A US merchant account for e-commerce, when the store is run from outside the US.
Branded D2C stores, niche inventory, established Shopify and WooCommerce operators who need a fresh US acquirer. The IBO package gives your store a US entity, a US-resident director and a US bank account, delivered the same day, on the White Hat plan.
Why a clean e-commerce store is still underwritten as high-risk
Nothing about apparel or accessories is risky. How the store is run, and where it is run from, is what the underwriter prices.
An e-commerce store takes card-not-present payments, ships goods days after the charge, and sells to buyers who can dispute a transaction months later. Acquirers underwrite that exposure, not the product. Add an operator based outside the United States, no US processing history and a fresh entity, and a store selling apparel is reviewed with the same questions as any other high-risk merchant account.
The operators who land on this page are rarely beginners. They run a branded direct-to-consumer store with their own inventory, on Shopify or WooCommerce, and their acquirer or aggregator closed the account, capped the volume or held the settlements. They need a fresh US file an acquirer can underwrite, not a formation service followed by a bank search with no US signer behind it.
That is the gap the IBO package covers. The store, the brand and the customers stay yours. What changes is the file the acquirer sees: a US LLC or C-Corp, a US-resident Independent Business Operator (IBO) as director and signer, a US business bank account, and documents that match each other. The industries hub lists every vertical IBOCore onboards; this page covers the branded, own-inventory store.
What acquirers ask an e-commerce store for
What a high-risk underwriter typically requests from an online store, and where an applicant based abroad gets stuck.
- A US entity with an EIN
- The merchant of record is expected to be a US company with a federal tax ID, formation documents and an operating agreement or bylaws. A foreign company applying on its own is typically asked for a US counterpart or declined.
- A US-resident signer and guarantor
- The person who signs the merchant agreement and the personal guarantee is expected to live in the US, hold a US ID, carry a credit file and take the verification call.
- A US business bank account for settlements
- Settlements are paid to an account in the entity's name at a US bank. A foreign account, or an account in another name, is typically refused as the settlement account.
- A website that passes review
- Product pages with real photos and prices, a refund and return policy, terms of service, a privacy policy, shipping times, a contact page carrying the company name, and a checkout whose descriptor matches the brand.
- Proof that goods exist and ship
- Supplier invoices, inventory records or a fulfilment agreement, the carriers used and the delivery window. Underwriters size the gap between the charge and the delivery, because that gap is where disputes come from.
- Volumes and processing history
- Recent processing statements when they exist, projected monthly volume, average ticket and chargeback ratio. A fresh entity has no history, so the projections and the store proofs carry the file.
How the IBO package answers each line
The same package as every IBOCore vertical, read through an underwriter's checklist. The full contents are listed on the inventory page.
One package opens one MID at a time. Bring your own ISO or apply directly; the package is processor-agnostic.
White Hat plan for e-commerce: $1,999 setup, then $4,499 per month, billed from 30 days after delivery. Optional add-ons: the document template pack at $499 one-time (agreements, invoices, refund policy and terms of service templates) and merchant account consulting at $899 per month. A store billing subscriptions or continuity belongs on Grey Hat instead: $2,499 setup, then 9% of deposit volume.
What stays on you: descriptor, refunds, claims, fulfilment
The director does not touch the store and IBOCore has no opinion on your products. These six points are what keeps the MID open once it is live.
- Statement descriptor. Show the brand the customer bought from, plus a phone number or a URL. A descriptor the cardholder does not recognise is a common reason for a dispute.
- Refund and return policy. Published, linked from the checkout, applied as written. Card networks require it and underwriters read it.
- Product claims. Describe what the item is and does, nothing more. Wellness products on a general store stay free of medical claims; see health and wellness for where the line sits.
- Fulfilment. Ship inside the window stated on the site, send tracking, keep supplier invoices. The delay between charge and delivery is where "item not received" disputes come from.
- Customer service. A support address on the company domain that answers before the cardholder calls the bank. Refund when you should; a refund costs less than a chargeback.
- Keep the file consistent. The MID is underwritten for the products and the store in the application. Tell the acquirer about a new product line, a new brand or a new billing model before it goes live.
What is refused inside e-commerce
Refused at purchase by IBOCore, and at underwriting by acquirers. A store that mixes one of them into a clean catalogue is a misclassified package.
- Replica, counterfeit or brand-infringing goods, and stores built on stolen product content. Counterfeiting is treated as fraud, not as a grey area.
- Adult products and adult content: a dedicated acquirer category that is not part of the IBOCore infrastructure.
- Firearms, ammunition and regulated firearm parts, which need dedicated acquirers and federal paperwork.
- Prescription pharmaceuticals and "prescription-strength" items sold without a prescription: a different compliance layer, not on the shelf.
- Subscription, auto-replenish or trial-to-continuity billing presented as one-time sales. That billing belongs on Grey Hat, and misclassifying it suspends the package.
- Processing another business's sales through your MID (transaction laundering), or a catalogue that does not match the goods shipped. Acquirers treat both as fraud, and fraud is refused on principle.
How to get the US merchant account file for your store
Four steps, the same as every IBOCore package. No KYC on you, no notary, no travel.
- 1
Contact a representative on Telegram
Send the store URL, what you sell, where you process today and your monthly volume. IBOCore reviews every merchant on business proofs before granting dashboard access; first-time operators with no MID experience are not a fit.
- 2
Choose the package and the White Hat plan
Pick an available entity in the inventory. A branded store with one-time sales is a White Hat fit: $1,999 setup, then $4,499 per month. Your representative confirms the classification with you before you pay.
- 3
Pay the setup fee
USDT or USDC on ERC20 or TRC20. Monthly billing starts 30 days after delivery, not at payment, so the acquirer onboarding runs before the first monthly invoice.
- 4
Receive the package and apply for the MID
The documents, the bank access and the director's contact arrive on Telegram the same day. Apply with your own ISO or directly; the director takes the verification call. Acquirer onboarding then takes 3 to 10 business days, on the acquirer's timeline.
Packages are permanently in stock and delivered the same day the payment confirms. Names are masked until you sign in.
US merchant accounts for e-commerce, frequently asked
Follow-up questions from store owners weighing a dedicated US MID against what they run today.
My store runs on an aggregator today. Why would I need a dedicated US MID?
An aggregator account is a sub-account under the aggregator's own merchant agreement; its terms typically allow the account to be closed or the funds held when a store is reclassified as high-risk. A dedicated MID is your entity's own agreement with an acquirer. Opening one requires a US entity, a US-resident signer and a US settlement account, which is what the package delivers.
Does my store have to become a US company?
The acquirer underwrites a US entity, so the merchant of record on the new MID is the US LLC or C-Corp in the package. Your existing company, team and suppliers keep running the operation as before. How the two companies contract with each other is your decision; IBOCore does not give tax or legal advice.
Can I keep my existing Shopify or WooCommerce store and connect the new MID?
Yes. The MID is opened for the US entity and you connect the acquirer's gateway to the store you already run. What must change is the visible file: the company name in the footer and the terms, the descriptor, the support email on the company domain and the policies the underwriter reviewed. The director never logs into the store.
Do I need a US warehouse or US inventory?
No. Acquirers ask where the goods ship from, which carriers you use and how long delivery takes, and they want supplier invoices or inventory records that match the catalogue. Shipping from outside the US is a fact in the file, not a blocker by itself. The package does not include logistics; it covers the entity, the director, the bank account and the documents.
What if the store sells wellness products next to apparel?
Compliant wellness items with clean labelling and no medical claims stay on White Hat with the rest of the catalogue. Supplements sold on continuity, weight-management or anti-aging offers are Grey Hat territory and must be declared as such at purchase. Describe the catalogue on Telegram before paying; a two-minute exchange avoids a misclassified package.
Is a dropshipping store underwritten the same way as a branded e-commerce store?
Both verticals sit on White Hat at the same price, but the file differs. A branded store owns or controls its inventory and shows supplier invoices and a returns flow, while a high-ticket dropshipping store runs paid traffic on single products with third-party fulfilment and higher tickets. The underwriter asks different fulfilment questions of each, so declare which one you run.
Related reading
Industries we serve
Every vertical mapped to its plan, and the verticals IBOCore refuses.
Read moreHigh-ticket dropshipping
The sibling White Hat vertical: paid traffic, single products, third-party fulfilment.
Read moreHealth and wellness (compliant)
Where the line sits for wellness items in a store: labelling, claims, no continuity.
Read moreUS merchant account
What a US merchant account requires from an international merchant, line by line.
Read moreLive inventory
The packages available right now, delivered the same day you pay.
Read morePayment aggregator account closed?
The path from a closed aggregator account to a dedicated US MID.
Read more
Get the US merchant account file for your store today.
White Hat package, fresh entity, vetted director, full bank access, same-day delivery. Open the inventory or ask on Telegram first.
No KYC on you, no notary, no travel.