Starting 26 September 2025, TikTok Shop will introduce a simpler system for handling negative balances in seller accounts. These changes affect how seller benefits, wallet withdrawals, and account deactivation are managed when your account balance falls below zero.

What’s Changing?

TikTok Shop is streamlining enforcement actions, making the thresholds clearer:

• Suspension of Seller Benefits

  • Your account perks (such as participation in campaigns or visibility boosts) will be suspended if your negative balance goes over US$100.

  • (Previously: a tiered system between US$100 – US$500 with varying restrictions.)

• Wallet Withdrawal Freeze

  • You can no longer withdraw money from your seller wallet if your negative balance exceeds US$250.

  • (Previously: US$100.)

• Account Deactivation

  • Your account will only be deactivated once your negative balance surpasses US$500.

  • (Previously: US$100.)
     

Why Do Negative Balances Happen?

A negative balance happens when the costs charged by TikTok Shop are higher than the money your shop is earning. In other words, your expenses outweigh your revenue. Here are the most common causes sellers should watch out for:

1. Mispriced Products

If your product prices are set too low, you may not be covering all your costs such as shipping, commissions, or returns. This leads to a loss with every sale.

Before listing, review your pricing carefully. Factor in platform fees, logistics, and possible discounts to avoid underpricing.

2. Incorrect Product Weight

When you list an item with a weight lower than its actual weight, the shipping fee estimated at checkout will be too low. Once the real weight is verified, you’ll be charged extra and the difference comes out of your balance.

Always weigh your products accurately and include packaging weight to prevent surprise charges.

3. Excessive Creator Samples

Sending out free or discounted samples to creators can be a good marketing strategy, but if overdone, the shipping and product costs add up quickly.

Track how many samples you send, evaluate the return on investment, and set a clear budget for creator marketing.

4. High Returns and Refunds

Each return or refund reduces your earnings, and too many can quickly push your balance into the negative. Often, these stem from inaccurate descriptions, poor product quality, or delayed shipping.

Analyse return and refund reasons regularly. Improve your product descriptions, ensure reliable quality, and optimise fulfillment speed to reduce disputes.


 

Reduce Negative Balance Risks with Smarter Tools

TikTok Shop’s new enforcement rules make the penalties for negative balances clearer and more forgiving, but prevention is still the best approach. Many balance issues come from hidden costs such as shipping discrepancies, refund-only orders slipping through, or frequent returns that cut into profit.

The good news is, with BigSeller, you can prevent most issues before they affect your shop:

• TikTok After-Sales Order Interception prevents refund-only orders from being shipped by mistake, saving you from unnecessary losses.

• Shipping Fee Management auto-calculates discrepancies between marketplace-charged and buyer-paid shipping fees, while letting you filter, export, and mark orders for better tracking.

• Reference Price ensures your pricing and cost structures remain accurate across warehouses, preventing mispriced listings.

• Profit Reports give you a clear picture of profit by order, store, or SKU, so you can identify where money is leaking.

• Buyer Blacklist helps you filter out problematic buyers who frequently request returns or refunds.
   

By combining TikTok Shop’s updated enforcement policies with BigSeller’s automation and reporting features, sellers can manage risks more effectively, keep their balances healthy, and focus on growing their business.

Try BigSeller for free today and see how these features simplify your daily operations.

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