Integrating Payment Processing for High-Risk E-Commerce: A Developer's Guide

If you've ever built an e-commerce site for a client in CBD, supplements, firearms, vape, or travel—you've probably hit the payment processing wall. The site is done, everything works perfectly, and then Stripe rejects the account. Or worse, approves it and shuts it down three months later.

As developers, we don't always think about payment processing until it becomes a blocker. This post breaks down what you need to know when building for high-risk merchants and how to set up integrations that actually stick.

Why Stripe and PayPal Reject Your Clients

Stripe, Square, and PayPal have restricted business lists. If your client sells any of the following, there's a good chance they'll get declined or terminated:

• CBD / hemp products
• Nutraceuticals and supplements
• Vape and e-cigarettes
• Firearms and ammunition
• Travel and ticket sales
• Subscription boxes
• Adult content
• Online gambling
• Kratom
• MLM / network marketing

These platforms optimize for low-risk, high-volume merchants. High-risk industries have higher chargeback rates and regulatory complexity—which means more liability for the processor. They'd rather just say no.

The frustrating part? Your client's business is completely legal. Doesn't matter. The mainstream processors don't want the hassle.

The "It Works in Sandbox" Problem

Here's a scenario every e-commerce developer has experienced:

1. Build site with Stripe integration
2. Test everything in sandbox—works perfectly
3. Client applies for live Stripe account
4. Application denied or approved then terminated weeks later
5. Client panics, you scramble to find alternatives
6. Rip out Stripe, integrate new processor, hope it sticks

This is a massive waste of time. If you know upfront that your client is in a high-risk vertical, skip the mainstream processors entirely.

High-Risk Payment Gateways That Actually Work

High-risk merchant account providers exist specifically for these industries. They have banking relationships that allow them to underwrite businesses that Stripe won't touch.

Adaptiv Payments is one I've worked with on several client projects. They've been in the high-risk space for over 10 years and support most of the industries that get rejected elsewhere.

What matters from a dev perspective:

Platform Integrations

Adaptiv integrates with the platforms you're probably already building on:

• Shopify - App-based integration, no custom checkout required
• WooCommerce - Plugin support for WordPress sites
• BigCommerce - Native integration available
• Magento - Supported for enterprise clients
• Custom builds - API access for headless commerce setups

Gateway Compatibility

They work with standard payment gateways:

• Authorize.Net
• NMI
• USAePay

If you've integrated with any of these before, the technical lift is minimal. Standard API calls, standard webhook patterns, standard tokenization flows.

Sample WooCommerce Setup

For WooCommerce projects, the integration typically looks like:

// functions.php or custom plugin

add_filter('woocommerce_payment_gateways', 'add_high_risk_gateway');

function add_high_risk_gateway($gateways) {
    $gateways[] = 'WC_Gateway_AuthorizeNet'; // or NMI
    return $gateways;
}

Most high-risk processors provide configuration through Authorize.Net or NMI, so you're using battle-tested gateway plugins rather than custom integrations.

Webhook Handling

Standard payment webhook pattern applies:

// Express.js example for payment webhooks

app.post('/webhooks/payment', express.raw({type: 'application/json'}), (req, res) => {
  const event = JSON.parse(req.body);

  switch(event.type) {
    case 'payment.completed':
      // Update order status
      break;
    case 'payment.failed':
      // Handle failure, notify customer
      break;
    case 'chargeback.initiated':
      // Alert merchant, log for dispute response
      break;
  }

  res.status(200).send('OK');
});

The chargeback webhook is particularly important for high-risk merchants. Adaptiv provides alerts when disputes are initiated so merchants can respond quickly or issue proactive refunds.

Checklist Before You Build

If you're starting a project for a high-risk client, handle payment processing first—not last.

## Pre-Development Checklist

- [ ] Confirm client's industry and products
- [ ] Check if industry is on Stripe/PayPal restricted list
- [ ] If high-risk: get merchant account approved BEFORE building
- [ ] Confirm which gateway will be used (Authorize.Net, NMI, etc.)
- [ ] Get sandbox/test credentials
- [ ] Plan integration around confirmed gateway
- [ ] Build and test
- [ ] Go live with confidence

Getting the merchant account sorted before development means no last-minute payment processor swaps. Adaptiv offers fast approvals—often same day—so this doesn't have to hold up your timeline.

What to Tell Your Clients

When you're scoping a project for a high-risk client, set expectations early:

1. Stripe/PayPal probably won't work - Don't let them waste time applying
2. High-risk processors cost more - Rates are typically 3-5% vs 2.9% for low-risk
3. Reserves may apply - Processors may hold a percentage of funds initially
4. Chargeback management matters - They need clear refund policies and billing descriptors
5. Approval comes first - Get the merchant account before you start building

Quick Comparison

Resources

• Adaptiv Payments: adaptivpayments.com
• Authorize.Net docs: developer.authorize.net
• NMI gateway docs: secure.nmi.com/merchants/resources/integration

Final Thoughts

Payment processing is infrastructure. For high-risk clients, building on Stripe is like building on a foundation that might disappear. Save yourself the rework and get the merchant account sorted before writing code.

Adaptiv has been solid for the high-risk projects I've worked on—fast approvals, stable accounts, and standard gateway integrations that don't require custom work.

If you've dealt with payment processor headaches on client projects, drop a comment. Curious what industries and integrations others are running into.

Building something in a high-risk vertical? Feel free to reach out—happy to share what I've learned.