Wix has grown from just a simple platform for building a small website into one of the most well-known e-commerce platforms available today. Another industry that has also grown is the CBD industry, so it would seem the two are made for each other. But with all the complicated legislation surrounding CBD sales, we have to first make sure if we can legally sell CBD on Wix.
CBD can legally be sold on Wix, as long as it’s derived from hemp and not marijuana. Wix has stringent policies on the sale of CBD, but CBD retailers and resellers in most states in the U.S. may legally sell CBD and other hemp-related products on Wix if they follow Wix’s guidelines and rules.
The sale of CBD is considered by many, especially “older” types of organizations like banks and insurance firms, to be a high-risk industry. This is due mainly to the complicated nature of CBD legislation. Wix has ensured that its platform is available for CBD sales while still maintaining legal restrictions. Let’s look at some of those restrictions and how you can safely sell CBD on Wix.
Wix Allows CBD Sales in the U.S.
At present, Wix allows the sale of CBD products by companies managed in the United States, specifically from companies in states where the sale of CBD or hemp-related products is also legally allowed. These are all except the following six states:
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Iowa
- Mississippi
- New Hampshire
- South Dakota
Any companies that meet these requirements will also have to familiarize themselves with the U.S. federal law regarding the classification and sale of CBD products and complete a declaration that they understand these regulations and will abide by them. [1]
Selling CBD on Wix From Outside the U.S.
International companies from outside of the United States may also sell hemp-derived CBD products on Wix, as long as they confirm that their country allows the sale and distribution of these CBD products and they consult with a lawyer first. Wix clearly states that they do not claim responsibility for any illegal CBD sales outside of the U.S. since they cannot monitor worldwide legislation.
Other Restrictions to CBD Sales on Wix
Even if your business meets the requirements mentioned above, it is essential to note that Wix places three further restrictions on the sale of CBD products on its platform. Two of these restrictions may be easily surmountable; the other can be a bit more challenging:
You May Not Sell Marijuana-Derived CBD Products
According to Wix’s policies, you may only sell hemp-derived CBD products using its platform. These products are not allowed to contain more than 0.3% THC concentration, nor any other controlled substances at all. This effectively excludes all marijuana-derived CBD products from being sold on Wix.
You Have to Use a Third-Party Payment Provider
Wix’s default payment processing system is great for most businesses that use Wix. However, it is not robust enough to handle the “high-risk” industry of CBD sales. This is the same reason why many other payment platforms, like PayPal, don’t allow the sale of CBD products.
But here’s the good news: there are other options. You have to use a payment provider that specializes in high-risk merchant accounts. These accounts have to be applied for separately from your Wix registration and are in no way part of Wix’s service. However, Wix has partnered with three high-risk payment providers to make things a little bit easier for their users. Those providers are:
It’s important to note that these payment providers’ fees may be a bit higher than other providers. That’s because of the fact that the CBD industry is seen as a high-risk market, and payments are more sensitive because of this. Some of the providers have fixed monthly fees, while others only have transaction fees, but their integration with Wix makes them all excellent choices.
You are, however, allowed to use any other payment provider of your choice, as long as they support high-risk merchant accounts and can be integrated with Wix. None of Wix’s policies force you to use only Wix’s partner providers, and there are many other excellent options available.
You Can Only Ship to “Legal” States
Once you have your Wix online shop set up and your merchant account and payments linked, there’s one last thing you have to do before you can start selling your CBD products on Wix. You have to ensure that your online shop’s shipping regions are set to only accept orders that are shipping to states where the sale and distribution of hemp and hemp-related CBD products are legal. [5]
The Pros and Cons of Selling CBD on Wix
Wix is far from the only e-commerce platform that allows you to sell CBD products. Now that we’ve seen the restrictions and requirements of selling CBD on Wix, we can look at some of the platform’s pros and cons.
On the plus side, Wix is incredibly user-friendly. It has an intuitive interface and easy-to-follow guides that allow almost anyone with little or no web design knowledge to build a good-looking and fully functional website. Since adding the e-commerce platform, Wix might be the easiest way for anyone to start selling products over the internet.
Wix is also affordable. With prices ranging from around $18 per month, it’s effortless for a young startup CBD reseller to get going and make their first sales.
But there are a few cons as well. The first is that Wix is not as robust as some other options. To make Wix as user-friendly as possible, it sacrifices a lot of customizability and extra features. Whereas other platforms can easily be customized and expanded, Wix is somewhat limited. You can select a theme and change its colors, but there are very few additional functions you can add.
Wix’s simplicity and ease of use are mainly due to its drag-and-drop system, which is excellent. But this is also one of its primary limiting factors. There’s only so much creativity you can unleash using drag-and-drop. And unfortunately, often it’s creativity that makes your website stand out from your competitors. Sometimes you need that unique look that Wix simply cannot give you.
It’s also true that on some other e-commerce platforms, you can easily extend the capabilities of your website with plugins. These plugins add functionality, including advanced product searches, marketing tools, etc. Wix has its app store, but it has a minimal library of such plugins, and many of these apps are not proper plugins at all.
Some users also complain that search engine optimization (SEO) is a nightmare on Wix, which means you might struggle to get your new online shop listed high on Google and other search engines. You may have to resort to alternative marketing methods. [6]
Conclusion
All things considered, Wix is a great platform to start your online CBD shop. It’s simple, quick, easy to use, and most importantly, legal (if a little stringent on the requirements). As your business empire grows, you may choose to start looking elsewhere, but for most CBD resellers and retailers, there’s no reason to pay more for a platform that’s more complicated than Wix.
