Sell in DMs with Stripe Checkout or Stripe as merchant of record
Every offer link in a DM can open a Stripe checkout made for that person. For digital products, Stripe can be the seller of record and handle sales tax and VAT for you.
DMCircuit gives each offer one of three checkout modes: a Stripe Payment Link or product page; Stripe Checkout, where you are the merchant of record; or Stripe Managed Payments, where Stripe is the merchant of record and calculates, collects and files sales tax and VAT in 80+ countries, handles fraud and disputes, and supports buyers. Managed Payments is for fully automated digital products only and adds 3.5% to standard Stripe fees, as published by Stripe in October 2026.
The three ways an offer can take payment
| Mode | Who is the seller | Tax | Fits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Link | You | Your Stripe settings | Anything, using a Stripe Payment Link or your own product page |
| Stripe Checkout | You | Optional Stripe Tax | Coaching, services, physical goods and digital products |
| Stripe Managed Payments | Stripe | Stripe calculates, collects and files it | Fully automated digital products: software, downloads, e-books, self-paced courses |
With either Stripe mode, the person's offer link opens a Stripe checkout made for them, so the sale is credited to the conversation that produced it. Tap the link twice and the same checkout opens; change the price and old checkout pages close.
What Managed Payments takes off your plate
- Indirect tax. Stripe is the merchant of record, so it calculates, collects and files sales tax, VAT and GST in more than 80 countries.
- Fraud and disputes. Stripe screens payments and responds to disputes.
- Buyer support. Stripe, through Link, supports buyers with their purchase and can issue refunds within 60 days in some cases.
The cost, as published by Stripe in October 2026, is 3.5% per successful transaction on top of standard Stripe processing fees. Check Stripe's Managed Payments page for current pricing.
Who can use it
- Products: fully automated digital products, with a product tax code Stripe labels "Eligible for Managed Payments". Live coaching, consulting and other services, physical goods and in-person events are not eligible. For those, use Stripe Checkout.
- Businesses: based in a supported country, including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, most of the EU, Australia, Japan and Singapore, with a direct Stripe account. Stripe reviews eligibility and decides.
- Buyers: in more than 195 countries and territories, with a short list of restricted ones.
DMCircuit checks the price and its tax code with Stripe when you save the offer, and asks you to confirm the product is fully automated before Managed Payments can be switched on.
What DMCircuit records
- Each sale excluding tax, with the tax and the amount paid alongside, credited to the conversation and the offer.
- Subscription renewals, and free trials that turn into sales on their first payment.
- Refunds and disputes, even when Stripe reports them before the sale. Refund totals come from Stripe, so they're never counted twice.
- Only sales that came from DMs. Other sales on the same Stripe account are left out of DM revenue.
How setup works
- Turn on Managed Payments in Stripe (Settings, Managed Payments) and accept its terms, if you'll use it.
- Give each digital product an eligible tax code in Stripe's Product catalog.
- Create a restricted Stripe key and save it in DMCircuit's payment settings.
- Add the Stripe webhook with the events listed on DMCircuit's Platforms page.
- In Offers, pick How people pay, paste the Stripe price ID and click Check with Stripe.
Questions
Is Stripe Managed Payments the same as Stripe Tax?
No. With Stripe Tax you stay the seller and file the returns. With Managed Payments, Stripe is the merchant of record and handles tax registration, collection and filing for the sale.
Can I use Managed Payments for coaching?
No. Stripe's rules exclude services with human involvement, such as live coaching or consulting. Use Stripe Checkout for those offers.
What does it cost?
As published by Stripe in October 2026, 3.5% per successful transaction on top of standard Stripe processing fees. DMCircuit adds no fee of its own.
Do Payment Links still work?
Yes. Link mode is unchanged, and Payment Link sales are still credited to the conversation.
Try it before you set it up
The live demo runs the real dashboard against a fictional coaching business, with every page clickable and nothing sent. When you are ready, the build handbook walks through setup in the browser.