Payment processors for high-risk and NSFW shops
Providers like Shopify, Stripe, Square, and Revolut often pull payment processing or reject applications for NSFW shops, nudity, and high-risk fields like medical tourism without specific explanations. Finding a new platform becomes their biggest hurdle, leaving store owners looking for working alternatives while worried their entire site will be shut down completely.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1Looking for third-party payment processors that specialize in high-risk businessesDid this help you?
- 2Getting written confirmation from both the platform and the new processor before launchingDid this help you?
- 3Using WhatsApp to coordinate orders and accepting payment via direct international wire transfers (IBAN).Did this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“Yeah, they pulled off the Shopify payments so I'm looking for a new one. My concern is them shutting the site down completely”source ↗
“Well, I'm moving people from Etsy to my shop and before they pulled Shopify's payments, I did have an order and did receive the payments today. So I'm looking for a new processor but my concern is them shutting down the site for nudity in general”source ↗
“I received a notification that they will not process payments for a NSFW shop HOWEVER they recommended I find a new processor.”source ↗
“We’ve been denied by Square, Stripe, and Revolut, but none provided a specific explanation, so we don’t know why our applications were rejected. Based on our research, we suspect medical tourism may be considered “high-risk,” but we haven’t been able to confirm whether that’s the reason. Finding a payment platform that will work with us has become our biggest hurdle.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 3Should I fulfill a high risk order?
- 2Is it safer to use PayPal or a credit card on unfamiliar websites?
- 9Why are marketplace seller fees so high?
- 2Should I leave a stable remote job for a risky startup?
- 4How to set up customer payment plans without risking non-payment
- 4How to find reliable LED display suppliers for a new business