Shopify Clarifies Kanye West’s Removal Was Due to Fraud, Not Swastika Incident

Kanye West’s Shopify Store Removal Explained

Shopify stated that Kanye West’s website was taken down due to potential fraud concerns, rather than because he was selling a swastika T-shirt.

This information comes from a leaked internal announcement within the Canadian e-commerce company, which was reported by Logics. The message was said to have been sent by General Counsel Jess Herz via Shopify’s Slack account.

Concerns Over Fraud and Compliance

Herz noted that the T-shirt featuring a swastika emblem listed by West in his Yeezy store constituted a “trick” rather than a “genuine attempt to generate income.” She emphasized that this situation posed a “real risk of fraud,” which was the primary reason the store was subsequently closed.

Following the removal of the site, Shopify representative Caty Grey stated that the Yeezy online store was shut down because “the merchant was not engaging in genuine trading practices.” She clarified that this violated the company’s terms.

In the leaked message, Herz provided additional context. While she referred to the fraud risk as the reason for the store’s closure, she described West’s Swastika T-shirt as “vile, disgusting, and unforgivable,” asserting that “everyone agrees with this.”

Nonetheless, Herz explained that this sentiment did not influence Shopify’s decision to take down West’s website: “The opinion is not taken into account here,” she detailed. “Our service conditions are critical.”

Breaking: Kanye West represents a new T-shirt with SW*Stika.

“I wanted to make this T-shirt for many years pic.twitter.com/ldqqsrprj5

– Adam (@adamemedia) February 8, 2025

Herz stated that Shopify’s focus on its conditions for acceptable use and other policies aimed to “remove as much subjectivity as possible” when making decisions regarding content moderation.

However, according to sources, several Jewish employees at Shopify expressed discomfort and safety concerns about the company hosting the store online for an extended period, particularly with the T-shirt being available for purchase. This issue was reportedly raised by an employee on the internal Slack channel.

Herz acknowledged in an internal statement that it “really took time to come to this result,” but explained that “the reactive cessation of the store is never good for our ecosystem.”

The white T-shirt showcased a large black swastika on the front and was labeled “HH-01,” which could be interpreted as a reference to the Nazi salute “Heil Hitler”. The shirt was priced at $20.

A Yeezy.com currently displays an error message stating: “This store is not available.” This follows a Super Bowl advertisement aimed at directing viewers to the site on February 9.

Shopify does not pre-screen listings on its platform. However, the company’s acceptable use policy prohibits merchants from engaging in illegal activities and “cannot call or threaten violence against specific people or groups.”

The Yeezy website utilized Shopify’s technology, including the store’s ordering functionality. This generated fees for the company whenever a customer completed a transaction through the online store.

Additionally, Shopify recently announced fourth-quarter earnings on February 11, reporting revenue of $2.81 billion (a 31.2 percent year-over-year increase). Shopify’s President Harley Finkelstein did not address questions concerning Yezy.com during the earnings call.

West has attracted controversy in recent times through a series of anti-Semitic tweets, claiming that he “loves Hitler” and identifying himself as a “Nazi.” His account on X/Twitter has since been deactivated following this bizarre and incendiary behavior. His talent agency has also severed ties with him.

The rapper’s outbursts have led to an apology to the Jewish community for his previous anti-Semitic comments.

Following his earlier remarks, West lost brand partnerships with Balenciaga, Adidas, and Gap, and was stripped of an honorary degree from the Chicago Art Institute. Adidas later forfeited earnings from the remaining shares of West’s Yeezy footwear in support of organizations combating anti-Semitism.