Wix Payments’ prohibited products and alternative high-risk payment gateways

This article discusses some common products that are prohibited by Wix Payments, includes a link to the complete Wix published list, and details how to set up an alternative high-risk payment gateway so that you can still accept credit cards on your existing Wix website if you were shut down or declined by Wix Payments.

Software companies and payment processors usually label their high-risk restrictions as one of the following: “prohibited products,” “allowed use,” “restricted business activities,” or “prohibited activities.”  These designations are problematic for most high-risk business owners and generally result in being unable to sustainably use standard services like Wix Payments, Stripe, and PayPal.

Below are high-risk Wix payment processing solutions for high-risk categories like pipes, functional glass, bongs, CBD, premium cigars, alcohol, FFL transfers, tactical items, and other regulated e-commerce products.

Why some businesses have a hard time with Wix Payments

The reasons why a particular product or service may be prohibited by Wix Payments vary. Some obvious categories are naturally prohibited, for example – illicit drugs, pyramid schemes, illegal products/services, or products/services that support illegal activities – but most prohibited items are simply prone to fraud or highly regulated. These types of items can be sold on both new and existing Wix websites – without using Wix’s branded payment gateway – Wix Payments.

While reasonable high-risk restrictions are understandable, there are many legitimate, legal products and business types that are declined or shut down by Wix Payments – often with little warning.

The reason for a Wix Payments decline or shut down is commonly due to an evaluation of the business model’s risk – not the risk associated with your specific website. For example, if your product type generally has a higher chargeback ratio than most others, it’s considered a “high-risk” business and will often be prohibited. It could also be that the processor doesn’t have enough similar merchants on board already to judge their risk accordingly.

There are many legal products and services listed under Wix Payments’ Restricted and Prohibited Products and Services.

Tightly regulated and age-restricted products are within Wix Payment’s prohibited products and services. This group includes products and businesses like bongs, glass pipes, CBD, FFL to FFL, online cigars, vape, alcohol, and tactical e-commerce transactions.

With prohibited products, laws and regulations change over time. We recommend you get advice from a qualified attorney, read all your provider’s terms and conditions yourself, and of course, reach out to us for help setting up high-risk Wix payments.

Like you and your business, payment processors need to take extra care in following rules and regulations when engaging in legally complex markets. Because “out of the box” or native payment gateways – like Wix Payments – don’t specialize in dealing with these complex markets, they often simply refrain from offering them their services.

This is frustrating for those who set up their legitimate business website, only to realize that neither PayPal nor Wix’s out-of-the-box gateway, Wix Payments (powered by Stripe), doesn’t accept their product type. Below we address some common product types and businesses that can’t use Wix Payments and what alternatives are available.

The good news is that Wix can be made high-risk friendly by using a correctly set up Authorize.Net or NMI account connected to high-risk processing.

Important: High-risk gateways are only high-risk friendly when configured correctly and paired with a high-risk merchant account on the back end. Contact us anytime, and we’ll happily talk to you about your unique payment needs.

Alcohol is prohibited by Wix Payments; you must set up an alternative Wix payment gateway

Wine, beer, and spirits like vodka, gin, tequila, and whisky are prohibited by Wix Payments under their policy against “Regulated (Non-Financial) Products and Services”, but you can still process credit card payments for alcohol on your existing Wix website.

A+ Rated, BBB Accredited, and in business since 2002, Tasker Payment Gateways LLC can help your Internet alcohol sales take off by providing tested solutions that not only allow you to process credit card payments for alcohol but also integrate with new and existing Wix websites.

Using our preferred Foxy method or our alternative Ecwid method, we can switch out the standard Wix shopping cart and integrate a high-risk Authorize.Net account specially set up for alcohol sales.

If you would like to learn more about selling alcohol on the Internet please read our guide, Selling alcohol online 101: accepting credit cards and more.

Not all AuthNet payment gateways allow alcohol, but some do

We make sure that the merchant account we pair your Wix alcohol payment gateway with allows your exact products. Without this extra step, you are at significant risk of having your money held and your merchant account shut down.

How to process FFL to FFL payments on Wix – without Wix Payments

FFL-to-FFL credit card transactions are on the list of businesses that are prohibited by Wix, mainly due to the tightly regulated nature of these businesses. While Wix does host sites created by FFL to FFL businesses, you will have to work with a resource like Tasker Payment Gateways LLC to find an alternative payment solution to sell FFL products on the Wix platform.

Luckily, we have a couple of solutions. The best way that we’ve found is to use Authorize.Net or NMI as your payment gateway – and connect it to a 2A friendly merchant account. You can pair either of these payment gateways with a 3rd party Wix shopping cart. Don’t worry if this sounds complicated – we’re more than happy to offer our advice, and we can even help set everything up for you. Contact us here to get started.

How to process credit cards for knives, pepper spray, and tactical items on Wix

The Wix site builder does allow tactical items like pepper spray, knives, and survival supplies, but their payment gateway (Wix Payments) prohibits knives, blades, and weapons. This means that most tactical websites need to set up alternative payment processing if they want to use their existing Wix website to accept credit cards.

Our dedicated independent agents will help you set up a high-risk-friendly payment gateway, merchant account, and a compatible 3rd party Wix compatible shopping cart that allows knives and tactical items. Our tested methods integrate with your existing Wix website so there is no need to start over from scratch.

The Authorize.Net gateway, paired with the Foxy.io shopping cart, is an excellent solution for selling tactical products on Wix. It works very well for our clients running high-risk businesses on a variety of platforms.

You can learn more about accepting credit cards for knives and tactical items on our payment gateways for tactical items page, or contact us for a free, friendly consultation or merchant account recommendation.

Wix Payments prohibits online smoke shops, but you can still process credit cards on your Wix site

Smoking accessories including bongs, grinders, and functional glass or silicone pipes are among Wix Payments’ prohibited items -as are premium cigars and vaporizers. This does not mean you can’t sell smoke shop items on Wix – it simply means you have to set up alternative, high-risk payment processing.

The reason? The Wix website builder itself does allow smoking accessories, but in order to use your existing Wix smoke shop website, you will need to set up an alternative to Wix Payments and a 3rd party cart to make it all work together.

We can help your pipe and glass site accept credit cards on Wix

Contact us anytime to get started. Your dedicated independent new account specialist will set you up with a high-risk friendly payment gateway and integrate it with a merchant account on the back end that allows pipes, bongs, grinders, and other smoking accessories.

Your agent will then help you install an Authorize.Net compatible 3rd party Wix shopping cart like Foxy. Authorize.Net does allow smoke shop items, but only when it is connected to a headshop-friendly merchant account on the back end. Your one-on-one new account specialist will walk you through every step of this simple, tested process.

Please review our Authorize.Net page or our NMI page to better understand how we set up high-risk friendly merchant accounts on the back end of common payment gateways that allow you to accept credit cards for smoke shop items including functional pipes, bongs, and high-end glass art.

How to process cigar payments when Wix Payments turns you down

While all tobacco sales, including premium cigars, are prohibited from using Wix Payments, there are reliable alternatives that will allow you to still use the Wix site you have already built.

The high-risk-friendly payment gateway that works best with cigars is the Authorize.Net gateway. To use Authorize.Net with Wix, the best route we’ve found is through Foxy.io. If you need a cigar-friendly Authorize.Net account to handle online payments, don’t hesitate to get in touch. We’re more than happy to help and integrate Authorize.Net with Foxy and Wix for you. Read about how we do this at no direct cost to you on our About Us page.

Important note: Authorize.Net is only tobacco friendly when paired with a tobacco merchant account. Contact us for a tobacco merchant account recommendation.

Does Wix allow CBD?

Yes, but like other smoke shop items, the answer to that question is two-fold. Wix, the site builder, allows CBD businesses to use the platform. On the other hand, CBD is listed as prohibited by their payment gateway, Wix Payments, just as pipes, bongs, and cigars are.

Wix Payments lists CBD under their “prohibited products or services” together with the following products:

“Drugs, tools specifically intended for the production of drugs, drug paraphernalia, Illegal drugs, CBD, Hemp, substances designed to mimic illegal drugs, and/or other psychoactive products…”

While Wix Payments might not be an option, we have plenty of payment gateway alternatives and payment solutions that allow high-risk businesses to use their existing Wix site without having to start over from scratch.

With the right know-how and insights, you can accept CBD credit card payments using the Wix platform. We can help you swap out the Wix shopping cart with a verified 3rd party solution. Among the solutions that we’ve identified for making Wix high-risk-friendly is the Foxy shopping cart. By using Foxy with Wix, we can pair it with a high-risk, CBD-friendly payment gateway like Authorize.Net and a CBD merchant account.

With our help, you’ll be able to easily and reliably accept payments for your CBD products through Foxy.io on Wix.

How to process vape payments on Wix when Wix Payments prohibits them

Vape products are often on “prohibited use” lists, usually due to the age restrictions and regulations placed on this industry. Wix is no exception.

Although you can build and host your online vape store on the Wix platform, their out-of-the-box payment gateway, Wix Payments, will not support your product type.

Pro tip: The Pact Act has significantly affected vape sales. You must sit with an attorney before selling any smoke shop items online.

We have solutions that can make your Wix site compatible with vape or e-liquid products. You can use a high-risk-friendly payment gateway and integrate it properly with your Wix store.

We’ve found that using the Foxy.io shopping cart with the Authorize.Net and NMI gateways are the best fits for selling e-cigarettes on Wix. Please feel free to get in touch with us if you need any help setting up your payment solution.

Where can I find the complete list of Wix Payments’ prohibited products?

Currently, it can be accessed on the Wix support site, under “payments.” It is called Wix Payments: Restricted and Prohibited Products and Services.

Link: https://support.wix.com/en/article/wix-payments-restricted-and-prohibited-products-and-services

Get help finding Wix Payments alternatives for your business

We help legal US-based and Canadian high-risk businesses and have solutions for a wide range of high-risk product types. We are usually able to suggest a Wix Payments alternative that works for your unique high-risk business. You can see our high-risk resource page for more information across industries, software, and platforms.

Please drop us a note on our contact form below. We’re happy to talk through your needs and recommend a Wix Payments alternative for your high-risk Wix business.

Need a Wix Payments alternative for your prohibited product? We can help.