Payments · Guide8 min readUpdated November 2, 2026

Can You Sell Digital Products With Stripe?

Stripe accepts ebooks, software and downloads. The lines that restrict digital goods, how delivery works, Managed Payments, taxes and disputes.

Nick Bonnassies, CMO at Tagada · checked against 10 sources

Article summary

TL;DR

Yes. Stripe's prohibited and restricted list doesn't name ebooks, templates, software or downloads. It restricts specific digital models: file-sharing services, creator platforms, in-game currency, gift cards and NFTs. Stripe takes the payment; your site or a tool delivers the file. Taxes are your job, unless Stripe becomes merchant of record through Managed Payments.

Stripe's list, updated September 22, 2026, prohibits "music, movies, software, or any other licensed materials" sold "without appropriate authorization".
"Cyberlocker and file-sharing services" and platforms selling third-party creators' content need Stripe's approval first.
Creators selling their own content "on their own website" don't need preapproval.
Managed Payments makes Stripe the merchant of record for digital products, handling sales tax, VAT and GST "in more than 80 countries".
Managed Payments excludes products with "human intervention (such as live 1-1 coaching)".

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On this page

This guide covers digital products on Stripe in general. For online courses and coaching, see does Stripe allow info products and online courses?.

What Stripe's list says about digital products

Selling your own digital product is not on the list. Selling someone else's, or a stored value, often is1.

Digital product	Status at Stripe	Line on Stripe's list
Your own ebook, template, preset, software or music	Not listed	None
Licensed content resold without rights	Prohibited	"Sales or distribution of music, movies, software, or any other licensed materials without appropriate authorization"
Adult content, including AI-generated	Prohibited	"Any artificial-intelligence generated content that meets the above criteria"
A platform selling other creators' content or digital goods	Restricted	"Content creation platforms"
File hosting or sharing	Restricted	"Cyberlocker and file-sharing services"
In-game currency or items	Restricted	AllowedOnly when "the business is the operator of the virtual world"
Gift cards, credits, stored value	Restricted	"Preloaded payment cards, gift cards, virtual credits"
NFTs	Restricted(first-party minting) or prohibited (secondary sales)	"First-party non-fungible tokens (NFTs) minting and sales"; "Secondary NFT sales"
"Make money" guides and kits	ProhibitedIf they promise easy income	"'Get rich quick' schemes"

Source: Stripe, list updated September 22, 20261.

Stripe adds that individual creators "directly distributing their own content (for example, on their own website) do not require preapproval", but must still comply with the list and "are subject to monitoring by Stripe"1.

How delivery works with Stripe

Stripe confirms the payment; your site or a tool sends the product. With a payment link, you can show a custom message or "redirect them to a URL" after the purchase, and Stripe sends a checkout.session.completed webhook "that you can use for fulfillment"2.

Fig. 1Three ways to deliver a digital product after a Stripe payment

Redirect
Send the buyer to a download or access page after payment. Fast, but protect the URL.
Webhook
Your system listens for the completed checkout, then emails a unique link or opens an account.
Partner tool
A delivery app or an automation such as Zapier, connected to your Stripe account.

Stripe itself never sends the file

Stripe Docs, After a payment link payment, read November 2, 2026.

Whatever you choose, log it: the time the link was sent, the email it went to, and each download or login. That log is your proof of delivery if a buyer disputes.

Stripe Managed Payments: Stripe as merchant of record

Managed Payments is Stripe's option for digital sellers who don't want to handle tax and support themselves. Stripe becomes the merchant of record and handles "sales tax, VAT, and GST compliance in more than 80 countries, along with fraud prevention, dispute management, and transaction-level customer support"3.

Point	What Stripe publishes4
Eligible products	Software, video games, digital media such as e-books and audiobooks, online courses and training, web services
Not eligible	Physical goods, professional services such as consulting or design, live in-person events
The automation test	"If your service involves human intervention (such as live 1-1 coaching), it doesn't qualify"
Seller locations	US, Canada, most of Europe including the UK, Australia, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore
Buyers	More than 195 countries and territories, with listed exceptions
Integrations	Checkout and Payment Links; not Connect or Elements3
To stay eligible	"a low historical dispute rate and no prior risk issues"

Stripe can also issue refunds within 60 days of purchase "in certain cases, including to help reduce chargebacks"4. If Stripe finds a product ineligible, you become responsible for its indirect tax and must stop using Managed Payments for it4.

Taxes on digital products

With a standard Stripe account, you are the seller and the tax is yours. Stripe Tax can calculate it, but you choose the product codes and the registrations5.

United States: "US tax rules for digital products vary significantly by state." Some states tax all digital goods, others exempt them, and many split downloaded from streamed, personal from business use5.
European Union: "EU VAT applies to digital products based on where your customer is located," through a domestic or One Stop Shop registration5.
Business buyers abroad: cross-border B2B sales often fall under reverse charge, which requires the customer's tax ID5.

Stripe warns against the generic code "General - Electronically Supplied Services" for US sales: it "doesn't capture the distinctions that determine taxability in many states"5.

Disputes on digital goods

There's no tracking number for a file. Your evidence is the access record. For a card-absent fraud dispute on digital goods, Visa accepts a description of the goods and the date they were provided6.

It also wants 2 or more of these: IP address, device ID, the buyer's name and email linked to their profile, a verified login before the purchase, an access on or after the purchase, or the same device and card in an undisputed earlier transaction6.

Fig. 2What to log on every digital sale

At checkout: IP address, device ID, email and name tied to the account.
At delivery: time the link or access was sent, and to which address.
After delivery: each download, login and page opened, with time and device.
On every order: the product description shown before payment.

two of these can win a fraud dispute

Visa Core Rules, Compelling Evidence for digital goods, edition of October 24, 2026.

Visa also lets buyers dispute digital goods bought through a trial or introductory offer when they were "not clearly advised of further Transactions" (condition 13.5)6. Tagada follows Visa and Mastercard rules and the laws that apply to payments.

Disputes count against your account. If Stripe classifies it as an unacceptable risk, it typically pauses payouts for 120 days from its first email8. More: Stripe chargebacks.

Your site, payment plans and courses

Stripe checks that your site describes "the goods or services offered" and that they "align with the information you've provided to Stripe", with a refund and dispute policy and contact details9. For a download, say what the file is, its format and when the buyer gets it.

Pay-later options are tighter than Stripe itself: Afterpay and Clearpay list "Digital goods" among restricted categories7. Selling courses, memberships or coaching instead? Those are covered in info product payments, and the codes in MCC 5815.

By industry

Industry	What changes	Guide
Supplements	A meal plan or guide sold with the product doesn't change the test: the nutraceuticals line and the trial rules still apply	Does Stripe allow supplements?
Skincare	Not named on Stripe's lists; a claim to treat acne or remove wrinkles reads as a drug claim, in any format	Does Stripe allow skincare products?
Fitness	Workout programs and apps aren't named; Stripe's Afterpay/Clearpay terms restrict "fitness and/or gym equipment"	Does Stripe allow fitness products?
Info products	Courses and coaching are judged on income promises and delivery over time	Does Stripe allow info products and online courses?
Online pharmacy	RestrictedStripe's approval first, and only for pharmacies in the US, Canada, the EU, Australia, the UK and Japan	Does Stripe allow prescription drugs?
Telehealth	RestrictedVideo consults are reviewed case by case, and any approval can be revoked	Does Stripe allow telehealth services?

How Tagada helps

Digital products on more than one processor

Every industry welcome: "If you sell something real, we will get you paid." "Automated onboarding, every industry welcome, and a vault you actually own."10
Keep Stripe in the mix: "Already on Stripe, NMI or Airwallex? We orchestrate those too."10
Routing: "Route to the processor most likely to approve it, retry on decline. No engineering required."10
Fraud: "Native 3DS2, device intelligence, and rules engine: approve real customers, block the rest."10
Reach: "135+ currencies", "40+ Local payment methods".10

Tagada CRM plans are on the pricing page.

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Digital products on more than one processor

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

Can you sell digital products with Stripe?

Yes. Stripe's prohibited and restricted list doesn't name ebooks, templates, software or downloads. It prohibits unlicensed resale of content and adult material, and restricts file-sharing services, creator platforms, in-game currency, gift cards and NFTs. Describe the product on your site the way you described it to Stripe.

Does Stripe deliver digital downloads?

No, not with a standard account. Stripe can redirect the buyer to a URL after payment and sends a webhook you can use for fulfillment. Your site, a delivery tool or an automation sends the file. Managed Payments adds tax, fraud and support handling, not file hosting.

What is Stripe Managed Payments?

A Stripe service where Stripe is the merchant of record for digital products. It handles sales tax, VAT and GST in more than 80 countries, plus fraud, disputes and customer support. It covers software, e-books, digital media and online courses, but not live coaching, professional services or physical goods.

Does Stripe handle VAT on digital products?

Under Managed Payments, yes. On a standard account, Stripe Tax calculates it, but you register and choose the product tax codes. EU VAT on digital products follows the customer's location, and US rules vary by state.

Can I sell ebooks on Stripe?

Yes. Ebooks are not on Stripe's list, and e-books are among the products eligible for Managed Payments. Selling an ebook you don't have the rights to is prohibited as licensed material sold "without appropriate authorization".