Payments · Fitness6 min readUpdated November 2, 2026

Is It Legal to Sell Fitness Products Online?

Yes, with no federal license. US rules for gym equipment, sports nutrition and claims: CPSC, warranties, FDA, banned ingredients, age limits.

Nick Bonnassies, CMO at Tagada · checked against 19 sources

Article summary

Legal, with rules

TL;DR

Yes. In the US you don't need a federal license or FDA approval to sell gym equipment, sports nutrition or workout programs online. The rules differ: product safety, warranties and shipping times for equipment; supplement labeling and banned ingredients for nutrition; FTC claim rules for all. Some ingredients, such as DMAA and SARMs, make a product illegal outright.

"By law, FDA does not approve dietary supplements or their labeling" before sale (FDA Q&A, August 27, 2026).
The FDA calls DMAA-containing supplements "illegal", and called SARMs "unapproved new drugs" in a December 12, 2025 warning letter.
On October 6, 2026, a pre-workout sold online was recalled nationwide after FDA testing found DMAA.
Peloton paid a $19,065,000 civil penalty to the CPSC in January 2023 for not reporting a treadmill defect immediately.
New York bans selling weight loss and muscle-building supplements to minors.

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This guide is part of our hub on fitness payment processing. The general guide, for any business: high-risk merchant accounts. It's general information, not legal advice.

What the law requires, by product family

Family	Main rules	Regulator
Home gym equipment	Report safety defects; don't sell recalled products; warranty disclosure if you offer one; ship on time or offer a refund	CPSC, FTC8 9 10
Sports nutrition (sold as supplements)	NoApproval before sale; FDA disclaimer next to claims; no banned ingredients	FDA, FTC1 2 3
Workout programs and apps	Claims backed by evidence; clear subscription terms	FTC12
Everything	Prop 65 warning online if the product contains a listed substance and you sell into California	California OEHHA11

No federal license is needed to sell these products online. Ordinary business registration and sales tax still apply in your state.

Fig. 1One store, four sets of rules

Your fitness storeNo federal license to sell online

Home gym equipmentCPSC, FTC: defects, warranties, shipping
Sports nutritionFDA, FTC: disclaimer, banned ingredients
Workout programs and appsFTC: evidence, subscription terms
Sold into CaliforniaProp 65 warning online

No federal license, but each family has its regulator.

CPSC, FTC, FDA and California OEHHA, as cited in the table above.

Sports nutrition: what makes a product illegal

Protein powder and pre-workout sold as dietary supplements follow supplement law: no FDA approval, but the FDA can act after the fact1. A structure/function claim needs the FDA disclaimer and a notification within 30 days; a disease claim makes the product a drug2.

Some ingredients close the door completely:

Ingredient	FDA position (exact wording)
DMAA	"DMAA-containing products marketed as dietary supplements are illegal and their marketing violates the law" (FDA)3
DMHA	Supplements containing it are considered "adulterated under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act" (FDA)4
SARMs	"Unapproved new drugs"; a "RESEARCH-ONLY PURPOSE" label didn't change that (FDA warning letter, December 12, 2025)5

Example

On October 6, 2026, a company recalled one lot of its pre-workout, sold "Nationwide to retail and via internet" between January 2025 and May 2026. "The issue was discovered in the product during testing by the FDA": the powder contained DMAA6.

Fig. 2A pre-workout lot, from online sale to recall

January 2025Sold nationwide, in stores and online
May 2026End of the sales period
FDA testingDMAA found in the powder
October 6, 2026One lot recalled

Sold online for over a year before the FDA's test.

FDA, Leader Formulas LLC company announcement, October 6, 2026.

The Department of Defense keeps its own list: "Service Members are prohibited from using any substance identified in this database as ingredients in dietary supplements"7. It's not a sales ban, but it's a useful check before you formulate or source a product.

Equipment: safety, warranties and shipping

Rule	What it says
Report defects	Peloton paid $19,065,000 for not reporting a Tread+ hazard immediately and distributing recalled treadmills (CPSC, January 5, 2023)8
Warranties are optional	"the Act does not require any business to provide a written warranty" (FTC)9
If you offer one	Disclosure and pre-sale availability rules "apply to all written warranties on consumer products costing more than $15" (FTC)9
Shipping time	Without a stated time, you need "a reasonable basis for believing that you can ship within 30 days" (FTC)10
Delays	Offer "an option either to consent to a delay in shipping or to cancel the buyer's order and receive a prompt refund" (FTC)10
Prop 65 online	Warning on the product page, a link marked "WARNING", or displayed before purchase is complete (27 CCR § 25602)11

$19,065,000

Peloton's CPSC penalty over the Tread+, January 2023

$15

Price above which FTC warranty disclosure rules apply

30 days

FTC shipping window when you state no time

Watch out

Heavy equipment ships late more often than small parcels. The 30-day rule applies when you state no shipping time10, and a late delivery becomes a "not received" dispute fast: chargebacks for fitness brands.

Claims: the FTC rules for every fitness product

The FTC's 2022 guidance covers supplements, equipment and programs alike. On testimonials: "Testimonials that report results more dramatic than users can generally expect are likely to be deceptive", and "Results not typical" doesn't cure it12.

Fitness gear has been the target before:

Reebok agreed in September 2011 to pay $25 million in customer refunds over toning-shoe claims13
Skechers agreed in May 2012 to pay $40 million over toning-shoe ads14

Fig. 3Claims the FTC has already acted on

Dramatic testimonials
"Likely to be deceptive", and "Results not typical" doesn't cure it.
Reebok, 2011
$25 million in customer refunds over toning-shoe claims.
Skechers, 2012
$40 million over toning-shoe ads.

FTC, Health Products Compliance Guidance, 2022; Reebok and Skechers press releases.

The detailed rules for ads, affiliates and reviews: fitness merchant account compliance.

State laws: age limits

State	Rule
New York	NoSale of weight loss or muscle-building supplements to minors; proof of age at delivery (GBL § 391-oo)15
California	Similar law (AB 2030) signed in September 2026; effective date not confirmed (NutraIngredients)16

If you ship supplements marketed for muscle building or weight loss to New York, you need an age check at checkout and at delivery15.

Legal is not the same as accepted by processors

A product can be legal and still be refused, or closed later, by a payment provider.

Provider	Line that can apply
Stripe	"Pseudo-pharmaceuticals or nutraceuticals that are not safe or make harmful claims"; "Incorrectly labelled research chemicals"17
Shopify Payments	"Pharmaceuticals and other products that make health claims that are not verified by a local or national regulatory body"; "medical devices"18

Gym equipment isn't named by either17 18. Provider by provider: does Stripe allow fitness products? and can you sell fitness products on Shopify?

How Tagada helps

An account reviewed for fitness products, not just allowed by law

Enhanced review for regulated verticals: TagadaPay reviews each file; "If you sell something real, we will get you paid."19
One application: "One KYC. One signed package. We distribute it across our processor network"19
Fraud and disputes: "Native 3DS2, device intelligence, and rules engine: approve real customers, block the rest."19
Security: PCI DSS Level 1, SOC 2, ISO 2700119

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An account reviewed for fitness products, not just allowed by law

Updated on November 2, 2026

Nick Bonnassies

CMO at Tagada

CMO at Tagada. Before Tagada, Nick built direct-to-consumer brands that generated over $115M in sales, raised over $25M in crowdfunding and sold two of them. He also works as a fractional CMO on marketing operations and AI systems.

Frequently asked questions

Do you need a license to sell supplements in the US?

No federal license is needed. "FDA does not approve dietary supplements or their labeling" before sale. You still register your business and collect sales tax in your state, follow labeling and claim rules, and make sure your manufacturer follows cGMP.

Is it legal to sell pre-workout online?

Yes, if every ingredient is legal and the claims are lawful. The FDA treats DMAA and DMHA in supplements as illegal or adulterated. In October 2026, a pre-workout sold online was recalled after FDA testing found DMAA.

Is it legal to sell SARMs online?

Not as supplements or "research" products for people. In December 2025, the FDA told a seller its SARM products were "unapproved new drugs", and that "research-only" labels didn't change that. Payment providers prohibit mislabeled research chemicals too.

Do I have to offer a warranty on fitness equipment?

No. Federal law doesn't require a written warranty. If you offer one on a product costing more than $15, disclosure and pre-sale availability rules apply, including a way to get a copy offline if you publish it online.

Can I sell muscle-building supplements to minors?

Not in New York, which bans sales of weight loss and muscle-building supplements to minors and requires proof of age at delivery. California signed a similar law in September 2026. Add an age gate for these products.

Sources

Checked November 2, 2026

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