Many UK merchants are shocked to learn that selling vapes on Shopify isn’t as straightforward as adding products and checking out. Between payment gateway restrictions, age verification laws, and Shopify’s own policies, launching a compliant vape store requires careful setup. This guide breaks it all down.
Is It Legal to Sell Vapes Online in the UK?
Yes, it is legal to sell vape products online in the UK—but with strict rules. These laws are designed to protect consumers, especially young people, and to ensure that products are sold responsibly. Vape sellers must follow the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations (TRPR), which implement the EU Tobacco Products Directive (TPD) in the UK.
Here's what that means for your Shopify store:
- Age restriction: You must verify that all customers are at least 18 years old before they can make a purchase. This is non-negotiable and legally enforced.
- Packaging and labelling: Your product packaging must include clear health warnings, ingredients, and nicotine content. Mislabelled or unlabelled products can lead to legal penalties.
- Advertising restrictions: You’re not allowed to make health claims (like “safer than cigarettes”) or target underage users through language, design, or social media.
While Shopify itself does not block the sale of vape products in the UK, the platform does not take responsibility for your store's compliance. That means the burden of following these laws—and proving it—falls on you. Make sure your store’s terms, product descriptions, and checkout experience reflect these legal obligations.
Why Selling Vapes on Shopify Isn’t Plug-and-Play
Even though Shopify is a flexible and beginner-friendly platform, it isn’t automatically set up to support regulated products like vapes. If you're planning to sell vape products, one of the first hurdles you’ll encounter is that you can’t use Shopify Payments, which is Shopify’s built-in gateway. Vape products fall under Shopify’s list of prohibited or high-risk items, which means your payment processing options are limited.
In practice, that means you’ll need to find and integrate a third-party payment processor—one that accepts vape sales and supports UK merchants. Onboarding with these processors is more involved, requiring documentation about your business, product legitimacy, refund policies, and more.
Also, because you’re in a high-risk category, your store may receive more scrutiny from both Shopify and your gateway. Failing to meet their standards could result in delays, declined payments, or full account suspension. That’s why planning your payment setup early is critical.
Best Vape Payment Processors for Shopify UK
Since Shopify Payments is off the table, the next step is choosing a vape-friendly third-party payment processor. These providers specialize in high-risk products and understand the extra compliance requirements that come with vape sales. In addition to traditional high-risk gateways, new alternatives like Pay by Bank, supported by Wallid, offer a secure, compliant, and chargeback-resistant method for processing payments—especially suitable for regulated industries like vape.
What to look for in a vape payment processor:
- Compliance support: Your provider should understand UK laws and request documentation to help you stay compliant.
- Chargeback protection: Vape products are more likely to be contested by banks, so look for gateways that offer dispute resolution tools or eliminate chargebacks entirely.
- Ease of integration: Some platforms require developer help; others, like Wallid’s Pay by Bank, offer modern no-code Shopify integration.
Before integrating, get clarity on contract terms, monthly fees, rolling reserves, and any country-specific limitations.
Age Verification: A Legal Must
Every UK vape store must verify that buyers are at least 18 years old. This is a legal requirement under UK law and failing to comply can result in fines, store takedowns, and even criminal charges.
Unfortunately, Shopify does not provide built-in age verification tools. That means you need to install a third-party solution that adds age gates, ID checks, or verification at checkout.
Recommended apps for Shopify:
- Age Check Plus: Adds a popup age gate before users browse.
- NA Age Verifier: Includes more advanced verification options, like birth date entry or ID upload.
- ShopAge Verification: Affordable and easy to install, great for small stores.
You should also display age notices in your header, footer, and product descriptions for extra clarity. Not only is this a legal safeguard—it also shows visitors and regulators that you take compliance seriously.
Other Legal Tips for Shopify Vape Stores
- List ingredients and warnings clearly
- Use clear refund and shipping policies
- Avoid promoting health claims or targeting minors
- Keep product images non-glamorized
Tips for Running a Compliant Vape Store on Shopify
- Ensure age verification is active before purchase.
- Don’t use glamorized imagery or health-related marketing language.
- Display legal disclaimers and terms of service clearly.
- Use approved nicotine concentrations and disclose ingredients.
- Shopify Plus users may benefit from greater app flexibility and API access for complex compliance workflows.
Conclusion
Selling vapes on Shopify UK is absolutely possible—but only if you follow the right setup. Choose a vape-friendly payment processor, implement age verification, and make sure your store respects all local regulations.
With the right tech and legal alignment, your store can operate securely and scale with confidence.
