A large-scale “second review wave” has recently hit TikTok’s US marketplace. The second review refers to the platform initiating a more rigorous compliance/identity/abnormal behavior check on stores that have already passed the initial review or are operating normally. Many sellers have reported issues such as restricted store traffic, score deductions, and even limitations on payment collection and order fulfillment rights. Some have received alerts like “requiring supplementary identity verification” or “abnormal activities associated with other stores,” while others have seen their store scores drop, order quantity restricted, or traffic cut off. This wave of second reviews is related to the platform’s enhanced compliance checks ahead of the important Black Friday and Cyber Monday (BFCM) promotion period.

I. The Second Review Wave on TikTok US Marketplace

The second review is a more stringent compliance, identity, and abnormal behavior inspection conducted by the platform after a store has passed the initial review or is operating normally. Recently, a large number of sellers have reported receiving alerts such as “needing to submit supplementary identity verification” and “abnormal activities associated with other stores.” Some stores have experienced score drops, order restrictions, or traffic interruptions. This wave of second reviews is linked to the platform’s strengthened compliance checks before the key Black Friday and Cyber Monday (BFCM) promotion period.

Typical Scenarios Triggering Second Review/Risk Control

1. Inconsistent entities: Mismatches or ambiguity in business licenses, legal representatives, store information, and payment account details.
2. Abnormal capital chain: Discrepancies between bank account/PayPal/third-party payment information and the company’s registration location or entity.
3. Abnormal traffic behavior: A large number of abnormal IP visits in a short period, unnatural traffic growth, and aggressive short-term acceleration of ad delivery.
4. Infringement and risk control violations: Product infringement, fraudulent transactions, high after-sales complaint rates, and abnormal order fulfillment.
5. Environment and device association:

• Logging in to or switching between multiple stores under the same IP/device/browser fingerprint.
• Using data center nodes or “unclean” proxy IPs, which are deemed “unconventional environments” by the platform.
• Mismatch between IP and the registered entity’s region, inconsistent time zones, and discontinuous Cookie environments.
• Multiple store activities occurring under the same network environment, which is easily identified by the system as “associated operation.”

Many sellers have reported that even if a single store operates in compliance, it may still be mistakenly judged as a “connection risk” due to overlapping environmental fingerprints or abnormal IP changes. TikTok’s risk control focuses not only on the authenticity of the information itself but also on the consistency of the device + IP + time zone + behavioral scenario. Once an abnormality is determined, appealing becomes quite difficult.

II. Comprehensive Guide for Sellers to Prevent Account Bans & Pass Reviews Smoothly

1. Account and Information Preparation

• 100% alignment of main business information: Ensure consistency in business licenses, company names, EIN/Tax IDs, corporate bank account information, invoice details, registered addresses, and PBR/UBO information. Pay attention to English spelling and document formatting when submitting materials. TikTok has a clear process for identity verification, and inconsistent information will be directly rejected.
• Prepare backup materials: Collect passports/driver’s licenses of legal representatives/UBOs, utility bills or bank statements from the past 3 months, and scanned copies of company articles of association/business licenses. Organize materials that can prove business authenticity in advance so that they can be submitted immediately when facing a second review.
• Transparency of payment collection links: If using PayPal/Wise/third-party settlement services, ensure the account information matches that of the legal representative/company. Keep account opening certificates, KYC screenshots, and bank statements for verification purposes, as third-party payment channels will undergo additional verification.

2. Daily Operation and Traffic Management

• Gradually scale up to avoid short-term surges: Control the pace when launching ad campaigns and new products to prevent the platform from identifying your store as an unexpected source of abnormal traffic.
• Simulate natural user behavior: Maintain natural interactions on the store homepage, product pages, comment sections, and customer service responses. Avoid large-scale “batch interactions from the same IP.”
• Compliant product pages and ad landing pages: Ensure product descriptions are authentic and compliant. Avoid absolute claims in images or promotional copy, and prepare product authorization certificates and inspection reports.
• After-sales and review management: Handle complaints promptly and reduce refund and complaint rates, as these are used as quantitative indicators to assess store health.
• Control account association: If an operation team manages multiple stores, try to separate operation devices, payment methods, payment collection accounts, and login IPs (specific IP practices are detailed below).

3. IP and Environment Isolation

Risk control systems rely heavily on IP, device fingerprints, and behavioral signals. High-quality IP and device environment isolation can significantly reduce the probability of triggering a second review.

Therefore, operations in the US marketplace must achieve: consistency with the entity’s region + fixed clean IP + independent browsing environment + long-term stable login.

(1) Recommended Environment Solutions: Residential IP + Independent Device Fingerprint

For a high-risk e-commerce platform like TikTok, the following approaches are more recommended:

• Main stores: Static residential IPs/local US IPs.
• Account nurturing and matrix operations: Mobile/residential rotating nodes.
• Use anti-fingerprint browsers to achieve device isolation.
• Fixed time zones, long login cycles, and no frequent changes to the environment.

These practices have become common consensus in the US seller community discussions this year.

(2) Recommended Tool: IPFoxy, Adapted for BFCM

Currently, the BFCM period is the strictest risk control period of the year, and the platform is particularly sensitive to abnormal IP behavior and account association.

IPFoxy’s advantages include:

• Providing real residential/mobile IPs, which closely align with local user behavior models.
• Supporting US static residential lines (suitable for long-term operation of main stores and scenarios where second reviews need to be passed).
• Offering multi-region lines, facilitating the isolation of environments for multi-store operations, ad accounts, and customer service accounts.
• Ensuring high stability and avoiding frequent disconnections.
• Enabling full isolation of devices + IP + Cookies + time zones when used with fingerprint browsers.

4. Response Process After Traffic Restriction Due to Second Review

• Collect screenshots of platform feedback immediately: Save system notifications of violations/second reviews, violation codes, timelines, screenshots of involved products, order screenshots, and payment screenshots.
• Prepare appeal materials: Gather identity documents, company certificates, payment collection proofs, logistics/shipping certificates, customer communication records, third-party authorizations, etc. Attach a brief description to each material—avoid simply uploading “a large number of documents.” TikTok also provides resources and appeal guidelines in its Seller Academy.
• Key points for appeal wording: Be concise, fact-driven, and evidence-centered. Avoid emotional expressions. For example: Explain the real source of orders/transactions, provide buyer addresses and logistics tracking numbers, and clarify any seemingly contradictory company information.

Conclusion

The “second review wave” on TikTok’s US marketplace is an inevitable result of the platform strengthening risk control and compliance ahead of the peak promotion season. For sellers to smoothly pass reviews and avoid account bans, the overall strategy lies in a four-in-one approach: consistent information, authentic behavior, IP/device isolation, and a rapid response mechanism. This approach enhances account health and risk control resistance capabilities.