How much a $20 sale nets across seven merchant-of-record providers in 2026

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A merchant of record sells digital products on a seller's behalf, handling buyer billing, sales tax and VAT, refunds, and chargebacks. The article compares seven such providers by applying their published fee schedules to a $20 sale, once with a US buyer and once with a European buyer. Net amounts range from about $16.62 to $18.82, with differences driven mainly by flat and percentage fees and by surcharges on cards from outside the US or EEA. Recurring subscriptions can carry extra fees with some providers, and payout availability varies by country, which the author notes should be checked alongside the fee. The author, who runs one of the listed providers, discloses this conflict of interest and invites readers to flag inaccuracies in the figures.

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