Regional Support: Selling in Person (UK)

Retail & Point of Sale

Topic summary

This thread serves as a UK-specific resource for merchants using Shopify’s Point of Sale (POS) system for in-person selling.

Key Hardware & Compatibility Issues:

  • The WisePad 3 card reader is currently the only Shopify-supplied option for UK merchants
  • It’s iOS-only (no Android support), priced at £59
  • Multiple users report quality concerns: buttons are stiff, no audible beep, difficult for elderly customers, and appears unprofessional
  • A new payment hardware solution for UK merchants was promised “in the New Year” (mentioned in post #7)
  • Shopify POS Go hardware is US/Canada only with no confirmed UK release date

Payment Processing:

  • Third-party payment terminals can be used but require manual entry as “custom payments” in POS
  • No Shopify transaction fees apply when using external terminals for in-person sales
  • Shopify Payments rates for UK: 1.7% + £0 on Basic plan for in-person transactions (both debit and credit)
  • Using third-party gateways online incurs additional transaction fees (2% on Basic plan)

Common Questions Addressed:

  • Local pickup cannot be geographically restricted (unlike local delivery)
  • WiFi receipt printers can connect to multiple iPads, but mPOP units pair with only one device at a time
  • Card readers are region-specific and cannot be used across different countries
  • US-based merchants can technically sell at UK markets but face currency/hardware limitations
Summarized with AI on November 14. AI used: claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929.
19

Hi @chrisgeorge ,

If you’re in the UK and not using Shopify Payments, you would need to accept payments through an external terminal if you’re using a third-party gateway instead. No transaction fees would be charged by Shopify if this is the case, as you are not processing the payment via the POS system directly. You can enable this as an option in your POS settings.

Please let me know if you have further questions.

Kind regards,

Victor | Shopify Social Care