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Your Guide to Product Pricing

US Academy / Knowledge Base / Policy Course / Seller: Manage Your Products

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Creator TL;DR

AI-generated from the captured TikTok policy text. Verify against the TikTok source before acting.

TikTok Shop says pricing must be clear, accurate, and fair. Sellers and creators should avoid misleading list prices, fake discounts, placeholder SKUs, abnormally low or high prices, price gouging, and unfair shipping fees. In videos and livestreams, any promoted price must match what customers actually pay.

Key points

  • Keep SKU prices reasonably similar within one listing.
  • Use separate listings for different product types.
  • Do not use placeholder or test SKUs to lower the displayed price.
  • Do not show discounts or reference prices unless they are genuine.
  • Do not set prices far below comparable market prices.
  • Do not set extreme prices just to reserve a listing or block purchases.
  • Do not raise prices during periods of high demand in a way that qualifies as price gouging.
  • Shipping fees must be fair, accurate, and not excessive.
  • Promoted prices in content must not be lower than checkout price.
  • Update videos when promo or coupon pricing expires.

Say / show

  • Prices shown in listings, videos, and livestreams should be accurate.
  • Set shipping fees based on real delivery costs and shopper expectations.
  • Use separate listings for different product types.
  • Review time-sensitive pricing in videos and update when needed.
  • Use supporting documentation if appealing a shipping-fee decision.

Do not say / show

  • Do not list a t-shirt and sweatshirt under one listing to show a lower starting price.
  • Do not use blank, Do Not Buy, Test, or similar SKUs.
  • Do not use SKUs as a contact-customer-service message.
  • Do not promote a product at a price lower than the actual price paid.
  • Do not use approximate prices that round down below the real price.
  • Do not claim a product is the lowest price or cheapest if that is not verified.
  • Do not charge excessive shipping or offset free shipping by inflating product price.

Violation risks

  • Product deactivation
  • Account-level actions
  • Product anchor removal
  • Removal of products linked to a shipping template
  • 7-day warning for excessive shipping fees
  • Deactivation of products linked to an affected warehouse if no action is taken

Who it affects

  • Sellers who set or display product prices
  • Creators who set or display prices in videos or livestreams
  • Products in listings
  • Products promoted in video or LIVE content
  • Shipping templates and linked products

Source notes

  • Verify details against the TikTok source before acting.
  • The source says related policies, enforcements, and appeal requirements are in Product Listing Policy, Fair Pricing Policy, and Best Practices.
  • The source does not provide all enforcement timing or appeal outcome details beyond what is stated here.

Confidence: high · Model: gpt-5.4-mini · Prompt: creator-policy-summary-v1

Readable Policy Copy

Captured policy content rendered without TikTok navigation, scripts, tracking markup, or page chrome. Source: article-html.

Key Takeaways:
  • Avoid large price disparities between product variations (SKUs) in a single listing.
  • Ensure prices advertised in videos or livestreams are accurate and not lower than the actual checkout price.
  • Do not use placeholder SKUs (for example, “Do Not Buy”) to artificially lower a listing’s displayed price.
Fair and transparent pricing is fundamental to building trust with customers on TikTok Shop. As a seller, you are responsible for ensuring that your product prices are clear, accurate, and compliant with our policies. This guide explains the key requirements to help you price your products correctly and avoid common pitfalls. These guidelines apply to all sellers and creators who set or display prices for products in listings, videos, or livestreams.
In this guide, you will learn about:
  • How to avoid misleading pricing practices
  • How to set prices that are not considered abnormally low
  • Understanding the policy against abnormally high pricing
  • Best practices for setting fair and compliant shipping fees
For details on related policies, enforcements, and appeal requirements, please refer to:

Best Practices

To maintain a healthy and trustworthy marketplace, it is essential to follow best practices for pricing your products. Below are detailed explanations of prohibited pricing practices.

When Listing

Avoid Misleading Pricing

TikTok Shop prohibits any deceptive or misleading pricing practices. The price a customer sees should always be a genuine and accurate representation of the product for sale. Violations may lead to product deactivation or other account-level actions.
The primary price displayed to customers is the lowest price in a listing. It is your responsibility to ensure that all product variations (Stock Keeping Units, or SKUs) are reasonably and similarly priced, so that the displayed price accurately represents the product being offered.
Common Misleading Price ScenariosExamples and Explanations
Fake Discounts(e.g. Product's list price is inflated, and discounted to real price)
The product's real value is $9.99, but there is a fake list price, which gives buyers the impression of a fake discount.
Bundles Broken Out (e.g. Main product is a toothbrush and toothpaste bundle, but there is one SKU with just toothpaste)
The product image only includes a bundle of multiple products. However, the listing includes SKUs with the products broken out instead of the bundle.
Cross product type/categories (e.g. The main product is a sweatshirt, but added a t-shirt SKU which is cheaper)
The main product image is a crewneck which is priced at $39.99. However, the listing also includes a tshirt SKU which is priced cheaper at $24.99. In this case a customer would think the crewneck is $24.99.
Unrelated/non-shoppable SKUs (e.g., a SKU with "Size: "ERROR" listed with a $27.90 t-shirt)
The listing includes a SKU with "error" as one of the size properties. Meanwhile, the other SKUs have standard sizes (M, L, XL, XXL, etc.)
Accessory-only SKUs(e.g., a lid only SKU for a product that is a whole cup with lid)
The main product image is a tumbler. However, the liting includes a tumbler lid only as a SKU.
Smaller Packs/Units Than Advertised(e.g., a 20 pack in the main product, but a 1 piece SKU)
The seller has a 4 piece as the main PID, but offers a 1 piece SKU.
Prohibited practices include:
  • Listing materially different product types under a single listing to display an artificially low starting price.
  • Displaying reference prices or discounts that do not reflect a genuine and established selling price.
  • Artificially inflating the list price to exaggerate a promotional discount.
Examples of Non-Compliant Listings:
Avoid listing SKUs with large price disparities in a single listing. For example, do not mix a $19 t-shirt with a $40 sweatshirt or a standard pair of sneakers with a limited-edition pair.Avoid listing a product with an accessory in the same listing.Avoid listing 1 item and a full set in the same listing.Avoid adding a low-price SKU that is not intended to be sold.
  • Do not update a list price to be much higher than the original price and then quickly add a large seller-funded discount.
Listing Guideline:
  • List different product types separately. A t-shirt and a sweatshirt are different products and require separate listings.
  • Do not list SKUs that are not intended to be sold.
    • Examples include but are not limited to blank placeholder SKUs listed with phrases such as Do Not Buy or Test.
  • Do not use SKUs as a notification tool (for example, "contact customer service before ordering").
  • Avoid significantly increasing the price before applying a steep discount.

Avoid Abnormally Low Pricing

Product prices should reasonably reflect the value of the item and be consistent with comparable listings in the same category. An abnormally low price can be perceived as suspicious or fraudulent. Violations may result in product deactivation or other penalties.
To ensure your pricing is compliant, you should:
  • List products under the correct category
  • Ensure pricing reflects the product’s specifications, features, and overall value
  • Set prices that are reasonably aligned with comparable listings within the same category
Best Practice:
  • Regularly research the price range of similar products to avoid setting a price that is significantly below the industry standard.
What to Avoid:
  • Listing a product at a price significantly below the market average (for example, listing a $100 item for $10)

Avoid Abnormally High Pricing

If a product's price is considered abnormally high, it may be removed at TikTok Shop's discretion.
What to Avoid:\n• Setting an excessively high price (for example, $9,999) to reserve a listing space and prevent purchases.\n\nBest Practice:\n• Use the pre-order function if you need to manage stock without deactivating a listing.

Avoid Price Gouging

TikTok Shop prohibits price gouging, which means listing products at prices higher than what is considered fair or reasonable. Violating products may be removed, and sellers may face account-level actions.\n\nWhat to Avoid:\n• Raising prices during periods of increased customer demand, such as holidays or emergencies. This practice is prohibited by law in many jurisdictions.

Setting Fair Shipping Fees

You are responsible for setting your own shipping fees, which can vary based on factors like distance, product weight, and delivery speed. However, all shipping fees must be fair, accurate, and aligned with reasonable delivery costs.
Key rules for shipping fees:
  • No excessive or unconventional shipping fees. Shipping costs should not be significantly higher than the product price (for example, a $4.99 item with a $19.99 shipping fee)
  • Do not use \"free shipping\" to mislead buyers. Offering free shipping while inflating the product price to compensate is not allowed
Always be transparent about your shipping costs. Ensure they reflect the actual cost of getting the product to the customer without any hidden or inflated charges.
Best Practice:
  • Recommended Rate: We recommend setting a flat-rate shipping fee that aligns with customer expectations of reasonable costs. The recommended rate shown in the template reflects the optimal range suggested by TikTok Shop to help guide your pricing. Do not charge excessive shipping fees as it is in violation of TikTok Shop's Fair Pricing Policy
  • Shipping Template Restrictions: If a shipping template violates the Fair Pricing Policy:
    • Consequence: Products linked to the template may be deactivated.
    • Justification: This is based on public carrier rates, reasonable handling costs, and shopper perception.
    • Appeal: If you believe your fee is justified, submit a ticket via Help Center > Create Ticket > New Ticket with supporting documentation.
  • Detected Excessive Shipping Fee: If TikTok Shop determines your shipping fees are excessive:
    • Warning: You will receive a 7-day warning.
    • Consequence: If no action is taken, all products linked to the affected warehouse may be deactivated.
    • Appeal: To appeal, visit Help Center > Create Ticket > New Ticket and provide supporting documentation.

When creating content

Avoid Misleading Price

Creators must ensure all prices in videos and LIVE sessions are accurate. Advertising a price lower than what a customer actually pays is a violation of our fair pricing policy. For example, promoting a cup for $8 when its actual price is $8.99-$20.99 is a violation.
To avoid violations, content creators should take note when publishing videos:
  • Promoted prices must be accurate and not lower than the actual price a customer pays
  • Avoid using approximate prices that are lower than the actual price, such as promoting a $5.99 product as costing \"$5\"
Non-Compliant Examples:
Video shows "$2". At that time, the lowest price for all viewers was $7.9.
Video mentioned the price '16-40', but at that time, the real lowest price for all viewers was $19.99
Live shows the price of the bill $2.95.
However, the real checkout price is $13.99 or higher.

Avoid Expired Price

Creators are encouraged to keep advertised pricing and discount information accurate and up to date.
When a promotion ends or a coupon expires, videos that still display the old promotional price may create confusion for viewers.
For example, if a creator posts a video during a Black Friday sale promoting a necklace for $10, and later the price returns to $15, the video may no longer reflect the current offer.
To avoid viewer confusion, creators are encouraged to regularly review videos containing time-sensitive pricing information and make updates when needed.
Note: If expired pricing remains in a video, the platform may remove the product anchor (the tappable link to the product page). This measure is intended to keep pricing information clear for viewers and is not a direct penalty.

Avoid Exaggerated Promises on Price

Creators should not make exaggerated claims about pricing, as these can be misleading and are difficult to verify. Content that violates this rule may have its product anchor removed or face other penalties.

What to Avoid:

  • Using absolute superlatives like "lowest price" or "cheapest" to describe a product's price.

Snapshots

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