Shopify payments fees, and where the money actually goes
Shopify payments fees are a stack, not one number. Here is what each layer pays for, which parts a hemp or CBD store can change, and which nobody can.
Blog
Guides for shop owners
Plain-English answers on getting boarded, staying compliant and running the counter.
All articles
Latest guides
Cost & fees
POS features
Choosing a POS system for a vape shop
A vape shop POS has to handle age gates, heavy SKU churn and a catalogue that changes with state rules. The requirements that separate one from general retail software.
POS features
The best dispensary POS system, and how to judge one
Compliance reporting, purchase limits and inventory reconciliation are what separate a dispensary POS from retail software. The six tests that actually matter.
Compliance & rules
What is a CBD merchant account?
A CBD merchant account is a dedicated account underwritten for hemp-derived products. How it differs from an aggregator, what underwriting asks for, and what terms to expect.
Switching & setup
Shopify payment gateways for a CBD store
Shopify supports third-party gateways as well as its own. What that means for a hemp or CBD store, what the extra fee is for, and how to choose the route.
Compliance & rules
Does PayPal allow CBD?
PayPal's acceptable use policy governs what can be sold through it. How to read it for a hemp or CBD business, what a violation notice means, and what to do next.
Compliance & rules
Cannabis payment processors: the questions that separate real from risky
Cannabis is federally scheduled, so any card offer for plant touching sales deserves hard questions. The questions to ask, and the schemes to refuse outright.
Compliance & rules
What does CBD mean in payment terms?
CBD means two completely different things in business finance and in retail. Cash Before Delivery, and cannabidiol. Which one you are reading, and why it matters.
Compliance & rules
Which payment processor is best for CBD merchants?
There is no single best CBD payment processor. The criteria that transfer between providers, the tells of a bad one, and how to run a comparison in days not months.
Cost & fees
There is no free POS system with no processing fee. Here is where the money goes
A free POS system with no processing fee does not exist. Card acceptance always costs something. Here is who gets paid, and what the free hardware really buys.
Switching & setup
How to get a merchant account to accept credit cards
The path to card acceptance forks early, and what you sell decides which branch you are on. Three businesses, the same steps, three very different endings.
Compliance & rules
A PayPal user agreement violation is a contract decision, not a verdict
A PayPal user agreement violation is a contract enforcement decision, not a legal finding. What the words mean, what usually follows, and how to respond well.
Cost & fees
The Shopify 3rd party payment gateway fee, in plain terms
What the Shopify 3rd party payment gateway fee is, when it applies, where to find the current amount, and how a hemp or CBD store should budget for it.
Switching & setup
Every Shopify payment gateway list goes stale. Build your own
Published gateway lists show integrations, not underwriting appetite. A worksheet for building a shortlist a hemp or CBD store can actually rely on.
Compliance & rules
Shopify payment providers USA: how to read the list
A directory of Shopify payment providers in the USA tells you who integrates, not who will approve a hemp store. Here is how to sort the list properly.
Switching & setup
Looking for a Shopify Payments alternative? Start with why
A Shopify Payments alternative is standard for restricted categories. The two reasons sellers look for one, and why each leads to a different decision.
Switching & setup
Shopify Payments PayPal: what each toggle actually is
A Shopify Payments PayPal setup is two separate relationships, not one. What each toggle is, who governs it, and what that means for a hemp or CBD store.
Store operations
What does Metrc stand for? And what it means at your counter
Metrc stands for Marijuana Enforcement Tracking Reporting and Compliance. What the system does, the vocabulary you need, and why it shapes your POS choice.
Switching & setup
What are merchant services? The plain version
Merchant services is the umbrella term for the account, the gateway, the processing and the underwriting behind every card sale. Here is what each part does.
Switching & setup
Every list of merchant service providers has the same flaw
Provider lists go stale the week they are published. Sort by provider type instead, then vet each one against its own published policy. Here is the method.
Switching & setup
How to obtain a merchant account? Build the file first
Acquirers approve files, not pitches. The documents to gather, the order to do it in, and the two things that stall an otherwise clean hemp or CBD application.
Cost & fees
Merchant services credit card processing, traced through one sale
Follow a single card sale from tap to deposit: who authorises it, who sets the cost, who carries the dispute risk, and where a restricted category changes the path.
Compliance & rules
Is PayPal a merchant account? The technical answer
Not in the strict sense. PayPal boards you as a sub-merchant under its own account, and for a hemp or CBD seller that structural difference decides everything.
POS features
Merchant account app: two different things, two answers
Searching for a merchant account app usually means one of two things: the application paperwork, or software that takes payments. Both answers, kept separate.
Switching & setup
Open merchant account online: what the form is really asking
The online application is short, but every field feeds an underwriting decision. A field by field read of what is being assessed and how to answer it well.
Switching & setup
How much does it cost to get a merchant account? The opening bill
Opening an account costs less in application fees than owners expect. The reserve, the hardware and the document work are where the real money sits.
Cost & fees
How much does a merchant account cost? Every line to look for
The cost of a merchant account turns on your volume, average ticket, card mix and category. Here is every line item worth checking before you sign.
Switching & setup
How hard is it to get a merchant account? Honestly assessed
Harder than a retail signup, easier than the horror stories, and most of the difficulty sits in things you control. What is genuinely hard, ranked.
Cost & fees
Who has the cheapest merchant fees? A straight answer
No provider is cheapest for every business. Here is how to normalise competing quotes, and what a low headline rate can cost a hemp or CBD seller.
Store operations
What is a merchant account used for? Four jobs, one account
A merchant account receives card funds, carries your merchant ID, records the category you disclosed, and holds the bank decision that keeps you processing.
Merchants across the US
Want answers about your own counter?
Tell us about your store and we come back with real numbers, in writing.