New York Attorney General Letitia James is taking a bow after Shopify moved to ban vaping products from its platform, crediting a pressure campaign her office kicked off last November. The shift comes after months of coordinated efforts by state attorneys general and public health officials who argue that a booming online trade in disposable, flavored vapes has put teenagers squarely in the crosshairs. If Shopify follows through, many online vape merchants will have to rethink how they sell nicotine products or hunt for new digital storefronts.
I'm pleased to see that @Shopify has banned the sales of all vaping products after my office's call for action in November. This is a critical step in protecting the health of our youth and curbing the sales of this dangerous product. https://x.com/i/status/2069908340151316586
— Letitia James (@newyorkstateag) June 24, 2026
Shopify Set to Pull Vapes, Reuters Reports
According to Reuters, people familiar with Shopify's plans say the company is preparing to strip vaping products from its U.S. platform as early as this week. Reuters quoted a Shopify spokesperson saying the company acts when merchants break its rules and that enforcement can shift as laws and regulations change.
Multi-state Letter Turned Up the Heat Last Fall
The latest move tracks back to a firm nudge Shopify received on Nov. 24, 2025. In a detailed letter archived by the California Attorney General, California, New York City and more than two dozen other states and territories urged the platform to cut off online sellers that routinely ignore federal, state and local tobacco and shipping laws. The letter, signed by that broad coalition, pressed Shopify to help choke off unlicensed and youth-oriented e-cigarette products.
Payment Networks Pulled Into the Fight
Attorney General James did not stop with e-commerce platforms. In April, she led a bipartisan group of attorneys general pressing major payment processors to stop handling transactions for illegal vape sellers, according to the New York Attorney General's office. The coalition called payment rails a key choke point for unlawful online vape sales and asked giants like Mastercard, Visa and Stripe to put stronger safeguards in place.
FDA Approvals Still Cover Only a Sliver of the Market
Federal regulators have authorized only a limited set of e-cigarette products. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's public list shows 45 e-cigarette products with marketing granted orders as of May 5, 2026, highlighting that most devices on sale lack federal authorization, according to the FDA. Reuters reported that Shopify's planned ban would cover all vapes in the United States, including some products that already have FDA authorization, which shows how platforms may choose broader compliance rules than federal approvals alone require.
Legal Pressure Points
The multi-state letter and the broader attorney general campaign lean on the Prevent All Cigarette Trafficking (PACT) Act, along with federal premarket review rules, as the legal foundation for urging platforms and payment firms to act. The California and New York coalition argued that many online vape merchants are skipping basic requirements such as age verification, proper tax collection and compliant shipping, according to the California and New York letter. That posture raises compliance stakes for hosting platforms and payment acquirers that service transactions tied to illegal shipments.
What Online Vape Sellers Need to Watch
Shopify's own guidance to merchants already warns that sellers who ignore laws governing electronic nicotine delivery systems risk having products pulled or entire stores shut down, and it points merchants to jurisdiction-specific rules and registration requirements, according to Shopify's Help Center. Smaller retailers that lean heavily on big platforms for sales may need to double-check their inventory and payment setups and be ready for account reviews or enforcement if Shopify rolls out the ban in a sweeping way.
James has framed the pending crackdown as a win for youth health in her post on X. Shopify and industry groups have yet to lay out public details on the geographic reach or the technical nuts and bolts of the change. We will be watching for a formal Shopify policy update and clear guidance for merchants caught in the middle.
