What is a Merchant of Record?
The company that legally sells your product to your buyer. It takes the payment, owes and files the VAT or sales tax, issues the invoice in its name, handles refunds and disputes, and pays you what is left. With a payment processor like Stripe, you are the seller and all of that stays yours.
Processor or Merchant of Record
| Payment processor (Stripe, used directly) | Merchant of Record (AgentaOS) | |
|---|---|---|
| Seller on the receipt | You | AgentaOS |
| Who owes VAT | You, in every buyer’s country | AgentaOS collects and files it |
| Who issues the invoice | You | AgentaOS, tax on its own line |
| Company needed | Yes, in a supported country | No, individuals can sell |
| Disputes | You answer the bank | AgentaOS answers the bank |
Sell from where you are
Because the Merchant of Record is the seller, it does not matter whether Stripe supports your country. You need a payout route, not a merchant account. See how payouts reach your country.
A growth Merchant of Record also helps you earn more: every AgentaOS account includes Pricing Intelligence, which finds why users don’t pay and tells you what to charge.
Related questions
Is Stripe a Merchant of Record?
No. Used directly, Stripe is a payment processor and you are the seller. Its separate Merchant of Record product, Managed Payments, is open only to businesses in 35 locations.
Does a Merchant of Record cost more than Stripe?
The fee is higher per sale because it includes tax filing, invoicing and disputes. Compare the full cost, including your own tax and accounting time, on our calculator.
Know what to charge before you launch
Paste your product or store link. Pricing Intelligence tells you what to charge and how to package it. Free, no card.
€0 account, no cardSell as an individual or a company