Why do most merchants of record refuse services?
A merchant of record resells what you sell in its own name, so it carries the chargeback risk. A service is delivered later, by a person, so disputes are harder to settle.
- Dodo Payments, on its freelancer page (published 4 March 2025, still live 12 November 2026): “It is not designed for freelancers selling pure services (hourly work, custom contracts, time-billed consulting).” (Dodo Payments)
- Flavio Copes, an independent developer writing on 14 September 2026: merchants of record “resell digital products” and “Most of them refuse: Services. Consulting, design work, coaching sessions.” (flaviocopes.com)
Our rule, in our own words: our acceptable use policy allows “Service Packages, meaning productized services sold ready-made rather than quoted per client, but only where we have approved your account to sell them”, and rules out “custom or project-based work whose scope or deliverable is agreed separately with each client”. Terms, section 21 says a package has its “contents, deliverable, exclusions, price, and delivery window fixed in advance, identical for every Buyer, no proposals or negotiation”, and “Worked out per client = custom work = never allowed, whatever it’s called.”
What are the ways to sell your services by card?
| Your own invoice, bank transfer | Ruul | PayOdin | Dodo Payments | AgentaOS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Who invoices the client | You | Ruul: “a business-ready invoice from Ruul” | PayOdin: “a registered Delaware LLC named on every invoice you send” | Not for services | AgentaOS, as the seller |
| Client can pay by card | No | Yes: the client “pays by card or bank transfer, without creating an account” | Not stated on its homepage | Not for services | Yes, on the hosted checkout |
| Takes services | Yes, any work | Its FAQ: an invoice “with full company details and your service on it” | Calls itself “a merchant of record for freelancers” | No: “not designed for freelancers selling pure services” | Fixed-price service packages only, after approval |
| Approval before you sell | None | Not stated on the page we read | “Every account is approved manually” | Not for services | Yes, per account |
| Fees | Your bank’s charges | See its pricing page | See its pricing page | Not for services | See “What does a package cost” below |
Quotes from each provider’s own page, opened 12 November 2026 (see Sources).
Honestly: if every client gets a different quote, a bank transfer invoice is the right tool. See how to make an invoice as a freelancer.
How do I sell a service through a merchant of record, step by step?
- Sort your work into two piles. What you sell the same way to everyone can go through AgentaOS. Anything quoted per client, hourly or negotiated stays on your own invoice.
- Write the package like a product. Fix the deliverable, exclusions, delivery window and price. “Logo pack: 3 concepts, final files, 5 working days, €500” works. “Design work, price on request” does not. The client may send inputs but may not change the scope or price. How to price a package.
- Make delivery leave a digital record. Terms section 21: “a package delivered only in live conversation doesn’t qualify.” Files, a report or a recording do.
- Apply for service packages and wait for approval. Approval is per account, for the offering and website you show us.
- Send the package to your client. Share the checkout link or send it as a dashboard invoice. The client pays by card on the hosted checkout. The invoice names AgentaOS as the seller (invoice docs).
- Deliver and get it confirmed. By the client in writing, or by your evidence plus 7 days with no objection. Keep evidence 18 months.
- Get paid. Payout follows within 5 business days of the payment clearing undisputed and delivery being confirmed (Terms, section 21).
Is my service ready to sell? A checklist
- ✓One deliverable, named in one plain line
- ✓A list of what is not included
- ✓A delivery window in working days
- ✓One price, the same for every client
- ✓Delivery leaves files, a report or a recording behind
- ✓Not regulated advice (legal, financial, tax, investment, insurance or medical)
- ✓A public page that describes the package, for approval
What does a service package cost to sell?
The published rate is 4.5% + €0.50 per card sale, no monthly fee. Cards from outside the EEA, such as US cards, add 1.5%: 6.0% + €0.50 in total (AgentaOS pricing docs). For service packages, Terms section 21 says the per-sale fees “are those shown in your account”, may include a per-sale minimum, and are “never added to the Buyer’s price”. At the published rate, a €500 package paid with a US card leaves €469.50 after the card fee.
Reserves, from the Terms:
- Section 9: new accounts set aside up to 15% of each sale, released 120 days after the sale. Service packages stay on this row until we reclassify the product.
- Section 21: “at least 10% of each Service Package sale is set aside for at least 120 days from that sale’s Payout release.”
When is a merchant of record the wrong choice?
- Custom or hourly work.Our acceptable use policy excludes services “whose main value is your time or expertise”, unless approved as service packages. Per-client work is never allowed. Use your own invoice.
- Regulated advice.Legal, financial, tax, investment, insurance and medical advice “may not be sold through the Service in any case”.
- Cash on day one.With the reserve, a bank transfer pays faster on one big project.
Where does AgentaOS fit?
If you sell the same package to many clients who want to pay by card, AgentaOS is the official seller: we invoice the client and handle the tax on the sale. You sell as an individual or a company. US client flows: Serbia, Pakistan. Design and coaching examples: card payments for services.
Related questions
Can a merchant of record sell services?
Some can. Dodo Payments, for one, says it is not built for pure services. AgentaOS sells fixed-price service packages, the same for every client, once your account is approved. Hourly and custom per-client work is never allowed.
Is there a merchant of record for consultants?
Only for packaged consulting. AgentaOS can sell a fixed package, such as a written audit with a set scope, price and delivery window, after approval. Hourly consulting and regulated advice (legal, financial, tax, investment, insurance, medical) cannot be sold through it.
Can I bill a client by the hour through AgentaOS?
No. Hourly work, retainers worked out per client and custom projects are not allowed. Invoice those yourself by bank transfer.
Whose name is on my client’s invoice?
AgentaOS (Aristokrates OÜ, Estonia) is the seller on the invoice, “Merchant of Record for” your business. Tell your client before they pay so their finance team expects it.
What does a service package cost to sell?
The published rate is 4.5% + €0.50 per card sale, no monthly fee, plus 1.5% for cards from outside the EEA. For service packages, the fee is the one shown in your account. A reserve applies to package sales.
Related
Sources: AgentaOS Terms · AgentaOS acceptable use · AgentaOS pricing docs · AgentaOS invoice docs · Dodo Payments, freelancer page · flaviocopes.com, merchant of record · Ruul, how it works · PayOdin
General information, not financial, tax or legal advice. Ask a local accountant about your own registration.