Who Builds Compliant Checkout for Firearms and Other Regulated Products? 6 Options Compared (2026)

If you sell firearms, ammunition, alcohol, tobacco or anything else with a legal rule attached, you need compliant checkout for firearms and other regulated products: a checkout that enforces who may buy, where it may ship and who must receive it, without making honest buyers give up halfway. Some of that you can buy for under $100 a month. Some of it has to be built. This roundup compares six options: two agencies that build whole firearms stores, a firm that builds the enforcement itself, a dealer lookup service for developers, an age verification service and a compliance platform for beverage alcohol. Razoyo is listed first because this is Razoyo’s blog, so every other entry says where that option beats us.

How we picked

1. Each option does the regulated part, not only the store. Dealer routing, age checks, state shipping rules or license data. A general ecommerce agency with no regulated work on its own site did not qualify.
2. Every fact comes from the option’s own site. Each claim below was checked on that site on 3 November 2026. Where a price is published, it is quoted; where it is not, we say so.
3. The mix covers the real choices. Build the enforcement, build the whole store, or buy a service and plug it in.
4. There is a buyer for whom each option beats the others. A roundup where one firm wins every row is an ad.

None of this is legal advice. The software enforces the rules you give it. Which rules apply to your products and your markets is a question for your compliance counsel.

At a glance

Razoyo, if the rule has to hold against a list that changes underneath you

Disclosure: this is Razoyo’s blog, and we are biased.

Razoyo is a software engineering firm in The Colony, Texas (Dallas-Fort Worth), serving clients US-wide since 2011. We take prototypes and constrained systems into production, and regulated checkout is a constrained system: a legal rule, enforced against government data that changes every day, inside the step of a store where every extra second costs sales.

We know that because we built a product for it. AutomaticFFL is our own FFL checkout compliance product. It restricts firearms shipments to ATF-licensed dealers, where the buyer picks them up, from an ATF licensee list that is updated daily. Within six months of launch it was the de facto standard for gun merchants on BigCommerce. It now runs on six platforms, including BigCommerce, Shopify, WooCommerce and Shopware, installs self-serve (one click on BigCommerce and Shopify) and has run without downtime since it launched in 2022. On its own site, plans start at $99 a month after a 30-day free trial.

So the first thing we will tell you is to buy it if it fits. Our firearms compliance checkout page says it plainly: “If AutomaticFFL covers you, use it and keep your money.” The second option is a custom build, for when your platform, catalog or fulfillment model falls outside the product, or the compliance logic has to live inside a system you own. That is a custom system, and the pattern carries beyond firearms: validate the recipient and the destination against an authoritative list that changes underneath you, enforce it inside checkout without adding friction, and keep an auditable record.

We are also clear about the line. We build the enforcement; deciding which regulations apply, licensing, record keeping and reporting stay with you and your counsel.

Ideal for

• Firearms and ammunition merchants on a platform AutomaticFFL supports, who want dealer routing without a developer
• Businesses whose regulated rule does not fit any plugin and has to live inside a system they own
• Owners who want a straight answer on product versus custom before spending anything

Why they stand out

Razoyo has shipped a product in this category and runs it, so it quotes regulated checkout as a different engineering problem, not as a normal store build. It will also tell you when its own product, not a build, is the answer.

Pros

• Proof in the category: AutomaticFFL, de facto standard for BigCommerce gun merchants within six months, no downtime since 2022.
• Product or custom, priced differently and said up front. On custom work, once fees are paid you own the code we write for you.
• Published prices. On our pricing page: System Spec $2,500 fixed, MVPs from $5,000, production builds from $10,000, support from $1,500 a month.
• No approval, no work. A business analyst puts a level of effort and a budget on each piece of work and gets your confirmation first.

Cons

• We do not design storefronts or run marketing. If you need the whole store, the catalog and the ads, an agency like Folio3 or MAKDigital is the better fit.
• AutomaticFFL is licensed, not owned. You subscribe; Razoyo owns and maintains the code.
• Our firearms proof is our own product, not a list of client stores we can name here.
• We are software engineers, not compliance counsel, and will not tell you which rules apply.

Verdict: pick Razoyo when the rule is the hard part: either AutomaticFFL covers it for a monthly fee, or the enforcement has to be built and has to hold.

Folio3, if you want a whole firearms store built on Shopify, BigCommerce or WooCommerce

Folio3’s ecommerce arm runs a firearms ecommerce practice for gun stores, manufacturers and distributors, built “for ATF compliance, FFL transfers, age verification” on Shopify, BigCommerce and WooCommerce. It describes itself on that page as a certified Shopify Plus and BigCommerce partner.

The page is specific about the regulated work: rule-based checkout by product type and regulatory category, age and identity verification at checkout, state-specific logic for shipping and sales restrictions, and FFL transfer routing, tracking and documentation. It also lists the store around it: distributor inventory sync with Sports South and Lipsey’s, split checkout for regulated and non-regulated items in one order, and payment gateways including Authorize.net, Braintree and NMI.

It publishes a timeline rather than a price: a standard firearms website design and development project “typically takes 8 to 16 weeks,” covering design, development, compliance configuration, integration and testing. Folio3 is part of a wider network that also works on ERP, AI and custom software, so a store that needs back-office connections has one place to ask.

Ideal for

• Firearms retailers that need the whole store designed and built, not only checkout
• Stores that sell regulated and non-regulated items in the same cart
• Teams that buy from Sports South or Lipsey’s and want inventory synced

Why they stand out

Folio3 covers the regulated rules and the rest of the store in one firearms-specific scope, on the three platforms most gun stores already use.

Pros

• A dedicated firearms practice with the compliance features listed on its own page.
• Platform partnerships: certified Shopify Plus and BigCommerce partner.
• Distributor sync with named firearms wholesalers.
• A published timeline of 8 to 16 weeks for a standard project.

Cons

• No published price. Expect a proposal after a call.
• A broad agency. Its homepage leads with B2B commerce and ERP integration, so firearms is one of many industries.
• Built on a platform. If your rule has to live inside a system you own, a store build is the wrong shape.

Verdict: pick Folio3 when you need a whole firearms store with the compliance rules built in, on Shopify, BigCommerce or WooCommerce.

MAKDigital, if you want one firearms-friendly team for the store and the marketing

MAKDigital is an ecommerce agency (its homepage says “since 2012”) that calls itself “a family-owned and operated award winning digital agency with deep roots in the firearms industry.” Its firearms web development page says it has worked with firearms manufacturers, gun and ammunition stores and ammunition distributors “for over a decade,” building stores from the ground up and redesigning existing ones.

The regulated features it names are age verification, FFL integrations and secure checkout, and its portfolio, by its own description, features “custom-built age verification, FFL integrations, secure checkout.” What sets it apart from the other agencies here is the marketing side: firearms SEO, paid search and content, in a category where, as the page puts it, strict advertising bans and limited access to mainstream channels make buyers hard to reach. It also writes about helping brands open their own stores after years of selling only on third-party marketplaces such as GunBroker.com.

The page quotes a client of six years who valued working with a team that did not object to the industry. For a firearms business that has been turned away by vendors before, that is a real criterion.

Ideal for

• Gun stores and ammunition sellers that want the build, the redesign and the marketing from one team
• Brands moving off third-party marketplaces onto their own store
• Owners who want a vendor that is openly comfortable with the category

Why they stand out

MAKDigital pairs firearms store development with firearms-specific SEO and advertising, which matters in a category that cannot buy traffic the usual way.

Pros

• More than a decade of firearms work, by its own account.
• Store and marketing from one team, including firearms SEO.
• Age verification and FFL integrations named as standard features.
• Openly works with the industry, with a long-term client saying so on the page.

Cons

• No published price. The site offers a free quote.
• An agency, not an engineering firm. Its homepage leads with design, SEO and migrations.
• Store-shaped work. A rule that has to live outside the storefront needs a different kind of build.

Verdict: pick MAKDigital when you want a firearms store and the marketing to fill it, from a team that knows the category.

FFL API, if you have a developer and only need the dealer lookup

FFL API is a service, not a firm you hire: an API and widgets for finding federally licensed dealers. Its homepage lists a ZIP code API that finds FFL dealers “with a simple query” from a ZIP code and a radius, an FFL locator widget that shows dealers on a map, and checkout integrations so that buyers “just select your dealer.” It has listed integrations for BigCommerce and WooCommerce, and its FAQ says it works with “every system with iframe compatibility, with small modifications.”

The FAQ also tells dealers that a store must be in the ATF’s own FFL eZ Check list to appear, which is a sensible anchor for the data. Prices are published per site: from $99 a month for 6,000 requests a day, with higher tiers for more traffic and a 14-day free trial. Its logo marks it as an Optimum7 company.

It is a direct alternative to AutomaticFFL for dealer selection, and the starting prices are the same, so price both. The difference is the shape: FFL API is built for developers who want the data and widgets to wire in themselves.

Ideal for

• Stores with a developer who wants FFL dealer data to build with
• Sites on platforms without a ready FFL checkout plugin, where an iframe will do
• Businesses that need a public “find a dealer” map as well as checkout

Why they stand out

FFL API sells the dealer lookup as an API with published request limits, so a developer can build exactly the experience they want around it.

Pros

• Published prices per site, by daily request volume.
• A 14-day free trial.
• API plus widgets, for checkout and for a public dealer locator.
• Data anchored to the ATF list, per its FAQ.

Cons

• Dealer lookup only. Age checks, state rules and payment are yours to solve.
• Needs a developer for anything beyond the listed integrations.
• Its homepage does not say how often dealer data is refreshed, so ask before you rely on it.

Verdict: pick FFL API when you have a developer and want FFL dealer data and widgets to build checkout your way.

AgeChecker.Net, if the rule is minimum age, not a dealer

Not every regulated product routes to a dealer. For tobacco, vapor products, alcohol and many others, the rule at checkout is the buyer’s age, and AgeChecker.Net does that one job. It checks the name and address on your checkout form against public records and other sources. Its homepage says: “More than 90% of customers are verified instantly.” When it cannot match someone, it asks for a photo ID, which it verifies “in around 10 to 20 seconds.”

The rules are configurable: a universal minimum age, or requirements that vary by country, state, county, city or ZIP code. It offers industry profiles that update a site’s age requirements automatically as laws change, and it supports the major ecommerce platforms plus a developer API for custom sites, with free same-day installation.

Its pricing is the most transparent in this roundup: $25 a month plus 50 cents per accepted verification, with no contract and no setup fee.

Ideal for

• Online sellers of tobacco, vapor products or alcohol that need a real age check, not a pop-up
• Stores whose minimum age differs by state or city
• Custom-built sites that need an age check through an API

Why they stand out

AgeChecker.Net prices age verification per accepted check and keeps the rules current by industry profile, so a small store can run a real check for a small monthly cost.

Pros

• Published, usage-based pricing, with no contract.
• Instant database matching for most buyers, photo ID as the fallback.
• Location-based rules down to the ZIP code.
• Free same-day installation and an API for custom sites.

Cons

• Age only. It does not route orders to licensed dealers or handle shipping and tax rules.
• Some buyers will be asked for a photo ID, which adds a step for them.
• Your rules are still your call. Profiles help, but which law applies is a decision for you and your counsel.

Verdict: pick AgeChecker.Net when the rule your checkout must enforce is the buyer’s age.

Sovos ShipCompliant, if you ship beverage alcohol direct to consumers

Beverage alcohol is regulated state by state, and Sovos ShipCompliant has served the category “since 2006.” It is a compliance platform, not a development firm, for wineries, breweries, distilleries, retailers and other producers and shippers.

For direct-to-consumer shipping, its site lists real-time compliance checks with integrated address and age checks, license management with alerts, tax rates “down to the address level,” and automated sales, excise and direct shipper reports. It connects to “60+” partners, including ecommerce, point-of-sale, wine club, fulfillment and the major carriers. It also covers the three-tier side: product and label registrations with more than 15 government systems, license deadlines and distribution reporting.

It does not publish a price; the site asks you to request a demo.

Ideal for

• Wineries, breweries and distilleries shipping direct to consumers in several states
• Alcohol retailers that need tax, license and reporting work handled in one place
• Producers that also sell through distributors and file state registrations

Why they stand out

ShipCompliant covers the whole compliance workload for alcohol, from the checkout check to the state reports, which no general store build does.

Pros

• A long track record: in the category since 2006.
• Checkout checks plus the back office: licenses, address-level tax and automated reports.
• 60+ integrations, including ecommerce and the major carriers.
• Covers three-tier distribution as well as direct-to-consumer.

Cons

• Beverage alcohol only. It is not a fit for firearms or tobacco.
• No published price. Expect a demo and a quote.
• A platform, not a builder. Anything custom around it needs a developer.

Verdict: pick Sovos ShipCompliant when you ship beverage alcohol to consumers and want the compliance work, not only the checkout check, handled.

Do I need a custom build, or a plugin?

Usually a plugin. If you sell firearms or ammunition on a mainstream platform and the rule is “ship to a licensed dealer,” AutomaticFFL or FFL API will do it for about $99 a month, and a build would cost more for the same result. If the rule is age, AgeChecker.Net is cheaper still. A build makes sense when the rule does not fit any product: your own platform, a catalog or fulfillment model a plugin does not handle, rules that combine product, destination and recipient in a way nobody sells, or enforcement that has to live inside a system you own and audit. That is the same line we draw for any custom internal tool or portal: buy what fits, and price the build only for the part that does not.

How do FFL dealer transfers work in online checkout?

The buyer picks a licensed dealer near them, the firearm ships to that dealer, and the dealer completes the transfer in person. The reason is federal law: 18 U.S.C. 922(b)(3) bars a licensed dealer from selling or delivering a firearm to someone the dealer knows or has reason to believe does not live in the dealer’s state, with a narrow in-person exception for rifles and shotguns (18 U.S.C. 922, Cornell LII). Checkout has to send the order to a valid dealer, and the ATF’s own FFL eZ Check lets anyone confirm a license is valid: the user “needs only enter the first 3 digits and the last 5 digits” of the license number. A store that checks against an out-of-date copy of the dealer list is, as our case study puts it, worse off than one with no validation at all.

What changes for age-restricted products that are not firearms?

The rule moves from the recipient to the buyer’s age, and the age itself is set by law and can change. For tobacco, the FDA says the federal minimum age of sale rose from 18 to 21 in December 2019, and that since 30 September 2024 retailers must check photo ID for anyone under 30 buying cigarettes, smokeless tobacco and covered tobacco products (FDA, Tobacco 21). State rules sit on top. That is why a checkbox that says “I am over 21” is not an age check, and why a service that updates its rules by industry, or a build that keeps its rules in one place you can change, is worth paying for.

Razoyo’s Six-Constraint Checkout Test

Ask any vendor these six questions, us included, before you buy or commission regulated checkout. They come from the constraints on our firearms compliance checkout page, the ones that make a regulated checkout a different engineering problem from a normal store.

1. The list. Where does the eligibility data come from, and how often is it refreshed? Pass: the authoritative source, on its own update schedule. Fail: “we import it” with no date.
2. The speed. How long does the check add to checkout? Pass: it feels like part of the page. Fail: an extra screen or a wait.
3. The rules. Does it decide by item, destination and recipient, or only by cart? Pass: per item and per destination. Fail: one rule for the whole store.
4. The payment. Which payment processors has it run with in this category? Pass: a named processor and a plan. Fail: “any gateway will do.”
5. The install. Who installs it and who maintains it? Pass: self-serve, or a named owner for updates. Fail: a one-off install nobody owns.
6. The failure. What happens when the check cannot run? Pass: a stated answer. Fail: nobody has thought about it. A check that fails open is a compliance problem; one that fails closed means you have stopped selling.

What does compliant checkout cost?

Less than most owners expect when a product fits. From the published prices above: AgeChecker.Net at $25 a month plus 50 cents per accepted check, and FFL dealer routing from about $99 a month with AutomaticFFL or FFL API. A whole firearms store from Folio3 or MAKDigital is a quoted project; Folio3 puts a standard one at 8 to 16 weeks. A custom build starts with a fixed $2,500 System Spec at Razoyo, which returns a written estimate and a build or don’t-build call before anyone commits to the build. If a quote for this work looks large, our guide on how to tell if an agency is padding the scope shows what to ask.

So who should you call?

For a whole firearms store on Shopify, BigCommerce or WooCommerce, Folio3. For the store and the marketing from one firearms-friendly team, MAKDigital. For FFL dealer data a developer can build with, FFL API. For an age check, AgeChecker.Net. For beverage alcohol shipped to consumers, Sovos ShipCompliant. For FFL dealer routing on a supported platform without a developer, AutomaticFFL. And if the rule does not fit any of these, or has to live inside a system you own, talk to us.

Key takeaways

• Buy before you build. Dealer routing and age checks are sold for under $100 a month.
• Name the rule first: a licensed recipient, a minimum age, a state shipping law or a tax. Each points to a different option.
• The data matters more than the widget. Ask where the list comes from and how often it is refreshed.
• Ask what happens when the check fails. Failing open and failing closed are both expensive.
• Software enforces rules; it does not choose them. That stays with you and your counsel.
• Build only when nothing fits, and scope it before you commit to it.

Key terms glossary

• FFL (Federal Firearms License). The license the ATF issues to firearms dealers, manufacturers and importers.
• FFL transfer. Shipping a firearm bought online to a licensed dealer, who completes the sale to the buyer in person.
• FFL eZ Check. The ATF’s public tool for checking that a federal firearms license is valid.
• Age verification. Checking a buyer’s age against records or an ID, as opposed to asking them to tick a box.
• Direct-to-consumer (DtC) shipping. A producer, such as a winery, shipping straight to a buyer rather than through a distributor and retailer.
• Fail open or fail closed. What a check does when it cannot run: let the order through (open) or stop it (closed).

FAQ

Who builds custom checkout for regulated and age-restricted products? Of the options in this roundup, Razoyo builds the enforcement as a custom system and runs its own FFL checkout product, AutomaticFFL. Folio3 and MAKDigital build whole firearms stores with compliance features. FFL API, AgeChecker.Net and Sovos ShipCompliant are services you plug in.

Do I need a developer to add FFL dealer selection to my checkout? Not on a supported platform. AutomaticFFL installs self-serve, with one click on BigCommerce and Shopify. FFL API publishes integrations for BigCommerce and WooCommerce and an API for developers who want to build their own.

How much does FFL checkout compliance cost? AutomaticFFL plans start at $99 a month after a 30-day free trial, and FFL API starts at $99 a month per site with a 14-day trial. A custom build at Razoyo starts with a free consultation and a $2,500 fixed System Spec.

Can I sell firearms on Shopify? Selling complete firearms on Shopify is effectively impossible under Shopify’s own policies. Ammunition is different, and AutomaticFFL is live on Shopify for merchants who sell it there.

Is an age gate pop-up enough for age-restricted products? No. A box a buyer can tick does not check anything. A real check matches the buyer’s details against records and asks for a photo ID when it cannot. The FDA requires retailers to check photo ID for tobacco buyers under 30.

Does a compliance plugin make my store compliant? No. It enforces the rules you give it. Which regulations apply to your products and markets, licensing, record keeping and reporting stay with you and your counsel.

When should I build regulated checkout instead of buying a plugin? When no product fits: your own platform, a catalog or fulfillment model a plugin does not handle, rules that combine item, destination and recipient, or enforcement that has to live inside a system you own.

Talk it through

If you are not sure whether a plugin covers your rule or you need something built, that is a free 30 minute conversation with a senior person, not a sales rep. Bring your platform and the rule you have to enforce. You will leave knowing whether AutomaticFFL, another product in this roundup or a custom build is the right move, before you spend a dollar. Schedule Free Consultation

Paul Byrne is President of Razoyo, a software engineering firm in The Colony, Texas taking prototypes and constrained systems into production since 2011.