Hidden disclosures, Bogus claims & endorsements, Pre-checked opt in boxes, Refund/cancellation avoidance, Poorly disclosed negative options
21. Negative response marketing techniques by any type of seller (i.e. customer is automatically charged if they don't return the merchandise at the end of the free trial period)
22. Sellers offering substantial rebates or special incentives that are awarded to the cardholder subsequent to the original purchase
23. Offering a Free Gift, Prize or Contest/Sweepstakes entry as an inducement to purchase their product or service
24. Showing or selling of personal information from third parties, where the primary purpose of showing or selling such content is to cause or raise concerns of reputational harm.
25. Customer is automatically charged if they don't return the merchandise at the end of the free trial period).
26. Multi-level-marketing companies
27. Non-Accredited Certification Test Exams, Academic Degrees, or Diplomas

Prohibited Products List

1. Adult Entertainment
2. Adult bookstores, video stores, retailers of lingerie and sex aids/'toys'
3. Adult websites and content
4. Audio (phone sex, adult phone conversations)
5. Fetish products, Massage parlours (sexually oriented)
6. Gentleman's clubs, topless bars, and strip club's membership subscriptions
7. Any products on the internet containing graphic or nude content
8. Any illegal activity (e.g., pre-adult content, child pornography, bestiality etc)
9. Video (web-based sexually oriented video)
10. Air Carriers, Airlines
11. Antique Shops-Sales, Repairs and Restoration Services
12. Audio/video text (file sharing, video streaming)
13. Automobile Associations
14. Automobile Rental Agency
15. Automobile and Truck Dealers - Sales, Service, Repairs, Parts, and Leasing
16. Automotive Service Shops
17. Branded/Trademark-protected products in the absence of reseller rights
18. Contractors (pre-payments for handyman, repairs, electrician, plumbing)
19. Courier Services - Air and Ground, Freight Forwarders
20. Cruise Lines
21. Cyberlockers, filesharing services, file storage services for pictures and movies (IP infringement and illegal content sharing)
22. Dating services, including Companion/Escort services, Social Networking, sexually-oriented services or aimed at "sex contact" or similar, or with sexually explicit pictures, Matrimonial sites, "Find-A-Bride"
23. Embassy, Foreign Consulate, or Other Foreign Government, Visa assistance
24. Employment Agencies, Temporary Help Services
25. Exterminating and Disinfecting Services
26. Financial services of any kind, including but not limited to
27. Quasi Cash, Virtual, Digital, Cryptocurrency & services,
28. Multi-purpose stored value cards, wallet top-up
29. Extended warranty companies
30. Payday loans
31. Financial Advice
32. Collection agencies or firms involved in recovering/collecting past-due receivables
33. Credit Counseling or Credit Repair Services
34. Currency exchange or counterfeit currency
35. Debt consolidation
36. Loan or Mortgage Modification
37. Credit card protection (including identity theft protection)
38. Securities trading: including but not limited to: Futures, (Binary) Options & Swaps. Contracts for difference (CFD), Foreign Exchange (Forex) currency options trading, Crypto-currency options trading, Initial coin offerings (ICOs)
39. Fuel Dispenser, Automated
40. Fulfillment Centers
41. Furriers and Fur Shops
42. Government Services
43. Images, logos, designs of existing protected intellectual property
44. Internet Pharmacies
45. Internet Pharmacy Referral Sites, Medical Benefits packages, Medical Services or Advice
46. Marinas, Marine Service/Supplies
47. Market Research Reports
48. Medical benefits packages
49. Medical devices (unapproved by FDA and local regulators), equipment, supplies (like Covid test kits)
50. Metal Service Centers and Offices
51. Motion Picture Theatres
52. Narcotics, Steroids and Drug Paraphernalia and other controlled substances, or psychoactive products (e.g., Medical Marijuana, K2, salvia divinorum, nitrate inhalers, bath salts, synthetic cannabis, kratom, herbal smoking blends & herbal incense, anti-ageing pills, sex nutrients, herbal supplements, protein powder supplements, (HCG) weight loss products)
53. Online Gaming and in-game coins, currency, items purchase
54. Online Gambling
55. Prognostication, Lotteries, Raffles, Contests, and sweepstakes
56. Sports forecasting or odds-making
57. "Get-rich-quick" schemes (wealth management, income potential oriented)
58. Chain Letters
59. Pyramid Schemes
60. Fortune Tellers
61. Online sales of alcohol
62. Online sales of tobacco eg. Cigar Stores and Stands
63. Opticians, Optical Goods and Eyeglasses
64. Organisations, Charitable and Social Service (incl. NGO's, crowdfunding)
65. Organisations, Religious
66. Orthopaedic Goods - Artificial Limb Stores
67. Phone unlocking/"jailbreaking", modification chips, unlock codes
68. Police and other Government Identification and Equipment
69. Pre-paid phone card services
70. Psychic or astrological readings/consults
71. Radar and/or cellular jammers or boosters
72. Real Estate Agents and Managers
73. Remote Access Services, Technical Support Services
74. Replica and/or unlicensed branded goods
75. Second-Hand Stores, Used Merchandise Stores
76. Transportation - Suburban and Local Commuter Passenger, including Ferries
77. Veterinary Services
78. Video Entertainment Rental Stores
79. Weapons or replica weapons