Merchant Acceptance Policy

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Introduction

Dodo Payments operates as a Merchant of Record (MoR), providing an all-in-one platform for digital businesses for merchants by acting as their official reseller. As MoR, Dodo Payments assumes responsibility for payment processing, tax compliance, and chargeback handling. To protect the integrity of our platform and our global partnerships, we maintain strict standards for the products we resell on our platform. This policy outlines the kinds of businesses we support, the types we restrict or prohibit, and how we enforce our standards. It is intended to help builders understand how to align with our platform requirements from the start.

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Businesses We Love

We’re excited to support legit builders creating digital-first products that are valuable, trustworthy, and easy to deliver. In general, we welcome:

• SaaS & AI products – SaaS products, productivity software, AI tools and more.
• Digital goods – eBooks, PDFs, design assets, audio, stock media, etc.
• Templates, Plugins & Apps – Templates such Notion,Framer, Plugins such as Chrome Store, Wordpress, Apps such as Slack, Discord etc (that do not violate our policies).
• Courses & learning material – Digital education courses, self-paced courses, or content delivered via links, embeds, or gated access.
• Indie creators – Building cool, niche products that offer real value, and would make you proud to post on your LinkedIn/Twitter.

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What We Look For

If your product is digital, delivered easily, and meets these qualities, we’d love to work with you:

• Legally Compliant: Your product complies with relevant laws (like consumer protection and data privacy) in the regions you operate.
• Honest and Helpful: We appreciate products that provide real value to users - things that are helpful, not deceptive or exploitative.
• Community-friendly: Products should adhere to our policies and ensure a smooth experience for everyone.

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Businesses We Can’t Support

This is not an exhaustive list. Dodo Payments reserves the right to update or enforce this policy at any time. We may place your account under review or suspend it immediately if we determine your business model is deceptive, harmful, high-risk, generates excessive refunds or chargebacks, or has been flagged by our payment partners. As your MoR, we’re legally and reputationally responsible for what’s being sold through our platform. That means we must stay clear of anything that’s:

1. Human services packaged digitally – Selling design, development, coaching, or marketing services as “digital” isn’t allowed unless it’s largely productized and automated.
2. Physical goods or in-person services – We only support digital delivery. No T-shirts, mugs, books, supplements, coaching calls, or “done-for-you” consulting. This includes merchandise packaged with digital bundles.
3. Illegal or age-restricted – Including but not limited to drugs, alcohol, tobacco, vapes, or content that violates local laws in any region you’re targeting.
4. Low-quality or exploitative digital products – For example, AI-generated PDFs with little value, thin templates marked up heavily, or clearly unfinished websites sold at premium prices which may lead to customer dissatisfaction.
5. Restricted by payment and compliance partners – Some business types may be subject to restrictions under the policies of our payment and compliance partners. If your business falls within these categories, we may be unable to support processing due to external requirements or network guidelines.
6. Adult content or services – This includes explicit or suggestive content whether real or AI-generated (e.g., OnlyFans-style platforms, NSFW chatbots, webcam streams, erotic games, sex toys).
7. Intimacy services – Especially those with sexually charged positioning, escort-style features, or AI-generated relationship companions.
8. Financial products & advice – We can’t support unlicensed financial tools, investment strategies, wealth-building courses, tax calculators, or anything involving stored value, lending, or managing funds.
9. Legal, accounting, and professional services – We only support licensed professionals operating with valid credentials and authorization in their jurisdiction.
10. Crypto-related offerings – Wallets, NFTs, DeFi, crypto exchanges, or token launches aren’t permitted.
11. “Miracle” or Misleading Claims – No products making exaggerated or unverifiable claims – e.g., “cures cancer,” “reverses aging,” “burns fat while you sleep,” “make money while you sleep.”
12. Tax Evasion, Shell Entities, or Regulatory Arbitrage – We can’t support products, services, or setups designed to evade taxes, mask ownership, or bypass financial or legal regulations—this includes using fake business entities, misleading jurisdictions, or “gray market” setups.
13. Gambling & games of chance – Including casinos, lotteries, sports betting, sweepstakes, fantasy sports for cash prizes.
14. Medical, wellness, and pharmaceutical products – Including diagnostics, weight-loss programs, supplements, or biohacking kits without the required licenses.
15. Cheating & manipulation tools – That means hacks, mods, bots, engagement manipulation, fake reviews, or tools for bypassing gameplay or API limits.
16. Piracy or IP violations – Selling things you didn’t create or license (e.g., pirated books, software keys, copy-paste code packs, unauthorized media downloads).
17. Mass outreach or scraping tools – No lead scraping, cold email automation, or tools that spam the internet. Also applies to mass-generated AI content marketed as personalized.
18. Proxy, cloaking, or anti-terms tools – Anything that helps users bypass API rate limits, platform rules, or geolocation restrictions.
19. IPTV and streaming access services – This includes IPTV subscriptions, reseller panels, or tools that provide access to third-party streaming content.
20. Donations without clear value – If you’re collecting money without delivering something in return (unless as a pre-approved as a sponsorship), we likely can’t process it.
21. Marketplaces or resale models – If you’re selling on behalf of others, operating a multi-vendor platform, or taking funds and forwarding them elsewhere, that’s not supported under our MoR structure.
22. Travel services – This includes commercial airlines, cruises, charter or private flights, and timeshare offerings.
23. Political, social, or cause-based fundraising – We don’t support campaign donations, activism platforms, or politically sensitive products.
24. Software resale or license flipping – Including selling software licenses at a discount, or reselling AI APIs, datasets, or tools without clear rights.
25. Privacy Violations & Surveillance Tech – We don’t allow products that violate user privacy or enable unauthorized surveillance – this includes stalkerware, keyloggers, location tracking without consent, facial recognition tech, or tools that scrape or collect personal data without a clear legal basis.
26. Weapons, Self-Defense & Violence-Oriented Content – We don’t allow content promoting weapons, combat training, DIY explosives, self-defense tools, or any content that glorifies violence or incites harm—digital or not.

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When in Doubt…

If your product is pushing boundaries or you’re unsure whether it qualifies, we strongly recommend reaching out to us. We’d love to explore ways to help you stay compliant without compromising on your vision. And remember: just because something is technically digital doesn’t mean it’s automatically okay. If it feels shady, scammy, exploitative, or like something you wouldn’t explain confidently to your mother— we probably can’t support it. Some business types may fall into a restricted zone — not outright prohibited, but not immediately approved either. These cases will require enhanced due diligence, and we’ll take a closer look before making a final decision. This is done on a case to case basis.

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Businesses We Might Support

To meet our compliance obligations, some business types require additional review. If your business falls into one of the categories below, we may ask for extra details—such as licenses or information about how you operate. While we aim to support a wide range of businesses, approval isn’t guaranteed. If approved, access may be limited or adjusted over time in line with the Terms & Conditions. Some types of businesses are not outright prohibited but do raise higher compliance or reputational risks. If you operate in one of these spaces, we may ask for extra details (like disclaimers, demo access, or policy links) before approving your account. Categories That Often Require Review:

1. AI tools (text, image, video, voice) – No impersonation, scraping, or deepfakes
2. VPNs / infrastructure tools – Must prohibit illegal use and have takedown flows
3. Marketing / scraping / outreach tools – No spam, scraping, or fake engagement
4. Resume, hiring, or exam tools – No impersonation or cheating functionality
5. Browser plugins / automation – Must comply with our policy
6. Sub-SaaS or white-label tools – All downstream users must be known and vetted
7. Spiritual & Astrology services – Entertainment only; no claims or predictions
8. Intimacy platforms or chat tools – Must be safe-for-work and clearly moderated
9. Audio / music / chatbot generators – No voice cloning, NSFW, or fake claims
10. Fake storefront / funnel templates – Must be transparent and brand-safe
11. PDF / AI content generators – Must be original and clearly valuable
12. Tipping / creator monetization – Platforms or tools that facilitate tipping or monetization for creators.

Unsure if your business qualifies?
If your product operates near the edge of these categories, we encourage you to reach out before applying. We may still be able to support you — especially if you’re transparent about your model, actively mitigate risks, and are willing to work within platform guidelines. You can reach out to compliance@dodopayments.com to check if you qualify.

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Accepted Payout Countries

Below is a list of merchant countries eligible for payout from Dodo Payments:

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Prohibited Countries

Dodo Payments only supports merchants selling digital goods and services that align with our MoR responsibilities and card network requirements.We only work with merchants from jurisdictions not subject to active sanctions or high-risk flags issued by FATF, OFAC, EU, or UN bodies, etc. We currently do not support merchants from the following geographies:

1. Belarus
2. Cuba
3. Haiti
4. Iran
5. Iraq
6. North Cyprus
7. North Korea
8. Pakistan
9. Russia
10. South Sudan
11. Sudan
12. Syria
13. Venezuela
14. Yemen

Note: This list is regularly updated to reflect FATF, OFAC, UN, and EU AML/CFT directives. Our prohibited countries list applies to both the location of the merchant (where the business is registered or operates from) and the jurisdictions involved in the transaction (such as where the merchant, seller, beneficial owner, or platform users are based). All merchants are responsible for ensuring ongoing compliance.

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Enforcement

We take violations of our merchant policy seriously. If we determine that a merchant has onboarded in breach of this policy or our terms — including by misrepresenting their business, attempting to bypass restrictions, or engaging in prohibited activities — Dodo Payments may take appropriate action, including:

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Enforcement Actions May Include:

• Permanent account suspension
• Immediate halt of transactions and platform access
• Withholding of payouts or reversal of settled funds
• Fines or penalties in proportion to losses, reputational harm, or downstream risk (up to USD 425,000)
• Reporting to card networks, financial partners, or regulators where required

These measures may be taken without prior notice in cases of material breach or imminent platform risk. Examples of Policy Breach The following may trigger investigation or enforcement:

• Misclassifying your business or products to bypass category restrictions
• Using proxy merchants or sub-accounts to avoid enforcement
• Selling or promoting products that are deceptive, harmful, or violate our prohibited content rules
• Failing to disclose essential onboarding information (e.g., website mismatch, incorrect entity type)

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Appeals & Resolution

If you believe enforcement was applied in error, you may submit a request for review. In some cases, we may allow corrective action or resubmission for review. Voluntary disclosure of potential issues may be considered favorably. You can reach out to compliance@dodopayments.com to initiate the review process.