Payment processing for Shopify
Shopify made taking cards online effortless, and effortless has a rate attached. For BC retailers running real volume, especially volume that spans a website and a physical counter, the defaults deserve a second look.
Online transactions start from a higher floor
Every ecommerce transaction is card not present. No tap, no chip, no cardholder standing at a counter, and therefore a higher interchange floor than the same card tapped in person. That part is structural and no provider can remove it. What varies enormously between providers is the markup stacked on top of that floor, and at Shopify scale defaults, the markup is set for convenience, not for volume.
The two statement problem
Most BC retailers on Shopify are not online businesses. They are shops with a website, running a counter through one provider and a checkout through another, with two statements nobody reads side by side. That split hides the real number: your total cost of accepting cards across the whole business.
We review both statements together. Sometimes the counter moves to the partner acquirer that fits and the website moves to our Authorize.net gateway. Sometimes what you already have, on one side or both, is genuinely the right structure. Either way the decision finally gets made on the combined number.
How we support Shopify
In Canada, Shopify's own checkout runs on Shopify Payments. Where a third party gateway is the right fit, we support Shopify deployments leveraging our Authorize.net gateway: we are a registered agent of Authorize.net, and it is the gateway we can deploy, configure and stand behind on this platform. Shopify charges additional fees for third party gateways, and those fees go into the comparison before we recommend anything.
Honest math about Shopify's ecosystem
Any honest comparison has to include the third party gateway fees Shopify charges, and when we price a setup for a Shopify merchant, those fees go into the comparison alongside everything else. If the structure you have is already the right one, we tell you that and you stay put, better informed. The review is only useful if the arithmetic is complete.
Where the structure usually needs work
For most retail clients the counter is where the structure needs the most attention: flat rate pricing that treats debit taps priced in cents and premium cards priced in percentages as the same transaction. Fixing the counter while leaving the website on its default is a perfectly good outcome, and a common one.
“The Kubera support team provides extremely rapid responses to support requests as well as offering phone support with no automated phone tree during office hours.”
Common questions
Can I replace Shopify Payments?
On most plans yes, by moving checkout to a third party gateway. Shopify checkout runs on Shopify Payments by default; where a third party gateway is the right fit, we support Shopify deployments leveraging our Authorize.net gateway. Shopify charges additional fees for third party gateways, and those fees go into the comparison before we recommend anything, so the decision is made on the complete number.
Does my Shopify store setup change?
The storefront, catalogue and checkout flow stay. The change is the gateway behind the checkout, which in a Kubera deployment is our Authorize.net gateway, and it is tested before anything goes live to customers.
We sell in person and online. Can one provider cover both?
Often yes. We review both volumes together: on Shopify we can support the checkout through our Authorize.net gateway, and at the counter we deploy whichever partner acquirer fits, so the recommendation is made on the whole picture, not a preference.
Is it worth reviewing if my online volume is small?
Yes, because the review covers your whole card acceptance, and for most shops the counter is where the structure needs the most attention. Small online volume just means that channel gets the quick half of the read.
A recommended payments partner of the BC Chamber of Commerce
See what you are paying behind Shopify
Send us a recent statement. We read it line by line and come back within 1 to 2 business days with exactly what you are paying and whether the structure fits how you run. No obligation, just numbers.
Built for businesses that expect more from their payment systems.