An adult products merchant account is a unique type of payment processing solution in the adult space. It’s custom made for businesses that sell physical items for mature audiences. Adult products require high risk merchant accounts with custom underwriting guidelines.

If you sell products such as vibrators, swings, or even leather accessories online, you may require a high risk merchant account . Adult product websites are a standard example of an ecommerce store that requires a custom payment processing solution. Any high risk merchant account provider should be familiar with what you need to get an account quickly approved.

Speak With An Expert Today

Why Do I Need An Adult Product Merchant Account?

Adult products have different risk factors associated with them. The main issue that payment processors worry about is the brand association within adult industries. As a result, many items are banned by certain payment companies like PayPal and Stripe. On the other hand, there are established payment solutions for companies who work in this space.

There is a chance you can get auto approval for your merchant account , but this doesn’t mean your account is sustainable. Aggregate merchant account providers like Square have instant approval processes and review your business afterwards. If your company doesn’t align with the Terms of Service, you are at risk of losing your merchant account.

Adult Products That Require A High Risk Merchant Account

If you have an online or in-person store it’s important to know what kind of items qualify you as ‘high risk’. Below is a list of the most common types of adult products that require specialized merchant accounts:

Age Verification for Adult Products

As a seller of adult goods, you may need an age-verification tool on your website. Depending on the products you sell, it may not be appropriate or legal for people under the age of 18 to purchase certain items. Nonetheless, many age verification tools exist to ensure your company is following legal guidelines.

For adult video and streaming sites, age verification is critical. Companies have to be extremely cautious and diligent when it comes to making sure their content providers are following guidelines to a ‘T’. Outside of the cam-space, items sold on a static website are easier to get approval for in the payment processing world. An adult product website is far more likely to meet all of the payment regulations over an adult streaming site.

Adult Payment Gateway

An adult payment gateway is the tool that transfers money from customers’ banks to your account. The gateway serves as the interface for the transaction. For example, if you sell adult products, the checkout page and “Confirm Purchase” button would link to the payment gateway. After a buyer clicks, their credit card information is then shared through the adult payment gateway and received by your payment processing company.

An electronic gateway for adult merchants operates like an online terminal. If you have a brick-and-mortar store and sell sex shop items, the card reader would be connected to a gateway. Each company has their own type of payment gateway. Some come with different features such as chargeback protection, while others have a modern interface and easy-to-use reporting.