The robots.txt file for Shopee notably prohibits automated interaction for general web crawlers on several parts of the site, yet permits particular ones under clear circumstances. The file repeatedly specifies certain rules such as Disallow: /*widget_service=, Disallow: /*get_vouchers=, and Disallow: /*get_shop_location=, which collectively restrict access to various crucial sections of the website. The denial applies to general User-agent: *, indicating that it is applicable to all generic web scrapers rather than specific bots.

However, we also notice some allowances mentioned for definite paths in the robots.txt file, including Allow: /buyer_cancel/refund_progress/, Allow: /api/v0/buyer_pusher/, Allow: /api/v1/logs/ among others. This practically suggests that Shopee allows web scrappers limited access to certain parts of the site while restricted areas remain protected. Be that as it may, the Sitemap: https://shopee.com/sitemap.xml directive still helps web scrapers in achieving a guided discovery. The above analysis reveals that the robots.txt file of Shopee exhibits a restrictive approach generally towards web scraping, albeit with select permissions to specific paths.

The terms of service for Shopee include restrictions and qualifications regarding automated access and data extraction. Shopee's policies and community statements clarify that some scraping of publicly accessible, non-personally identifiable product data is allowed if you "avoid PII: don’t collect personally identifiable information," "respect robots.txt," and "comply with Shopee’s Terms of Service and anti-scraping requirements (including protection laws)"[1]. This framework suggests that scraping is neither universally forbidden nor freely permitted; compliance with specific boundaries (public-only data, no personal information, no circumvention of access controls) is required, and the restrictions are intended to cover both public and logged-in site areas. Enforceability may depend on whether you have explicitly agreed to the terms, but Shopee presents these rules as universally applicable regardless of explicit agreement.

Shopee provides an official API (Shopee Open Platform)[9], and its terms caution against attempting to bypass access controls such as logins, rate limits, and CAPTCHAs. The use of scraping is explicitly policed through both technological (rate limiting, CAPTCHA, anti-bot fingerprinting, forced logins) and policy means, and community guidance repeatedly warns that "bypassing anti-bot protections, creating fake accounts, or ignoring legal boundaries can put you at risk"[3]. Consequences mentioned or implied include IP blocking, account suspension, and possible legal remedies. Therefore, scraping is only allowed under specific conditions: limiting to public, non-personal data while respecting Shopee’s barriers and terms of use.