Selling firearms on Shopify. Payments is the hard part.
Firearms retail sits on Stripe's restricted list, which powers Shopify Payments. Specialist acquirers exist, but they require proof of licensing and state-compliant shipping workflows before they'll board you.
Move all of it into a new store, from $247
One-time packages, no per-record metering, no quotes. The order form unlocks the moment you pay, counts are matched against your old store, and the entire migration then runs a second time — the second pass has to create nothing.
And then there is the part that actually loses businesses
If you do need a new store, the payments problem turns out to be the easy half. This is what is sitting in your current store right now, and what happens to each piece when someone tries to move it by hand:
Why this category in particular
A firearms store's data is dangerous to move by hand because shipping and compliance metadata lives in metafields and custom product fields. Your FFL-gating rules, state-level restrictions, age-verification flags, and any caliber-to-state mapping are all either in metafields or in non-standard product fields that a CSV export cannot carry. If those are lost or silently point to the old store's system, you will ship products to blocked states or to underage customers, and the acquirer will terminate you immediately. The migration must preserve every compliance-linked metafield and every custom shipping rule.
| What you own | How much of it | What breaks doing it by hand | What we do instead |
|---|---|---|---|
| Product images | 6,400images≈ 27 hrsbulk re-upload, ~15 sec each | By handthe CSV carries image URLs and alt text, but they point at your OLD store's CDN — so the moment the old store goes, every image 404s. Re-upload and Shopify appends a dedupe suffix to the filename, which breaks every theme section and product description that referenced the original URL | Automatedevery file re-uploaded through the API with its alt text and variant attachment intact, its content type preserved so image-restricted fields still accept it, and every reference to the old URL rewritten |
| Product descriptions | 800descriptions≈ 2 hrsone pass to repair inline image links — the CSV carries the text | By handdescriptions are full of inline images and links pointing at the old store's CDN. Paste them into the new store and the text survives perfectly while every embedded image quietly dies — which you usually discover from a customer, not from a report | Automatedbodies copied verbatim, then a second pass rewrites every source-CDN URL inside them to the re-uploaded file on the new store |
| Product attributes & variants | 2,400variants≈ 45 minthe CSV carries these; the time is verifying option order | By handoption ORDER is part of the product's identity. Rebuild "Size, Colour" as "Colour, Size" and every theme swatch, saved customer URL and app that keys on variant position breaks — silently, because the product page still renders | Automatedvariants upserted by SKU with option names and order preserved, so swatches, deep links and app data keep working |
| Metafields & metaobjects | 4,800metafields≈ 32 hrsonly the reference, JSON and metaobject fields, ~1 min each | By handthe product CSV carries simple text and number metafields — but not metaobjects, and not reference or JSON types, which is exactly where app data and theme content live. Reference fields are the real trap: copy the value and it still points at objects in the OLD store, so the page renders and the custom block is silently empty | Automatedwritten in dependency order after their targets exist, with embedded references re-pointed at the new store's objects — and any value whose reference cannot be resolved is dropped rather than written broken |
| SEO data & redirects | 932records≈ 3 hrsredirects one at a time, plus a handle audit | By handany handle that changes becomes a dead URL with no redirect, and existing 301s are not in the product CSV at all. Years of accumulated ranking and backlinks end up pointing at pages that no longer resolve — the most expensive thing on this page to get wrong, and the slowest to notice | AutomatedSEO titles, meta descriptions and handles carried across, and every existing 301 recreated, so nothing that used to rank starts 404ing |
| Your custom theme | 1theme≈ 6 hrs2–10 hrs depending on how customised it is | By handa theme is not just its files. The settings, section content and block ordering are stored against the store, so a file copy gives you the layout and none of the content. Hardcoded asset URLs and tracking snippets also still point at the old store | Automatedyour live theme pulled and pushed as-is, then scanned for tracking snippets and hardcoded URLs that need re-pointing |
| Customers | 2,500customers≈ 2 hrsCSV import, then cleaning up the rows that fail | By handthe importer works, but marketing consent is the exposure: the CSV carries the current opt-in state and NOT the timestamp or source behind it. Re-opting someone in is a compliance breach, dropping them burns list revenue you paid for, and you cannot prove which happened afterwards. Default-address designation is also lost | Automatedcustomers upserted by email with every address, the default-address designation, and email and SMS consent states and timestamps preserved exactly as they were |
| Order history | 4,200orders≈ 8 hrsa paid third-party importer, plus a day of mapping and reconciliation | By handShopify's own CSV importer cannot create orders at all, so the hours here assume you buy a third-party importer — key them in by hand instead and 9,400 orders is closer to 390 hours, which is why nobody does that and why order history is simply abandoned in most DIY moves. Then support cannot answer a warranty claim, repeat-purchase segments are empty, and every returning-customer flow starts from zero. Getting the mapping wrong duplicates orders or re-dates them to today, and both are worse than not importing at all | Automatedfull order history recreated through the API with line items, properties, customers re-associated, original dates and tracking numbers intact |
| Navigation menus | 3menus≈ 1 hrsabout an hour to rebuild and relink them all by hand | By handmenu items store resource IDs, not paths, so nothing about them is portable — every link has to be re-pointed at the equivalent collection, page or product on the new store | Automatedmenus rebuilt with their nesting, and every item re-pointed at the equivalent object on the new store |
| Discount codes | 15discounts≈ 1 hrsabout 1 hr via the discount CSV, or ~3 hrs rebuilt by hand | By handthe discount CSV covers basic codes, but automatic discounts, quantity breaks and combination rules are not in it and have to be reconstructed by hand. A subtly wrong rule is worse than a missing one, because nobody notices until it has been over-discounting for a fortnight | Automateddiscounts recreated through the API with their rules, usage limits and dates intact, including automatic and free-shipping types |
| Blogs & pages | 12articles & pages≈ 48 minrecreated one at a time, ~4 min each | By handno CSV route for either. Articles also have no SEO fields of their own — their title and description tags live in metafields — so a hand-rebuilt blog loses its SEO even when every word of the text is right | Automatedarticles and pages recreated with authors, tags and publish dates, their SEO written to the metafields Shopify actually stores it in, and inline image URLs rewritten |
| Apps & app data | 8apps≈ 8 hrsabout 1 hr per app to reinstall, reconfigure and re-test | By handmost app data lives in metafields on your products and customers, so reinstalling the app gets you an empty app: reviews gone, subscription plans gone, loyalty balances gone, bundles gone. Flows and automations have to be rebuilt by hand and re-tested, and anything with its own billing has to be re-subscribed | Automatedthe metafield data your apps rely on migrates with the products and customers it hangs off, so a reinstalled app finds its data waiting instead of an empty store |
See these numbers for YOUR store, free
Those are typical figures for this category. The read-only scan counts what is actually in your store, so you know the real scale before you decide anything. No card, and it works even if your storefront is already offline.
▶ Run the free demo scanWhy it happened — specifically for firearms
Stripe, the processor behind Shopify Payments, lists firearms and weapons as restricted with limited availability. The primary trigger is that you are selling a product category Stripe does not underwrite by default. The secondary trigger is the shipping model: if your checkout does not enforce FFL-to-FFL transfers or state-level geo-blocking, you fail the underwriting before it even reaches compliance review. Stripe's policy is that lawful retail is boardable only through specialists, and only if you can prove licensing and workflow controls.
Rule out the easy fix first — then deal with the real one
Rule this out first, because Shopify documents no route for firearms. What merchants try is applying to Shopify Payments anyway, citing their FFL license—and that fails because the restriction is structural to Stripe's risk model, not a licensing question. The path that sometimes works is to find a high-risk acquirer who specializes in 2A retail, apply with documented proof of your FFL, state resale licenses, and a shipping workflow that enforces dealer-to-dealer transfers. That application is permission to apply only; the acquirer runs their own underwriting on your catalog, your state compliance and your processing history. Most declines at that stage come from either inadequate proof or a shipping model that does not enforce FFL gates.
It only helps if all of these are true:
- You hold a current, verifiable FFL license in a US state.
- Your checkout or fulfillment system enforces FFL-to-FFL transfers or state geo-blocking.
- You can document that you do not ship to prohibited states or persons.
- Your product catalog does not include fully automatic weapons, which are federally prohibited for civilian retail.
- You have no prior payment processing declines or chargebacks tied to weapons or compliance.
If any one of them does not hold, you are where everyone else on this page is: you need a store built around a gateway that will actually accept you — and everything you have built has to move into it without losing the catalog, the customers, the order history or the rankings.
What you actually have to fix
Underwriters do not change their minds because you asked. They change them because the facts changed. For firearms, these are the facts that move the decision:
Document your FFL licensing and state-level shipping controls.
This is the single highest-yield fix because it is the thing specialists cannot board without. Gather your current FFL license copy, any state resale permits, and a written or technical description of how your checkout or fulfillment enforces dealer-to-dealer transfers. If you are hand-shipping and relying on customer honesty, you will be declined. If you use an FFL-network platform (GunBroker model, for example), document that integration. Underwriters need to see the gate, not just hear that you respect it.
Audit your product descriptions for state-prohibited items.
Remove or geo-block any products that are prohibited in states where you currently ship or where your checkout does not block them. This includes fully automatic weapons (federally prohibited for civilian sale), short-barreled rifles where state law prohibits them, and any other weapons your state restricts. Create a state-by-state compliance grid showing which products you sell in which states, and which states you have completely blocked. Underwriters will cross-check this against your fulfillment data.
Remove any marketing language that flags age-gating failures.
If your product pages or checkout imply that minors can purchase (no age verification gate, no disclaimer language, or marketing that targets under-18 audiences), fix that before applying. Firearms have federal age limits: rifles and shotguns 18+, handguns 21+. Make sure your checkout enforces age verification (either manual review or a third-party age-gate service), and that your product pages clearly state the age requirement. Underwriters will scan for this instantly.
Compile your processing history and chargebacks to be transparent.
If you have been declined by Shopify Payments, Stripe, or any other processor, or if you have a history of chargebacks or disputes, gather those records now. Specialist acquirers run background checks on processing history, and declining to mention a prior decline will cause them to decline you again for misrepresentation. If your history is clean, state that plainly. If it is not, explain what happened and what you have fixed since then.
What underwriting will ask you for
- Copy of your current FFL license and any state resale or dealer permits.
- Proof of your shipping and transfer workflow—screenshots of your checkout, fulfillment instructions to customers, or integration with an FFL-network platform.
- Your product catalog with images, descriptions and any age-gate or compliance language.
- Bank statements for the last 3–6 months showing lawful business revenue.
- Processing history from any prior payment processor, including reason codes for any declines.
- State-by-state compliance checklist showing which states you ship to and which you block.
- Your business formation documents and UBO (Ultimate Beneficial Owner) verification.
Getting underwritten for firearms
High-risk acquiring is an entire industry that exists for businesses Stripe declines, and several of them publicly underwrite firearms. What none of them will tell you up front is the number that actually matters: what your business gets offered, once they have seen your volume, your claims and your history. Rate, reserve and settlement terms vary enormously between applicants in the same category.
Get real quotes from high-risk processors that accept firearms
Six taps and three details. We put it in front of the high-risk acquirers that actually underwrite your category and come back with what they will offer you — rate, reserve and settlement terms — so you are comparing real numbers instead of cold-emailing brokers for a fortnight.
New company, new merchant account — the honest version
A firearms merchant does not need a new legal entity to process through a specialist acquirer. If you have been declined by Shopify Payments or Stripe, opening a new company will not reset that decision—both MATCH and the specialist's own underwriting follow the person, not just the business name. Your FFL is tied to your personal SSN or your business entity; a new shell company will not change that. Apply with your current structure and be transparent about your history.
What a MATCH listing actually is
- A listing lasts five years from the date it is added, then ages off automatically. There is no performance-based early release.
- It lists the principals — name, tax ID, address — as well as the business, which is exactly why a new company with the same owners is not a fresh start.
- Only the acquirer that listed you can remove it, and only in two situations: the listing was made in error, or the reason code was PCI non-compliance and you have since become compliant.
- Reason codes are specific and they matter: excessive chargebacks reads very differently to an underwriter than laundering or illegal transactions.
- It is not a card-network ban. High-risk acquirers knowingly board MATCH-listed merchants — at worse rates, with larger reserves, and with volume caps.
- You are entitled to ask the terminating acquirer whether you were listed and under which code. Do that before you apply anywhere else, because you will be asked.
What a new merchant account requires
The entity
Formation documents, EIN or company number, and a business bank account in the company's name with a voided cheque or statement.
The people
Government ID and personal details for every beneficial owner. Underwriting is done on the humans as well as the company — which is why a new company with the same owners does not present as a new applicant.
The history
Three to six months of processing statements if you have any, plus bank statements. A prior termination is disclosed here. Concealing it is the fraud, not the termination.
The website
A live, compliant storefront: clear billing descriptor, contact details, terms, refund and shipping policies, SSL, working checkout, and no claims that contradict your category.
The product
Supplier agreements, certificates of analysis for anything ingestible, licences for anything regulated, and evidence of how you fulfil.
The numbers
Expected monthly volume, average order value and your chargeback history. Understating volume to get approved is a fast route to a frozen account.
A MATCH screen
Run against both the business and its principals. This is the step that decides the application, and there is no way around it — only through it, by disclosing and finding an acquirer who underwrites anyway.
If you do need a new entity, these are the routes people actually use
Costs and timelines below are indicative and go out of date — treat them as a starting point, not a quote.
Wyoming is the default for an ecommerce LLC: ~$100 to file, ~$60/yr to maintain, no state income tax and strong owner privacy. Delaware is the investor standard and costs $300/yr in LLC franchise tax for governing law most DTC stores will never rely on. If you are not raising money, Wyoming is almost always the right answer.
Move everything for a fixed price
One-time packages — no per-record metering, no quotes. The migration order form unlocks the moment you pay, and the whole migration re-runs a second time before any cutover.
How the migration runs
- Book & pay — fixed price, secure Stripe checkout. The order form unlocks immediately after payment.
- Submit your stores — domains and details in the order form; then provide revocable API tokens in your customer area (we never ask for your Shopify password).
- We migrate everything — your live store keeps selling throughout; it is only ever read from.
- Verified twice — the entire migration re-runs and must change nothing; you get the count-matched verification report before any cutover.
See exactly what would move — before you spend anything
The demo scan connects read-only to your current store and counts every product, variant, image, customer, order and metafield in it, then tells you what a migration would carry across. It never writes to your store, and it works even if your storefront is already offline.
▶ Run the free demo scanIf it has already happened
Whatever Shopify has actually done — disabled the gateway, opened a review, frozen your payouts, closed the store — the recovery differs. Find the one that matches your notice:
Shopify Payments Disabled for a Firearms Dealer? How to Recover
Shopify Payments disabled — what it means specifically for firearms.
Shopify Payments Account Under Review for a Firearms Dealer? How to…
Account under review — what it means specifically for firearms.
Shopify Payments Not Available for a Firearms Dealer? How to Recover
Application rejected — what it means specifically for firearms.
High Chargeback Rate Warning for a Firearms Dealer? How to Recover
High chargeback rate — what it means specifically for firearms.
High-Risk Payment Gateway for Shopify for a Firearms Dealer? How to…
Finding a high-risk payment gateway — what it means specifically for firearms.
Migrate a Shopify Store to a New Account for a Firearms Dealer? How…
Migrating to a new Shopify store — what it means specifically for firearms.
New Company for a New Merchant Account for a Firearms Dealer? How to…
New company, new merchant account — what it means specifically for firearms.
Shopify Payouts on Hold for a Firearms Dealer? How to Recover
Payouts on hold — what it means specifically for firearms.
Shopify Payments Prohibited Business for a Firearms Dealer? How to…
Prohibited business type — what it means specifically for firearms.
Shopify Payments Terminated for a Firearms Dealer? How to Recover
Shopify Payments terminated — what it means specifically for firearms.
Shopify Store Suspended for a Firearms Dealer? How to Recover
Shopify store suspended — what it means specifically for firearms.
Shopify Payments Rolling Reserve for a Firearms Dealer? How to Recover
Rolling reserve imposed — what it means specifically for firearms.
How to Reactivate Shopify Payments for a Firearms Dealer? How to…
Appealing a Shopify Payments decision — what it means specifically for firearms.
Frequently asked
Why was I declined by Shopify Payments if I have a valid FFL?
Shopify Payments is underwritten by Stripe, and Stripe's policy treats firearms as restricted—not prohibited, but restricted with limited availability. That means Stripe does not board firearms merchants by default through Shopify. An FFL license proves you are legal to sell; it does not change Stripe's risk decision. Specialist acquirers do board FFL dealers, but they require proof of your license, your shipping workflow, and your compliance controls. Stripe's blanket restriction is structural, not a licensing gap.
Which payment gateway will actually work for my gun store?
Several high-risk acquirers publicly advertise firearms underwriting and will connect you to gateways Shopify supports natively—Authorize.net on a high-risk MID, or gateways from specialists like PaymentCloud and Easy Pay Direct. Which one approves you, at what rate and with what reserve, depends entirely on your FFL status, your processing history, and whether your shipping workflow enforces FFL-to-FFL transfers. Rather than cold-email each one, use the quote form on this page to describe your operation and get matched to active underwriters.
What happens to my product data if I move to a new payment processor?
Your product catalog, images and descriptions move cleanly. Your compliance metadata does not. Your FFL-gating rules, state-level geo-blocks, age-verification flags and any custom shipping logic are all stored in metafields or outside Shopify's standard product schema. A CSV export will not carry them, so they must be migrated by hand or through a custom script. If they are lost, your new store will ship to blocked states or to customers below the federal age limit, and your acquirer will terminate you. This is why a hand migration of a firearms store is almost always incomplete.
Will my reserve be huge?
Yes, typically. Firearms merchants commonly report rolling reserves of 10–20% held for 90–180 days. That is because chargebacks and disputes are common in this category (high AOV, high-value items, sometimes buyer's remorse or shipping disputes). Budget for that reserve from day one, because it will be in your contract and it will affect your cash flow. Some acquirers will lower the reserve if your processing history is clean and your volume is high; most will not negotiate until you have proven yourself.
Move everything, verified twice, from $247
Pick a package and the migration order form unlocks immediately. Your existing store is only ever read from — we never write to it, so nothing you still have can be made worse.