TikTok Shop Forces Sellers to Respond to Disputes within 24 Hours
TikTok Shop has released a new after-sales policy requiring sellers to handle disputes within 24 hours, or the platform will support buyer refunds. The platform has also outlined strict penalties for product quality issues, false descriptions, and safety compliance issues, including deducting violation points, delisting products, and mandatory refunds.
What are the key facts?
- 124-hour dispute response time
- 221-day appeal period
- 32 dispute requests per item
What happened?
TikTok Shop recently updated its after-sales dispute policy, stating that if sellers fail to respond promptly or are determined to have malicious behavior (such as poor product quality or discrepancies with descriptions), the platform will directly support buyer refunds. Sellers are responsible for recalls and refunds related to safety issues flagged by media reports or regulatory agencies. Sellers have a 21-day appeal period, but dispute resolution is still subject to a 24-hour evidence submission limit.
What does this mean for cross-border sellers?
Sellers must establish a rapid after-sales response mechanism to avoid direct financial losses; they should also strictly control product compliance to prevent large-scale recalls due to safety issues.