Misleading Listings Policy FAQ

Product listings that misrepresent products being sold or set false expectations for customers are considered misleading and are prohibited.

Starting April 18th, 2018 00:00 UTC, product listings that are detected to be misleading will be taken down from Wish and will be subject to penalties.

What does “Misleading Listing” Mean?

A “Misleading Listing” is a product listing that misrepresents a product or sets false expectations for customers. This is a violation of Wish policies. These product listings misrepresent the product being sold through the use of deceptive images, titles, descriptions, size/color options, and/or prices. These misrepresentations negatively affect Wish customers and are not tolerated on the Wish marketplace. Listings found to be violating this “Misleading Listing” policy are subject to removal and monetary penalties. 

Note that based on the current Misleading Listings Policy 2.10 and the Misleading Variations Addendum in particular, a product may be considered as misleading when there exists inconsistencies between product main image, title, descriptions, and the product variations offered. The title, description, price, and images used to advertise a product or variation should clearly and accurately reflect the item being sold. Please familiarize yourself with Wish’s policies on listing products: https://merchant.wish.com/policy/listing & https://merchant.wish.com/policy/inappropriate-reasons/33.  

What are some examples of “Misleading Listing” infractions? 

“Unreasonable Price Point” 

Product price points should fall within a reasonable market value for the product being sold and merchants should provide accurate price information when listing products. Products with prices that are significantly lower or significantly higher than reasonable market value may be subject to scrutiny. In addition, product prices should not vary significantly for different variations within a listing. Effective March 27, 2020, merchants found to be setting prices manipulatively may be penalized for the full order amount on every order of a violating product within the past 30 days of the infraction date, as well as $200 per listing. These penalties may be disputed.

Example 1: 

A disinfectant spray listed for $153USD is not a reasonable price. 

Example 2:

A smartphone listed for free is not a feasible market price.

 

“Conflicting Customer Feedback”

Listings which consistently receive feedback from customers that indicate the product is not what was advertised will be identified as a “Misleading Listing”.

Example 1:

Product listing is for “wireless headphones”, but customer images show they received “wire headphones”

Example 2: 

Product listing is for “lace wig” made with “human hair”, but customer images and feedback show they received a non-lace front synthetic material wig.

“Majority of Images Do Not Show the Product”

All images used in a listing should accurately display the product being sold. Images which are meant to show the product in use or in a demonstrative capacity are permitted, but may not be used as the first image or as the majority of images.

Example:

All images uses show a flat screen TV but the product being sold is a TV antenna.

“Title and Main Image Discrepancy”

The product titles and main image are integral in representing a product. If unnecessary products or product specifications are the focus of the product’s title or main image, the listing will be flagged as misleading.

Example:

The main image and title show and describe a smartphone, but the product being sold  is earphones.

“The product is not the focus of the main image"

The listing may be considered as misleading if the product being sold is not the focus of the main product image.

Example:

Product title indicates that the item being sold is a bluetooth wireless keyboard for iPads, but this is not the focus of the main image; neither is the item being sold clearly indicated in the main image.

 

“Size misrepresentation in product main image" 

If the size of the product being sold in this listing is not made clear in the main image, the listing may be considered misleading.

Example:

The size of the crystal stone shown in the main image below (left) does not align with customer feedback, as indicated in the image on the right. The product appears bigger in the main image than what’s actually received by the customer.

“Description and Package Size not as Advertised”

Package sizes which are specified in a listing’s title, images, and/or descriptions must be aligned. Packages advertised must be purchasable in the size/color options provided. In the event that customer feedback consistently indicates the package is not as advertised, the listing is subject to removal and misleading penalties.

Package sizes may include the quantity of items advertised, implied box sets, and/or the sale of items with listed accessories. Additionally, advertising memory storage devices with inaccurate or impossible capacities are considered misleading.

Example 1: 

The image used shows a 6-pack but the description says only one unit is sold.

Example 2: 

The image used shows the untrue “1TB” onto a memory storage device.

 

“Misleading Variation”

Variation SKUs of a given product should be realistic and consistent with the product being sold. If unrealistic variations are included in a product, the product variations are subject to removal and misleading penalties.

Example 1:

Product listing offers extreme, unrealistic sizes with lower prices than the other options:

Example 2:

One of the variation options is to “Choose a Size” in order to create the illusion of a smaller price:

Example 3:

Product option contains false memory capacity, like ‘2TB” which is not a realistic available memory option for a USB memory drive:

 

"Merchants do not clearly or consistently disclose nonsensical product variations or quantity to customers"

Certain product listings may offer product variations or quantity that are nonsensical to a reasonable customer, but merchants do not clearly and consistently indicate this to the customer throughout the entire product listing. For example, a reasonable customer may expect certain products to be offered at a set quantity (e.g., a pair of shoes, a full deck of cards, etc.), but merchants sell the products in a quantity that is not aligned with this reasonable customer expectation, and do not clearly indicate this in the entire product listing.

Examples:

Product is a pair of shoes, but merchants only list the left or right shoe; or product is a deck of playing cards, but only half a deck is listed.

 

“Unsupported Medical Claims”

Wish does not permit the sale of products with unsupported medical claims. Merchants are responsible for ensuring the legality of all claims on products.

Listings violate the “Unsupported Medical Claims” policy when Wish is unable to prove there is evidence to support the product and its advertised claims are accredited or legitimate. Listings with unsupported medical claims are considered misleading and are subject to penalties. These penalties may be disputed. 

Example 1: 

Product listing contains misleading claims that the product being sold is an "N95 mask". 

Example 2: 

These product listings contain misleading and/or unsupported medical claims. 

How much is a “Misleading Listing” penalty?

Effective August 6, 2019 8PM Pacific Time, if a product listing or a product variation is detected to be misleading, the merchant may be penalized up to $200 if there were orders placed in the last 30 days from when the product or variation was detected as misleading. Merchant may also be responsible for 100% of any future refund on an order placed on the detected misleading product or variation.

Does “Misleading Listing” refer to a product listing’s images, title, and/or description? 

A products tagged as “Misleading Listing” may have one or multiple problems which actively leads a user to mistake what product is being sold. 

Each listing that receives this tag is carefully evaluated including prices, strikethrough prices, titles, descriptions, images, size/color options, and customer feedback.

What is the difference between “Misleading Listing”, “False Advertising”, and “Ambiguous Listing”? 

Products may be flagged for “False Advertising” if it is clear what product is being sold, but untrue, unverified, or exaggerated information is included.

Products may be flagged as “Ambiguous Listing” if the product being sold is not clear. Sometimes this is because of conflicting information between the images and description.

Products may be flagged as “Misleading Listing” if a listing strategically deceives a consumer into believing they are purchasing a different item at an incredibly discounted rate. “Misleading Listing” penalties may also occur if the product the consumer receives is different than the product advertised in the original listing. This intentional misbehavior may result in large penalties.  

Is there any way to dispute a “Misleading Listing” tag? Can the penalty be removed? 

A merchant may dispute a “Misleading Listing” if they believe the listing was incorrectly identified as “misleading.”

As of June 25, 2018, Merchants may access the the new feature to submit products for re-review.

Can I edit the misleading listings to comply with the policy and have them re-listed?

Yes. For each misleading listings infraction that requires your action, you may submit an “Edit Product Request” to edit your misleading products that are removed by Wish, and have them re-listed if your requests are approved by Wish. Your misleading listings penalties won’t be reversed after your request is submitted and approved by Wish, but your now-compliant products are once again available to customers across the globe.

To help merchants further expand their product offering by having more misleading items corrected and re-listed through the “Edit Product Request” process, merchants can also receive the following benefit:

For “Edit Product Requests” for misleading listings previously- and newly-submitted, corresponding infractions’ penalty amount up to $100 will be reversed for each request approved on or after May 4, 2020 12:00AM UTC. Note that merchants may also submit “Edit Product Requests” for misleading variations removed and re-list variations, but the penalty reversal benefit outlined here (up to $100) does not apply to approved “Edit Product Requests” submitted for misleading variations.

To submit an “Edit Product Request” for misleading listings now, first identify all misleading listing infractions under the Infractions > Action Required page on your Merchant Dashboard.

Then in each infraction message, click “Re-edit the listing”:

In the “Edit Product Request” popup modal that follows, make appropriate edits to your misleading products, and click “Submit Edit Request”:

Similarly, to submit "Edit Product Requests" for misleading variations, locate a misleading variations infraction and follow a similar step by clicking "Edit the listing" to proceed:

Wish will notify you of the request outcome (approved or rejected) within 5-7 business days.

As soon as a request is approved, the misleading listing/variation in question will be re-listed on Wish as a compliant product available for sale again.