Fast answer
Choose one processor that accepts your country of residence, complete their identity and business verification before you send traffic to checkout, and describe the product on your own site in the same words you use in the application. Then run a real test transaction and refund it.
Pick the processor that fits your country first
This is not a feature comparison. It is a question of who will approve you. Stripe covers many but not all countries; PayPal is broader but holds funds for new sellers; Lemon Squeezy and Paddle act as merchant of record and handle sales tax, at a higher fee.
- Stripe — best checkout experience, requires a supported country and a verifiable business or individual identity.
- PayPal — widest reach, and buyers trust the button. Expect rolling reserves for the first months.
- Merchant of record (Lemon Squeezy, Paddle) — they become the seller of record, collect and remit VAT, and charge roughly 5% plus a fee. The simplest path when you sell digital goods globally.
- Local gateway — sometimes the only option, and often the right one if your buyers are domestic.
Clear verification before you need it
Processors ask for identity, address and a description of what you sell. The rejection cases are predictable: a mismatch between the name on the account and the name on the bank account, a product page that is still a placeholder, or a business model they classify as high risk.
- Write your product description on your own site, with a price and a delivery promise, before applying.
- Use the same legal name on the processor account, the bank account and the site’s legal page.
- Upload documents as asked, unedited, in a supported format.
- Answer the “what do you sell” question with the industry category, not a slogan.
- Wait for approval before promoting the checkout link anywhere.
Price in the currency your buyer thinks in
If your market is the US, price in USD and show the currency symbol next to every price. Converting at checkout adds a step that loses sales, and it makes AI engines guess your price when they are asked.
Test the whole path, then refund yourself
Run one real transaction with a real card. Confirm the receipt email arrives, the product is delivered, the money lands, and the refund works. Then refund it. A checkout that has never processed a real card is an untested checkout, and the failure will happen in front of a customer instead.
Checklist for this step
- One processor approved and able to accept payments
- Legal name identical on processor, bank and site
- Product page states price, delivery and refund terms
- Receipt email verified in a real inbox
- One real transaction completed and refunded
- Payout schedule and reserve terms understood
- Second processor available as fallback
Common mistakes
- Applying with a site that still says “coming soon”. Instant rejection.
- Using a personal nickname on the account and a legal name on the bank. Verification stalls.
- Launching traffic before approval, then wondering why the link does nothing.
- Ignoring a rolling reserve and treating the held balance as missing money.
F — Fees are part of the price
A 5% merchant-of-record fee sounds high until you compare it with registering for VAT in four countries yourself. Choose based on how much administration you want to own, not only on the percentage.
Keep the order.
Every step assumes the one before it is finished. Skipping ahead is how sites end up rebuilt twice.