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Marketplace payment guides

How International Sellers Accept US Payments in 2026

The wall is real: mainstream US payment platforms serve a limited set of countries. What sellers outside the list actually do, and how checkout software removes the account that needed approving.

The problem in one paragraph

You sell to US customers from a country the mainstream US payment platforms do not serve. The rest of the business works: the store ships, the listings rank, the buyers show up. Then checkout. The platforms your US competitors use are unavailable where you are, restricted to company types you do not have, or willing to onboard you and then hold your revenue on a schedule you cannot see. Your customers are not the problem. They have Venmo, Cash App, and Zelle on their phones and would pay you in a minute if there were a way to do it.

The routes sellers usually try

  • Open a company in a supported country. A real option for some businesses. It also brings formation costs, ongoing filings, and cross-border tax questions that belong with a professional, not a payments article. If you go this way, go with advice.
  • Borrow an account. A relative in the US, a friend, an agency that signs up on your behalf. Platform terms generally require the account to belong to the business actually selling, and the money lands in a name that is not yours. Two risks stacked on one workaround.
  • Sell through a service that stands in the middle. Some marketplaces and payout services do take international sellers, precisely because they hold the money and pay it out later. That position is where holds, rolling reserves, payout delays, and sudden limits come from. The payout freeze guide covers what that costs.
  • Ask for bank transfers. US retail customers rarely wire money to another country for an order. The friction shows up as abandoned carts.

Checkout software: nobody in the middle

Peer Pay approaches the problem from the other side. It is checkout software, not a payment platform: no account accepts money on your behalf, so there is no country list that account has to clear. Your customer pays you directly from an app they already use, a cryptographic proof verifies the payment, and USDC settles to a self-custodial wallet you control, anywhere you lawfully operate. No US bank account is required to receive USDC. Peer never holds, controls, or transmits the money, which is the point: there is nothing to freeze, no rolling reserve, and no payout schedule, because no one is holding your funds in the first place.

How a payment works

  1. You share a link, a store checkout, or a QR code. Payment links from the dashboard or the Telegram bot, the WooCommerce plugin, Shopify, an embedded checkout on your own site, or Scan to Pay in person.
  2. Your US customer pays in their own app. Venmo, Cash App, Zelle, PayPal, and more, across 40+ currencies. Nothing to install, no crypto on their side.
  3. A cryptographic proof verifies the payment. Verification takes under 15 seconds, and the order is marked paid only after the proof passes.
  4. USDC lands in your wallet. A wallet you control, not a balance a platform holds for you.

What you accept in exchange

Settlement arrives as USDC, not as a deposit in your local bank account. For many cross-border sellers that is the feature: dollar-denominated revenue in a wallet no platform can touch, with cashing out as a separate step you control, at a rate you set on Peer. But it is a change, and you should walk your bookkeeper through it before the first live order. The other trade is on the buyer side: customers pay from a payment app rather than typing a card number. For US buyers who already split rent on Venmo, that is normal. Test both assumptions in free demo mode before you commit.

Getting started

There are no setup fees and no monthly minimums, and more than $20M has settled through the Peer protocol. Create an account, run a test order in free sandbox demo mode, and talk to the team about going live; merchants can be live the same day. The concierge tier carries custom pricing, a software fee you see before go-live. If one specific signup page sent you here, start with Stripe is not available in your country. If a platform is already sitting on your money, the payout freeze guide is the place to begin.

FAQ

Can I accept payments from US customers without a US bank account?

You can receive USDC without a US bank account. With Peer Pay, your customer pays in their own app, a cryptographic proof verifies the payment, and USDC settles to a self-custodial wallet you control, anywhere you lawfully operate. Entity, tax, and local banking questions stay yours and belong with a professional.

Is Peer Pay a payment platform for international sellers?

No. Peer Pay is checkout software. There is no account that accepts money on your behalf: payments move directly from your customer to you, and Peer never holds, controls, or transmits the money.

Which apps can my US customers pay with?

Venmo, Cash App, Zelle, PayPal, Revolut, Wise, Monzo, Chime, Mercado Pago and Alipay, across 40+ currencies. Customers pay in the app they already use, with no new account and no crypto on their side.

How fast does a payment confirm?

Verification takes under 15 seconds. Once the cryptographic proof passes, the order is marked paid and USDC settles to your wallet, with no payout schedule in between.

What does it cost to start?

Setup is $0 and there are no monthly minimums. You can run test orders in free sandbox demo mode and be live the same day; the concierge tier carries custom pricing, a software fee you see before go-live.

The direct route: Peer Pay is checkout software for marketplaces, creators, and cross-border sellers. Buyers pay in apps they already use, a cryptographic proof verifies the payment, and USDC settles to a wallet you control. No middleman account, no payout schedule, no one holding your money.

Questions about your store, or moving over after a processor exit? Email sales@peer.xyz, or create an account and run a test order in free demo mode. Merchants can be live the same day.