Prohibited Businesses in the United States – SHOPLINE Help Center

Some types of businesses and services are not eligible to use SHOPLINE Payments. To determine your eligibility, please review the lists below detailing prohibited and restricted business types for the United States.

Prohibited for All Transaction Types

The following businesses, services, or activities are strictly prohibited from using SHOPLINE Payments:

Products or services that in any way breach or are intended to breach any applicable local, national, or international laws, regulations, or policies, or cause SHOPLINE to breach any relevant laws, regulations, or policies
Products or services that are unlawful or fraudulent, or have any unlawful or fraudulent purpose or effect
Products or services for the purpose of harming or attempting to harm others, including minors (as defined by local legislation)
Products or services that are abusive or incite hate, violence, or are seductive, or do not comply with our content standards
Products or services in connection with any unsolicited or unauthorized advertising, promotional materials, or any other form of spam
Products or services in connection with harmful programs like viruses, spyware, or similar computer codes designed to adversely affect the operation of any computer software or hardware
Products or services that would illegally evade any applicable taxes, levies, or duties, or facilitate any form of tax evasion
Products or services conducted in a manner likely to result in complaints, disputes, reversals, chargebacks, or other liability (directly or indirectly) to SHOPLINE, other SHOPLINE customers, third parties, or yourself
Products or services for an unapproved purpose (i.e., if you're approved to use our services for specific business purposes, you must not use them for personal purposes or any other unapproved business purposes)
Adult entertainment and related services, including pornography, escort services, prostitution services, and/or any form of advertising of or for sexual services
Gambling services where it is illegal or offering gambling services without the required permits or licenses
Counterfeit or unauthorized goods, or products or services that infringe upon intellectual property or the proprietary rights of third parties
Arms and weapons manufacturing, sales, and supplies
The offering of regulated financial services (directly or indirectly) without a valid license and/or registration
The sale and/or distribution of any products or services without the requisite permit or license in their place of operation (governmental or otherwise)
The sale and/or distribution of any products or services which promote or encourage discrimination, including discrimination based on race, gender, religion, nationality, disability, sexual orientation, or age
Ponzi/Pyramid Schemes, Multi-level marketing, or Telemarketing
The trade of restricted and/or endangered animal species and products derived from them
The sale, distribution, and/or trade of archaeological and cultural relics
The sale of access to cyberlockers or remote digital file-sharing services
Any transactions made for no genuine commercial purpose, such as the pooling of funds between multiple parties or the cashing out of credit or stored value cards
Any other businesses or transactions outside of our risk appetite based on our internal policies, our banking partners’ policies, or the policies of participants in our payment network
Individuals, entities, countries/regions, or any other form of "persons" subject to international sanctions
Bearer shares or entities having a bearer share company in their ownership chain
Banks that do not have a physical presence in any country (i.e., "shell banks")
Any other businesses, transactions, or categories that fall outside of our risk appetite, as determined by our internal policies, our banking partners' policies, or the policies of our payment network participants

Restricted Businesses

These businesses may require a license or are subject to approval by local acquirers or payment channels.

Financial services, including but not limited to:
- Accepting deposits or repayable funds from the public (e.g., crowdfunding)
- Lending
- Buy now, pay later services
- Financial leasing
- Money or value transfer services
- Money and currency changing
- Issuing and managing payment instruments (e.g., credit/debit cards, checks, traveler's checks, money orders and bankers' drafts, electronic money)
- Providing financial guarantees and commitments
- Carrying out a business that provides trading services in:
  - Money market instruments (checks, bills, certificates of deposit, derivatives, etc.)
  - Foreign exchange
  - Exchange, interest rate, and index instruments
  - Transferable securities
  - Commodity futures trading
  - Cryptocurrencies, crypto-assets, virtual currencies, virtual assets, non-fungible tokens (NFTs), and initial coin offerings (ICOs)
  - Stablecoins and tokenized "real world assets" including commodities, real estate, currencies, and financial instruments
Participation in securities issuance and the provision of financial services related to such issues
Individual and/or collective portfolio management
Safekeeping and administration of cash or liquid securities on behalf of other persons; or otherwise investing, administering, or managing funds or money on behalf of any other persons
Underwriting and placement of life insurance and other investment-related insurance
Designated Non-Financial Businesses and Professions ("DNFBPs") and companies collecting or handling funds on behalf of third parties, including but not limited to:
- Casinos, lotteries, online gambling, or any action that involves staking an asset with a view to winning a prize/reward, and any tool intended or marketed for calculating or assessing the prospect of placing successful bets or gambles
- Real estate agents
- Dealers in luxury goods or high-value items, for example, precious metals and stones dealers; sale of loose precious metals, jewels, and stones such as gold, titanium, platinum, diamonds, etc
- Lawyers, notaries, other independent legal professionals, and accountants
- Trust and company service providers
- Other entities that conduct payouts or collect funds on behalf of any other person or entity other than yourself (except for your affiliated entities)
Charities (including unregistered charities), non-government organizations, or not-for-profit organizations
Other activities including:
- Matchmaking or dating services
- Live streaming platforms and chatting services
- Marketplaces
- Facilitation, sale, or distribution of chemicals
- Pharmaceuticals and nutraceuticals (including but not limited to prescription medication, sexual enhancement drugs, and weight loss products)
- Oil and gas companies, as well as related activities
- Bidding fee auctions
- Political organizations
- Religious organizations
- Surveillance equipment, for example, spy cameras
- Alcohol, tobacco, and e-cigarette products
- Marijuana, CBD Oil, and drug-related paraphernalia
- Importing or exporting of any "dual-use goods" as defined by any country that has jurisdiction over any SHOPLINE entities’ relevant export control classification lists
- Regulated medical devices and services, including fetal gender diagnosis
- Travel-related arrangement services
Other high-risk activities in accordance with our internal policies, our banking partners’ policies, or the policies of participants in our payment network