Your E-commerce Agency Got the Store Banned or Kept the Payouts: Regain Control and Pursue Them

Step one: take back control

Control has three layers: the platform master account, the email and phone number linked to it, and the bank or wallet account that receives payouts. List who currently holds each and in whose name. If the master account was opened in the company's name with company documents, you as the store owner can usually recover it through the platform's official process even if the agency holds the login. If it was opened in the name of the agency or one of its staff, recovery is much harder and you will need evidence of who actually owns the business behind the store.

If you can log in, change the master password at once, replace the linked email and phone with company ones, turn on two-factor authentication, and remove the agency's sub-accounts and connected apps. If you cannot log in, contact the platform's official seller support immediately, explain the situation and submit what it asks for, typically business registration, identification, onboarding records and proof of the payout account. Do not hire a third-party "unban studio"; that hands your account security to yet another stranger.

The payout account is the most urgent. If payouts go to an account belonging to the agency or someone linked to it, change the payout destination to a company account through the platform right away, and notify the agency in writing to stop any withdrawal. If your domain, company email or ad accounts are also in their name, deal with those at the same time; see getting your domain and email back from a vendor.

Once each layer is back, record the date, what was changed and who now holds the credentials. That short log becomes part of your evidence that the company acted quickly to stop further harm once the problem came to light.

Step two: preserve evidence while you can still see it

Start preserving evidence at the same time you regain control, because once the agency realises what is happening, back-office records, chats and files can disappear. Keep the platform's violation notices, penalty records and appeal history; order, settlement and withdrawal reports; ad spend and promotion records; the service contract, quotations and any amendments; and every WeChat, WhatsApp, Viber and email exchange, especially anything the agency said about how it operated the store, fake orders, price changes or where the money went.

Save screenshots together with the date and the page address or menu path, and screen-record the important pages. Keep exported reports as untouched original files and annotate copies only. Arrange chats in date order in a single document and highlight the key lines. Put everything in one company cloud folder under one person's responsibility rather than scattered across several employees' phones.

Build a loss schedule alongside it: payouts withheld or unaccounted for, amounts confiscated or frozen by the platform, an estimate of lost sales during the ban, and service fees already paid to the agency. Give each item an evidence reference. This schedule is the basis for negotiating with the agency, briefing a lawyer and any legal process, so every figure must tie back to an original record.

If the agency still has access to anything while you collect evidence, assume it can see your actions. Change access first where possible, then export, so records are not altered while you are gathering them.

If staff who dealt with the agency are leaving, collect their chats and files before they go.

Step three: appeal to the platform and be clear about who broke the rules

If the ban was caused by the agency's violations, such as fake orders, misleading claims, prohibited items or stolen images, the appeal should state the facts honestly, acknowledge the violation, explain who carried it out and set out what you have changed. Platforms generally care whether the store owner is genuine, whether the violation has stopped and whether future compliance is credible. Flat denial, or blaming the platform, usually backfires.

An appeal typically includes proof of the business behind the store, the contract with the agency, your written termination notice, evidence that you have regained control, and a description of the corrective steps. Whether the store is restored, and how long it takes, is decided by the platform under its own rules, and nobody can guarantee the outcome. For TikTok Shop and similar platforms, see also appealing a banned TikTok Shop account.

If payouts are frozen, say in the same appeal that the payout account has been changed and ask for settlement under the platform's rules. While the appeal is pending, do not open a new store to get around the ban, and do not use a "fresh account" the agency recommends. Platforms are likely to treat that as linked-account evasion, which makes restoring the original store harder.

Keep a copy of every appeal you submit and every reply, in order. If the first appeal fails, a later one is far more persuasive when it can point to what was already explained and what has changed since.

Use one person to handle all platform correspondence so the story stays consistent.

Step four: terminate in writing and demand assets and money back

Once control is back, terminate the relationship formally in writing and list what the agency must return. The notice should cite the contract clause relied on, the effective date, the actions the agency must stop, the items it must hand back, such as account materials, creative assets, customer data, product images, ad accounts and unsettled payouts, and a deadline. Send it to the address and contacts in the contract, and leave a trail by email and messaging as well.

If the agency withheld sales money, demand settlement and repayment within a reasonable time in the same notice, attach your calculation, and reserve your right to take further action. If they respond, reconcile item by item. If they do not, or have disappeared, move to the next step. For how a formal demand letter is used and how recipients typically react, see using a demand letter in the Philippines.

Agencies often hold your customers' data, such as buyers' names, phone numbers and addresses. Require them to delete or return it and to confirm in writing. If you suspect the data has been leaked or misused, assess whether data privacy obligations are triggered; see responding to a customer data breach.

Even if the agency is cooperative, get the handover in writing as a signed checklist. Verbal assurances that "everything has been transferred" tend to unravel when you later discover an ad account or a supplier relationship still sitting in their name.

Keep proof of delivery for the notice itself, such as a courier receipt or read confirmation, in the same folder.

Step five: choose a recovery route by amount and evidence

There are three broad routes: negotiated settlement, a civil claim and a criminal complaint. Which fits depends on the amount, the strength of your evidence and whether the agency can still be found. For modest amounts against an identifiable party, negotiate first and get a written repayment agreement. If that fails and the amount qualifies, the small claims procedure may be an option; see small claims court in the Philippines. For larger amounts or complicated contracts, have a lawyer assess an ordinary civil case or arbitration; general principles are in contract disputes for Chinese businesses in the Philippines.

If the agency clearly withheld or diverted sales money on purpose and then vanished, criminal liability may be involved, and you can discuss with your lawyer whether to file a complaint with the police or the appropriate investigative body. Bring the contract, payment and settlement records, chats and your loss schedule. Bear in mind that a criminal process is not a collection service; whether you actually recover money depends on the other side's assets.

If the agency is based abroad, or the contract sends disputes to courts in mainland China, jurisdiction and enforcement become more complex, and lawyers in both places should be involved. Whatever route you take, do not threaten people, turn up at their homes or post their personal details online. That can turn you from the injured party into a defendant.

Write down the route you choose and why, with your lawyer's advice, so the decision is clear if the dispute runs for a long time or changes hands inside the company.

Using agencies safely next time, and how Yixing can help

Agencies are fine, but the three ownership essentials must always stay with the company: a master account registered in the company's name, linked to a company email and phone, with payouts going only to a company account. Give the agency a sub-account with only the permissions it needs, never the master password. The contract should state that accounts, creative assets and customer data belong to the company; prohibit fake orders and misleading claims, with penalties and losses from violations borne by the agency; keep sales money out of the agency's hands; and set out a handover checklist and timeline on termination.

Ask for a monthly operating report and log in yourself to spot-check orders, settlements and violation notices rather than relying only on the agency's summary. Before hiring an agency, verify its company registration, track record and real clients; see how to check a Philippine company. Other common risks in running an online store are covered in e-commerce risks in the Philippines.

Yixing (SEC registration CS202009551, Bureau of Immigration accredited agent CA-202624381-1) offers compliance retainer and company services to Chinese-owned businesses in the Philippines: mapping who owns the store and payout accounts, organising evidence and the loss schedule, preparing platform appeals and termination notices, coordinating licensed lawyers to assess recovery routes, and reviewing new agency contracts. We are not an e-commerce platform, we promise no reinstatement or recovery, and we do not replace legal advice. For your specific case consult a licensed lawyer; this article is not legal advice.

Review the agency relationship formally once a year, including who holds which credentials. Access tends to creep outward over time, and an annual check is the simplest way to catch it before it becomes the next dispute.