Shopify is the leading eCommerce platform in the industry. The Canadian-based e-Commerce platform has plenty to offer to get an online business launched quickly and easily.
Upon subscription, users can have access to an immense number of templates in order to create and custom-make their online store. They also feature an integrated payment processing technology, SEO, and other marketing tools, and it’s considered the most optimized and supported e-Commerce platform in the industry.
But What If You Are A High-Risk Merchant?
All of these features are available to you if you are looking to launch your e-Commerce business. That is if you have not been labeled a high-risk merchant. If you have received the high-risk merchant designation, chances are high that your account will be shut down, without warning.
Shopify does not want to take on any perceived or real risk when it comes to merchant processing. It has its own integrated payment gateway called Shopify Payments, which has been known to drop merchants with little to no warning.
Shopify Payments is known as a “white-labeled” version of the third-party payment aggregator better known as “Stripe”. What this means is that they process all your payments via their own merchant account. This mitigates risk, chargebacks, or any type of activity that they deem risky.
Other well-known payment aggregators such as PayPal and Stripe are simply not a good fit for high-risk businesses as they can also potentially shut down a high-risk merchant account. Plus, money transfers are also typically slower than that of a traditional merchant account. In addition, there are numerous restrictions and policies that can slow down the growth of your business.
What Does It Mean To Be High-Risk?
Shopify has come up with its own broad and subjective interpretation as to what they consider to be high-risk in their “Shopify Payment Terms Of Service”.
As previously mentioned, what most merchants are unaware of is that Shopify’s integrated payment platform is actually a “white-labeled version of Stripe”. What this means is that their terms and conditions must conform to Stripe’s underwriting guidelines. These guidelines can be incredibly strict, causing merchants with any amount of chargebacks or fraud, to face having their accounts ultimately shut down.
There is a standard that typically labels adult materials, airline tickets, and nutraceuticals as high risk, due to their propensity for fraud and chargebacks. However, Shopify seems to follow its own haphazard rules when it comes to categorizing high-risk e-Commerce businesses.
Because of their stringent guidelines and very “low thresholds” for risk tolerance means that Shopify can and will arbitrarily close your merchant account and freeze your funds with little to no warning.
Even if Shopify Payments were to drop your high-risk merchant account, you are still allowed to use your Shopify e-commerce platform. However, you will not be equipped to accept or process payments until you are able to secure a merchant account provider that specializes in high-risk merchant accounts.
Look To EMB To Process Your High-Risk Payments
If you are a high-risk merchant that has been dropped by Shopify Payments, you will need the services of a reputable and trustworthy merchant account provider that specializes in the high-risk industry.
There is no need to look any further than EMB (eMerchantBroker.com) for all your high-risk merchant processing needs. They specialize in just about every high-risk vertical in existence and are available to provide the support you need to position your business for success. Don’t delay, get in touch with EMB today.