Selling age-restricted products on Shopify isn’t quite as straightforward as selling t-shirts or mugs. Whether you’re selling craft beer, vapes, or regulated supplements, you are responsible for making sure your Shopify store complies with all relevant UK laws as well as Shopify’s own platform and payment policies.
From choosing the right payment provider to integrating age-verification tools, every stage of the customer journey needs to be built for compliance.
In this article, we’ll show you how to set up your Shopify store to sell age-restricted products and prevent illegal underage sales.
Can I sell age-restricted products on Shopify?
Yes, you can sell restricted items on Shopify, provided your store is set up to do so legally.
If you try to sell vapes in the same way you would saucepans, you run the risk of breaking the law as well as Shopify’s policies.
Online stores selling regulated products like alcohol, knives, and adult toys need to be set up responsibly, with additional safeguards in place to prevent underage sales, or they could end up being fined or shut down.
What does UK law say about selling age-restricted items online?
In the UK, the online sales of age-restricted items like vapes, tobacco, alcohol, knives, and adult products are enforced by Trading Standards.
Age checks are no longer optional, and the UK government won’t accept a simple checkbox stating, “I confirm I am aged 18+”. All stores selling restricted items are responsible for implementing robust age-verification processes to ensure they aren’t selling to underage customers.
Acceptable methods of age verification include:
- Uploading a picture of a government-issued ID.
- Verifying via a banking app.
- Biometric facial scans cross-checked with ID.
Merchants who do not implement appropriate age-verification measures could face fines, legal action, and restrictions from Shopify.
If you ship your products internationally, you are responsible for making sure your store meets the legal requirements in each location you ship to.
Choosing the right age verification method
When selling age-restricted products to customers in the UK, you are legally required to verify every customer’s age to prevent underage sales.
There are various third-party tools available that you can integrate with your Shopify store to help you do this. The best option for your business depends on what products you sell and where in the world you ship them to.
Below are three of the most common age verification methods.
Age gate
An age gate is the simplest method of age verification. Age gates consist of a pop-up that asks users to check a box to confirm that they are aged 18+.
This method relies solely on the visitor answering the question honestly, so it cannot be relied upon alone for businesses selling highly regulated products. However, it is still a good idea to add one to your store to let visitors know they’re about to enter a store selling age-restricted products, provided you use it alongside another more reliable method of verification.
Popular Shopify integrations:
Data matching
During data matching, the customer is asked to provide their name and address, which is then automatically checked against trusted identity databases to ensure that they are aged 18+.
It’s usually a quick and hassle-free process that creates minimal friction for the customer.
Popular Shopify integrations:
ID biometric verification
If data matching fails or a higher level of verification is required, businesses may ask customers to upload a photograph of an identity document, such as their driving licence or passport, alongside a selfie to verify their identity.
This requires more effort from the customer, but it is the best way to ensure that age-restricted products are sold responsibly.
Popular Shopify integrations:
Verification at delivery
Your responsibility doesn’t end after the customer checks out. In the UK, when age-restricted items are delivered, they must be signed for by someone aged 18+. The courier should operate a Challenge 25 policy, so if the person signing for the item appears to be under 25, they cannot hand over the parcel until they’ve seen valid ID proving they are aged 18 or over.
Popular Shopify integrations:
Shopify does not provide native age verification functionality, so whichever method you choose, you’ll need to install an app to get set up. It’s important to make sure that the app is integrated into your customer journey, preferably server-side or at the checkout, to prevent it from being bypassed by AI shopping agents.
Different countries have different laws surrounding age verification and the sale of regulated products, so always check the legal requirements for each location you ship to before launching your store.
Choosing the right payment gateway
While you can sell age-restricted products on Shopify, the platform’s native payment processor, Shopify Payments, prohibits most age-restricted industries, including alcohol, vapes, and adult products.
If you attempt to sell your products using Shopify Payments, your store will be flagged, your funds frozen, and your account blocked. Instead, you’ll need to use a third-party payment provider.
Payment gateways that may support age-restricted products
If you’re selling regulated products, you’ll need to find a payment provider that supports stores in your particular industry.
Things to check when comparing services include:
- Product eligibility.
- Underwriting requirements.
- Fees.
- Settlement times.
- Shopify integration.
Popular options include:
Payment providers change their policies from time to time, so always make sure you check both Shopify’s Acceptable Use Policy and the payment provider’s terms and conditions before launching your store to ensure your products are still supported.
Shopify charges stores using a third-party payment provider an extra transaction fee of between 0.5% and 2%, so don’t forget to factor this into your margins.
Building age verification into your checkout process
To sell restricted products responsibly online, age verification should be built into every step of the customer journey, from entry to checkout and delivery.
Verify during checkout
To prevent illegal underage sales, make sure you use an age verification app that integrates directly into the checkout process. That way, if a customer can’t be verified or fails the verification check, the checkout will automatically lock and block the customer from proceeding with their order.
Automatically hold unverified orders
As an extra safeguard, you can use Shopify Flow to set an automation whereby, when an order is created, if the verification status is not showing as ‘verified’, the order is automatically put on hold, preventing the warehouse team from printing the shipping label.
Using automation to verify the customer’s age at different stages of the customer journey, particularly the checkout, helps to reduce the risk of human error and prevent any unverified orders from getting through.
Age-restricted Shopify compliance checklist
The exact compliance requirements for your Shopify store depend on your industry, products, and the locations you sell to. However, most Shopify stores selling age-restricted products will need a compliance tech stack that incorporates some or all of the following:
| Compliance requirement | What you need |
|---|---|
| Age warning | An age gate informing visitors they are about to enter a website that sells age-restricted products. |
| Age verification | An age verification integration that complies with the relevant legal requirements for your products and the locations you ship to. |
| Payment processing | A payment provider that supports the products you sell and complies with Shopify’s policies. |
| Order fulfilment | Automated checks to hold orders that have not passed age verification. |
| Delivery | Challenge 25 age-verified delivery where required by law. |
Need help selling age-restricted products on Shopify?
Whether you’re launching a Shopify store selling craft beer, regulated supplements, or vapes, selling age-restricted products online requires more than slick Shopify web design. From choosing the right age-verification integration to choosing a suitable payment provider, acting responsibly will protect your business, customers, and reputation.
At Create8, we’re proud to be a Shopify partner. Whether you’re launching a new store or updating an existing one, our team of Shopify experts can help you to integrate age verification apps, optimise your checkout for compliance, and minimise friction throughout the customer journey.
Contact us today by calling 0161 820 9686 or emailing hello@create8.co.uk.
Stockport Business Awards & DEA - Shortlisted •