You’re very welcome. The good news is, we have international partners that
specialize in placing UK merchant accounts. Looking forward to hearing from
you! Cheers.
Topic summary
A Shopify merchant selling shoes was denied access to Shopify Payments, Stripe, and PayPal due to being classified as a “high-risk business,” despite selling physical products with tracking. This left them unable to process payments for over a week.
Multiple merchants report similar issues:
- Sellers of t-shirts, custom apparel, and BBQ equipment faced identical denials
- Some are based in countries where mainstream gateways aren’t available
- Non-US residents and European merchants face additional geographic restrictions
Recommended alternative payment gateways:
- Authorize.net - Most frequently suggested; integrates directly with Shopify checkout without redirecting customers; available in US, Canada, UK, Europe, and Australia
- PayKings - Specializes in high-risk merchants; representative actively offering assistance
- Merchant Ground - Focuses on high-risk approvals with Shopify integration
- Other options: eMerchant Broker, Securepay, First Data Payeezy, SagePay (UK only), TSYS (US only)
Key considerations when selecting:
- Direct checkout integration vs. external redirect
- Geographic availability (many solutions US-only)
- Merchant account requirements for non-US citizens
- Subscription payment support
Status: Discussion remains open with merchants seeking Europe-specific solutions and sharing experiences with various providers.