Guide · checked against TikTok's published pages on November 9, 2026
TikTok Shop "Unpaid Postage Order" violation
The shipping violation support says can't be appealed. What it usually means (the carrier charged extra postage), what it costs, and how to stop the next one.
Short answer
It usually means the carrier found a parcel heavier or bigger than the label paid for and charged postage due. Support has said it can't be appealed, so the real fix is correcting the weights and box sizes in your shipping template. Check the flagged tracking numbers for USPS adjustments first.
What the notice says
Unpaid Postage Order. Penalties reported by one seller: minus 130 points, a 10-order daily limit for 14 days, and a 31-day settlement period.
On this page
Twenty orders flagged at once. Every one had a paid label. That's how the case we know best started, and the seller's receipts didn't help, because the receipts weren't the question.
What it means
Buying a label proves you paid for postage at the weight and size you entered. An unpaid postage flag usually means the carrier later measured the parcel and found it heavier or bigger than that. USPS then charges "postage due," and TikTok treats the order as underpaid.
When many orders get flagged together, one SKU is usually behind it. The shipping template's weight is out of date, or a box size changed, or an insert made every parcel a few ounces heavier.
What it costs
The penalties in that seller's screenshot were heavy: minus 130 points, a cap of 10 orders a day for 14 days, and settlement pushed to 31 days. That's one case, so treat the numbers as an example. TikTok doesn't publish point values.
Support told the seller it can't be appealed. We haven't found an official page that says so either way, and the only coded case in our data lost.
What to do
Find the cause before you ship anything else. Ask your 3PL, or check yourself:
- Pull the tracking numbers of the flagged orders and look for postage-due or adjustment records with USPS.
- Pack a real order of the suspect SKU and weigh and measure it.
- Compare that with the weight and dimensions in your shipping template.
Then correct the template. That's what stops the next twenty.
Setting template weights that hold up
Weigh a packed parcel, not the product. The box, the filler and the insert card are all part of what the carrier measures, and together they often add 3 to 6 ounces to a small order. Round up to the next ounce, never down.
Measure the box after it's sealed. A soft mailer that bulges past its stated size can push a parcel into a higher price band once the carrier puts it through a dimension scanner.
Re-weigh whenever something changes. New packaging, a new free gift, a bundle option added to the listing: each one shifts the real weight, and the template won't notice. A monthly spot check of your top three SKUs takes ten minutes.
If USPS shows no adjustment and the template matches the real parcel, you have a case worth putting to support in a ticket, with the scale photo and the carrier records attached. Ask for a review even if the first answer was no.
When the 14 days end, check Account Health. The order cap should lift. The points may keep counting against you for a while, so note when they drop off.
Common questions
My 3PL packs the orders. Who's responsible?
TikTok holds the shop responsible. Give your 3PL the corrected weights in writing and spot-check a parcel every week or two.
Does this affect my Shop Performance Score?
Probably, through the shipping side of the score. TikTok's formula isn't fully public, so we can't say how much.
Know someone stuck on the same thing? Send them this page. Members can also get a personal invite link with /refer in our Discord, and every friend who joins and stays earns you a free product report.