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Shopify is the most popular platform for starting, growing, and managing an eCommerce business. Many young people have wanted to begin utilizing it. However, Shopify puts limitations on the age you must be to use it. So, can it be used if you’re under 18? Let’s find out!
There are ways to use Shopify if you’re under eighteen. One way is to have a parent or a friend over the age of eighteen sign up with you. Another is to link a Paypal business account to your Shopify account to receive payments. However, this method may create more problems.
In this article, we’ll talk about how Shopify works and what you can do to start using this platform today.
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How To Use Shopify if You’re Under 18 Years Old?
So, you’ve started a business and want to use Shopify to get it to take off. The only problem is that you’re still underage.
Unfortunately, in the modern world, if you are under eighteen, it’s challenging to do almost anything. Opening a bank account, managing a business, and using Shopify are all nearly impossible.
The question is, are there workarounds for using Shopify if you’re underage? Lucky you! Yes, there are!
There are really only two ways around Shopify’s age requirements. You can either utilize someone older than you or go through a different route to receive payments, such as a business account with Paypal.
While using Paypal or other options is possible, they don’t always work. You will often find that the account gets shut down for violating Shopify’s terms of service.
It should be noted that the requirements for Paypal also state that the user must be eighteen or older, but there’s less involved in signing up for Paypal than Shopify, so it’s still possible to use this as a workaround.
The biggest issue with needing to be eighteen to use Shopify is that you won’t be able to receive payments. This is in part due to issues with taxes. Someone underage cannot be taxed, and all earned income must be reported.
Let’s now talk about how you can use Shopify if you’re not eighteen yet.
1. Using Shopify Through a Parent or Friend
This is by far the best option for using Shopify while you’re still under the age of eighteen. However, it does come with its fair share of problems.
Let’s talk about what this looks like.
If you’re using Shopify with a parent or an older friend, you’ll want to sign up with them. You can put in your information when signing up for your Shopify account, but you’ll also need the other adult’s information. In addition, the social security number, bank information, and so on would be from the other person as well.
When you sign up with a parent or other adult, you’ll want to have them fill out all the information, and then you’ll add your products and so on. You’ll run the page, but remember that all the profit flows through to them.
Because of this, it’s essential to make sure that you sign up with someone that you completely trust. You’ll also need to set up how the payments will be managed between yourself and the parent or friend.
Keep in mind, as well, that the other adult involved will also need to pay the monthly fees associated with using Shopify. You can sign up for various plans, including Shopify Lite, Basic Shopify, or regular Shopify – all of which come at different rates. Learn more about Shopify’s pricing and packages!
A parent is probably the best option for this since a bond of trust is typically already there. However, this isn’t always the case, and sometimes it’s best to find a friend, especially if you’re close to eighteen.
Some things to remember when going this route:
- Have a payment plan in place. You don’t want to have money deposited into someone else’s account and not be able to access it. One solution could be setting up a separate joint account for payments to be deposited in.
- Make sure you trust the person you’re setting up the account with. Legally all the proceeds of the business will belong to them. If this is too much risk for you, it may be better to wait until you’re over the age of eighteen.
- Once you turn eighteen, you can have the account transferred to yourself. This is part of Shopify’s terms of service. You still have ownership of the account when you’re under the age of eighteen. However, you do not have control of it. Ownership and control are two separate things.
2. Using Shopify Through Other Means
If having a parent or another friend sign up with you isn’t an option, there are other things you can consider – namely, using Paypal to sign up.
Remember that you still technically need to be eighteen to sign up for Paypal. However, there are significantly fewer restrictions involved.
Another thing to note when going with this method is that you must provide a social security number to sign up for Shopify. This means that Paypal may or may not be an actual option.
To use this option, you’ll want to sign up for Shopify as usual. When plugging in your payment details, you should put in the information for your Paypal account. Remember that you’ll need to create a Paypal business account to make this work.
Apart from Paypal, you can likely use this for Shopify if you have your own bank account. You would sign up in the same way as you would concerning Paypal.
While it is possible to sign up and operate Shopify through Paypal or similar, it’s best to do it through another adult. Otherwise, you run the risk of your account being shut down. You can also face legal consequences if you do it this way.
3. Leveraging Crypto Payments on Shopify
Chances are, you may find someone that you trust to have the full ownership of your online store but would like to have control over finances, at least! If that’s the case, crypto is your best way to go.
Crypto is a great alternative to PayPal when you’re under 18 and companies like Commerce Coinbase allow you to capture crypto payments on your Shopify store with no hassle!
Their verification and Know Your Customer (KYC) process is way too easier and less complicated that it is on PayPal. This will allow you to kick off your business and start accepting payments from customers all around the world without any technical or coding skills.
Conclusion
Using Shopify when you’re under eighteen presents a big challenge. The easiest way to do so is to find a trusted adult to help out with the process. Remember, however, that legally your Shopify account affects them if you choose this route.
There are other ways to use Shopify as a minor, but they aren’t tested, and there’s no evidence that this works long-term. If there’s a significant concern, it would be better to wait until you’re over eighteen.
This article today has discussed the possibility and ability of using Shopify when you’re under 18 years old! I shared with you 3 ways in which you can leverage this giant e-commerce platform to build your online empire.
Thank you for taking that far and I wish you a productive entrepreneurial journey young boy! If you’re looking forward to starting something for your own that will allow you to work from home or anywhere else, but are not sure where to start, I recommend you take this online training, for FREE! (It can change your life!)
Kindly, if you found this post inspiring and valuable, share it with your friends, please! (Virtual high fives and hugs to all my sharers out there)
Cheers,
Odeh Ahwal
