Global payment infrastructure — accept payments with a few lines of code. Subscriptions, invoices, marketplace payments — the top choice for indie devs monetizing globally.
Stripe is a Payment Processor, not a Merchant of Record. This means you (not Stripe) bear legal responsibility for filing and remitting global VAT/GST/sales tax. If you sell globally and don't want to handle taxes, use a MoR service like Lemon Squeezy or Paddle.
Stripe approval is slower and more uncertain for non-US/European founders than US founders. Approval may take 1-7 business days, and some users report being rejected without clear reasons. If your country is not on Stripe's direct support list, registering a US company via Stripe Atlas before applying is the primary path.
Each credit card dispute/chargeback costs a $15 fee from Stripe (win or lose). If your OPC product has elevated chargeback risk (digital products, subscription renewals), this cost must be factored into pricing. Consider enabling Stripe Radar to automatically block high-risk transactions.
Checkout supports logo + color adjustments but can't customize button placement, form field layout, and other details. If you need a fully branded checkout experience, you must build it yourself with Stripe Elements (frontend component library) — extending the timeline from 2-4 hours to 1-2 weeks.
When a customer is refunded, Stripe does not return the 2.9% + $0.30 fee already charged. If your OPC product has a high refund rate (>5%), this cost can significantly erode profits. Reserve 3-5% in your pricing for refund losses.
| Stripe Billing Docs | Blog | - |
