Can I sell kratom on Stripe, Shopify Payments or PayPal?
None of the three names kratom anywhere. It's also banned outright in several US states and unscheduled federally, so the legal answer, and with it the payments answer, changes depending on where the parcel goes. Processors deal with that uncertainty by saying no.
Also searched as: mitragynine, 7-OH, kratom extract.
Stripe
Not namedThe policy doesn't mention it at all. That isn't permission. It leaves the decision to an underwriter, usually after you already have money on the platform.
“Pseudo-pharmaceuticals or nutraceuticals that are not safe or make harmful claims”
Kratom isn't on either Stripe list. The nutraceutical safety clause gets applied instead, and kratom's regulatory status makes that safety call an easy one for a reviewer to make against you.
Source: Stripe: Prohibited and restricted businesses. The policy says it was last updated 22 September 2026. We last read it on 4 October 2026. Check it yourself before you act on this. These lists change, and this is only our reading of theirs.
PayPal
Not namedThe policy doesn't mention it at all. That isn't permission. It leaves the decision to an underwriter, usually after you already have money on the platform.
“narcotics, steroids, certain controlled substances or other products that present a risk to consumer safety”
PayPal doesn't name kratom. It uses the consumer-safety part of this clause instead, and kratom doesn't need to be federally scheduled for that part to apply.
Source: PayPal: Acceptable Use Policy. The policy says it was last updated 29 October 2022. We last read it on 4 October 2026. Check it yourself before you act on this. These lists change, and this is only our reading of theirs.
Shopify Payments
Not namedThe policy doesn't mention it at all. That isn't permission. It leaves the decision to an underwriter, usually after you already have money on the platform.
“Pseudo pharmaceuticals: Pharmaceuticals and other products that make health claims that are not verified by a local or national regulatory body.”
Shopify's own list doesn't name kratom. This is the line that fits it, and a kratom store that describes effects runs straight into it. Stripe's and PayPal's clauses apply on top.
Source: Shopify Help Center: Shopify Payments eligibility, prohibited businesses and products. The page doesn't give a last-updated date. We last read it on 4 October 2026. Check it yourself before you act on this. These lists change, and this is only our reading of theirs.
What usually happens
Kratom merchants tend to get shut off later than most. Nothing in the product data flags kratom automatically, and the catalogue often reads like botanical supplements. What usually sets it off is a cluster of chargebacks or a support ticket that gets a person looking at the site. By then the account has been running for months, so the balance they hold is larger than it would have been at signup.
What works instead
Use a specialist acquirer that writes kratom into the agreement, and set up shipping controls that block the states where it's banned. Don't treat state blocking as optional. If a processor finds you shipped into a ban, it has a compliance reason and a contractual reason to terminate, and nothing left to argue on your behalf.
Want an answer for your own store?
This page covers kratom as a category. Approval depends on your catalogue, your claims and your paperwork. We'll tell you where you stand, even if it doesn't lead to work for us.
Both are free, and neither is a sales call. The check only asks for your web address. The call takes thirty minutes, and you leave with an answer even if we never work together. Ready to start now? Tell us what you sell.