Service Moderation & Approval Queue

Keep your marketplace quality high by reviewing vendor services before they go live. When moderation is enabled, every new service submission needs your approval.

Service Moderation Queue

Turning On Moderation#

  1. Go to Sell Services > Settings > Vendor Settings
  2. Check Require Service Moderation
  3. Click Save Changes

When moderation is on: New services are submitted as "Pending" and stay hidden until you approve them. Vendors are notified when their service is approved or rejected.

When moderation is off: Services go live immediately when a vendor publishes them. No review step needed.

The Moderation Workflow#

Here is what happens from submission to publication:

  1. Vendor submits a service -- clicks "Publish" on their new listing
  2. Service enters the queue -- status is set to "Pending" and it is hidden from buyers
  3. You review it -- check the title, description, pricing, and images
  4. You approve or reject -- approved services go live; rejected ones return to draft
  5. Vendor gets notified -- they receive an email with the outcome

If you reject a service, the vendor can edit it and resubmit. The resubmitted service goes back into your moderation queue.

Reviewing Pending Services#

Go to Sell Services > Moderation to see all services waiting for your review. The moderation menu shows a badge with the pending count so you never miss new submissions.

What You See in the Queue#

Each service in the queue shows:

  • Thumbnail -- the service image
  • Service title -- click to preview the full listing
  • Vendor name -- who submitted it
  • Category -- what type of service
  • Price -- starting price (basic package)
  • Submitted date -- when it was submitted
  • Approve / Reject buttons -- take action right from the list

You can filter the queue by status: Pending, Approved, or Rejected.

What to Look For#

When reviewing a service, check for:

  • Clear, honest title -- no misleading claims or ALL CAPS
  • Detailed description -- explains what the buyer gets, how it works, and expected turnaround
  • Reasonable pricing -- packages make sense for the scope of work
  • Quality images -- relevant portfolio samples, not stock photos or stolen work
  • Policy compliance -- no prohibited services or copyright violations

Approving a Service#

Click Approve next to the service. The service immediately:

  • Becomes visible on your marketplace
  • Appears in search results and the vendor's profile
  • Can start receiving orders

The vendor gets an email confirming their service is live, with a link to view it.

Bulk approval: Check multiple services and select Approve from the bulk actions dropdown to approve several at once.

Rejecting a Service#

Click Reject and enter a clear reason explaining what needs to change. Be specific so the vendor knows exactly what to fix.

Good rejection feedback: "Your description is too brief. Please add details about what you will deliver, your typical process, and expected turnaround time. Also, please upload at least 2 portfolio samples showing your actual work."

Unhelpful rejection feedback: "Needs improvement."

When rejected:

  • The service returns to draft status
  • The vendor sees the rejection reason in their dashboard
  • The vendor can edit and resubmit
  • Resubmissions enter the moderation queue again

Common Rejection Reasons#

  • Thin description -- needs more detail about deliverables and process
  • Irrelevant images -- portfolio samples do not match the service offered
  • Stolen or stock images -- portfolio must be original work
  • Unrealistic pricing -- price does not match the scope of work promised
  • Prohibited service -- violates marketplace policies
  • Duplicate listing -- vendor already has a similar service

What Vendors See#

Pending service: Yellow "Pending Review" badge with a message that the service is awaiting approval.

Rejected service: Red "Rejected" badge with the rejection reason displayed and an "Edit Service" button.

Approved service: Green "Live" badge with order statistics and full editing capabilities.

Who Bypasses Moderation?#

Administrators (anyone with manage_options) bypass the moderation queue: services they create publish immediately, and publishing a pending service from the editor, Quick Edit or bulk edit approves it. Shop managers are not administrators and go through the queue like any other vendor.

Notifications#

When moderation is enabled, email notifications go out automatically:

  • To admins: When a new service is submitted or resubmitted
  • To vendors: When their service is approved or rejected

Configure which emails are active in Settings > Emails.