Dangerous products

This policy applies to Shopping ads and local inventory ads

Our policy

Google wants to help keep people safe both online and offline, so we don’t allow the promotion of some products that cause damage, harm, or injury.

Examples of what's allowed in some circumstances

Guns, gun parts, & related products

  Google allows the promotion of gun parts and associated items that increase the safety of a gun

• Examples: Gun locks, trigger locks, safety pins, chamber block

Examples of what's not allowed

Explosives

Products that are designed to explode and could cause damage to nearby people or property

• Examples: Nail bomb, chemical bomb, any fireworks that explode, firecrackers, grenades

Promotion of instructional content about the assembly, enhancement or acquisition of explosive items

• Examples: Bomb-making instructions, guides, software or equipment for 3D printing of parts of grenades 

Guns, gun parts, & related products

Functional devices that appear to discharge a projectile at high velocity, whether for sport, self-defense, or combat. Note that we err on the side of caution and apply this policy to sporting or recreational guns that can cause serious harm if misused, or that appear to be real guns

• Examples: Handguns, rifles, shotguns, hunting guns, functioning antique guns, airsoft guns, paintball guns, bb guns, 3D printed guns

Any part or component, whether finished or unfinished, that is essential to, or enhances the functionality of a gun

• Examples: Ammunition, ammunition clips, silencers, ammunition belts, stocks, conversion kits, gun-grips, scopes and sights, tripods and bipods 

 Instructional content about the assembly, enhancement or acquisition of any of functional devices that appear to discharge a projectile at high velocity, including parts or components thereof

• Examples: Gun-making instructions, guides, software or equipment for 3D printing of guns or gun parts

Dangerous knives

Knives that are designed or promoted (in modern-day usage) as products that can be used to injure an opponent in sport, self-defense, or combat. Any knife design that provides a confrontational advantage (including disguised appearance or assisted-opening mechanism)

• Examples: Switchblades, fighting knives, sword-canes, balisongs, military knives, push daggers, throwing axes

Other weapons

Any other product designed to (in modern-day usage) injure an opponent in sport, self-defense or combat

• Examples: Throwing stars, brass knuckles, tasers, pepper spray

 Promotion of instructional content about the assembly, enhancement or acquisition of any product covered by the other weapons policy section

• Examples: Guides, software or equipment for 3D printing of push daggers, brass knuckles, throwing stars

Recreational drugs & drug-related equipment

Promotion of substances that alter mental state for the purpose of recreation, or otherwise induce "highs"

• Examples: Cocaine, crystal meth, heroin, marijuana, cocaine substitutes, mephedrone, "legal highs"

Products marketed as facilitating recreational drug use

• Examples: Pipes, bongs, cannabis coffee shops

Promotion of instructional content about producing, purchasing, or using recreational drugs

• Examples: Instructional resources on drug use

Tobacco products & related equipment

Tobacco or any products containing tobacco

• Examples: Cigarettes, cigars, snus, chewing tobacco, rolling tobacco, pipe tobacco

Products that form a component part of a tobacco product, and products that directly facilitate or promote tobacco consumption

• Examples: Rolling papers, pipes, tobacco filters, hookahs

Products designed to simulate tobacco smoking

• Examples: Herbal cigarettes, electronic cigarettes or e-cigarettes, e-juice

Sodium Nitrite

Products with a concentration of more than 10% sodium nitrite

What you can do

To verify if the system has correctly tagged or overflagged a product, check the SOP which outlines when to process a review. Here's what you can do if your product is disapproved or if your Merchant Center account is impacted:

Product disapproval

Products that don't comply with our policies may be disapproved. When a product is disapproved, it won't be eligible to serve.

1. Read our policies to learn what we don't allow.
2. Update your website. If your ad or listing leads to content that violates a policy, update your website to meet the requirements and be in compliance with our policies.
3. Remove the violating products from your product data. You’ll receive an email with details about the violation.;
   • If you have products in your product data that violate the policy (or policies), you'll need to remove the offers from your feed.
4. Update your product data in Merchant Center. If you created a schedule for automatic uploads, update your product data manually or wait for your product data to be automatically updated before requesting any reviews.
5. Request a review of your products or appeal the decision taken on this issue.
   • If the violating products are removed, you won't need to request a review or take any additional action.
   • If you fix your product-level issues by editing your product data via your chosen upload method (such as a file) or directly in Merchant Center, your products will be re-reviewed.
   • For certain issues, you can disagree with the issue but you may need to complete additional steps such as provide an appeal reason and/or upload required documentation.
   • If you use a third-party platform to list your products, you can refer to your third-party if you want to request a review. You won’t be able to do this in Merchant Center.
   • If a review or appeal is successful, the issue will disappear from Merchant Center.

Account disapproval

For most violations, we'll send you a warning email detailing the policy violation and give you 7 or 28 calendar days to fix your issue. However, a warning may not be issued for egregious policy violations.

1. Read our policies to learn what we don't allow.
2. Update your website. If your ad or listing leads to content that violates a policy, update your website to meet the requirements and be in compliance with our policies.
3. Remove any violating products from your product data. You’ll receive an email with details about the violation. If you have products in your product data that violate the policy (or policies) you'll need to remove the offers from your feed.
4. Update your data in Merchant Center.
   • Review your account and submit any missing information or complete any unfinished steps.
   • If you created a schedule for automatic uploads, update your product data manually or wait for your product data to be automatically updated before requesting any reviews.
5. Make sure that your linked or associated account is issue-free before requesting a Merchant Center review. Learn more about how to fix Linked account suspensions.
6. Request a review of your account or appeal the decision taken on this issue.
   • If your account is still within the warning period, it will automatically be reviewed again at the end of the warning period. If the violating products are removed, you won't need to request an account review or take any additional action.
   • If your account is suspended and you've taken actions to resolve the issue, request an account review.
   • For certain issues, you can disagree with the issue but you may need to complete additional steps such as provide an appeal reason and/or upload required documentation.
   • If you use a third-party platform to list your products, you can refer to your third-party if you want to request a review. You won’t be able to do this in Merchant Center.

Note: Account reviews typically take 7 business days, but may take longer for complex reviews. If you remove violating products, the warning will be removed. If a review or appeal is successful, the issue will disappear from Merchant Center. In the case of account suspension, we will approve the account and allow products to be displayed again.

Account issue that limits product visibility

Your account has an issue and is operating with reserved functionality, therefore your products have limited visibility. An email was sent with a notice on what to do and the steps needed to resolve your account issue.

1. Read our policies to learn more about our requirements.
2. Update your website. If your ad or listing leads to content that violates a policy, update your website to meet the requirements and be in compliance with our policies.
3. Fix any other open policy violation in your account. Review your products and your account details.
   • If products aren’t supported, remove them from your feed.
   • If account details are missing, complete them in Merchant Center.
4. Request a review of your account or appeal the decision taken on this issue.
   • If your Merchant Center account is still within the warning period for certain policies, it will automatically be reviewed again at the end of the warning period.
   • If your account is affected and you've resolved the issue, request a Merchant Center account review.
   • For certain issues, you can disagree with the issue but you may need to complete additional steps such as provide an appeal reason and/or upload required documentation.
   • If you use a third-party platform to list your products, you can refer to your third-party if you want to request a review. You won’t be able to do this in Merchant Center.

Note: Account reviews typically take 7 business days, but may take longer for complex reviews. If you remove violating products, the warning will be removed. If a review or appeal is successful, the issue will disappear from Merchant Center. In the case of account suspension, we will approve the account and allow products to be displayed again.

To ensure a safe and positive experience for customers, Google requires that retailers comply with all applicable laws and regulations in addition to our policies. It's important that you familiarize yourself with and keep up to date on these requirements for the place where your business operates, as well as any other places your ads are shown. When we find content that violates these requirements, we may block it from appearing. In cases of repeated or egregious violations, we may ban you from advertising content with us.

If you’re working with a third-party platform, some of these instructions may not apply to you. Refer to your third-party platform for instructions on how to resolve the issue and request a review. Learn how to find support if you use a non-Google platform.