When the 2018 Farm Bill legalized industrial hemp, a renewed and fresh CBD industry emerged. CBD oils, tinctures, lotion, gummies and water are just some of the products currently occupying store shelves. As popular and beneficial as hemp CBD products are, maintaining a successful CBD business comes with more barriers and regulations than other industries.
Navigating federal and state laws on selling CBD products can be disheartening and frustrating for e-commerce merchants. Obtaining CBD merchant processing that includes accepting credit cards is typically not easy.
Here at Revitpay, we have your solution for a compliant and robust CBD e-commerce storefront. The collective experiences of our team, as well as those of our banking connections, make it possible for us to set CBD merchants up for success. Let’s check out why your industry has unique challenges and how we can help you overcome them.
Here’s Why your CBD Business is High-Risk (And What We Do About it)
We will be referring to CBD products made of hemp, which has a THC content of less than 0.30%. Products with THC higher than 0.30% have regulations different from hemp CBD and are classified by federal law as a controlled substance. Hemp is legal across the U.S., but not all states have legalized hemp’s higher THC counterpart, marijuana. Running a hemp CBD business becomes complex due to widespread confusion about the differences between the two substances.
Expectations, compliance, and reputation firmly plant the CBD industry in the high-risk category. A high-risk business in this context pertains to companies that pose a greater financial risk for banks and processors due to the higher frequency and likelihood of chargebacks. Being a high-risk merchant should not be a deterrent to your business goals.
What’s particular about the CBD industry is that certain factors make it slightly more high-risk than others.
Customers with Varying Expectations
Hemp CBD products’ popularity stems from health benefits consumers and merchants swear by. However, not yet approved by the FDA, debatable health claims may be deemed unsubstantiated by customers, even if businesses don’t intentionally misrepresent their products.
The nutraceutical industry faces similar complications. The likelihood of buyers returning products is high due to wellness claims that don’t match consumers’ experiences, even with valid products. Thus, increasing the number of chargebacks for businesses.
Revitpay’s Solution
Our specialized team and tools allow us to provide preventative measures for high-risk merchants. Our chargeback alerts feature gives merchants a heads up on an incoming chargeback that will give them a leg up in resolving the issue promptly. We’ve proudly helped many high-risk merchants keep their chargeback rates to as low as 1%.
High-Maintenance Compliance
Hemp CBD only recently became legal in the marketplace, so skepticism and misinformation still run amok. Hemp CBD and marijuana CBD are used interchangeably, but only one of them can cause psychoactive effects and is still illegal in many states.
Because hemp CBD is too often mistaken for marijuana CBD, strict guidelines are in place to ensure that hemp CBD storefronts’ products are not products with THC higher than 0.30%.
The need for heavy regulation requires merchant service providers and banks to ensure their CBD merchant clients follow compliance, which most providers are unwilling to do.
Revitpay’s Solution
We are confident in our ability to bring CBD merchants’ e-commerce websites up to par with card brand compliance. With our 50+ years of combined experience and knowledge of the CBD industry, we keep our merchants up-to-date on what will keep their websites in line with regulations.
Reputation Risk
As CBD merchants rushed to obtain merchant services after hemp’s legalization (2018 Farm Bill), financial institutions that became processors for CBD businesses steadily began to shut them out. The reality of keeping up with compliance, along with the onslaught of illegitimate CBD companies, made it difficult for banks to want to serve the industry.
On top of that, misconceptions about CBD lead many to believe that hemp CBD products are the same as psychoactive marijuana products. The negative association with a recreational drug turns people away from supporting legitimate CBD companies, including banks.
Revitpay’s Solution
Having been in the merchant services industry for a while, Revitpay has connected with numerous banks that will work with CBD merchant accounts. You can skip the frustrating search for banks and utilize our network of trusted partners.
Our vast web of connections enables us to provide lower pricing for merchant accounts and the ability for merchants to open up multiple accounts to use as a backup.
Conclusion
Revitpay is a credit card processor that specializes in working with high-risk merchant accounts, including those in the CBD industry. You can overcome any barrier to obtaining a CBD merchant account with our expertise, experience, and tools. We keep our solutions up to date as industries, such as CBD, change and grow.
Ready to take your CBD business to the next level? Contact us today, and we’ll show you how.