What does "white-label" mean for an alcohol checkout?
White-label means the checkout carries your brand, not the platform's. The cart lives on your domain, uses your design, and the shopper never leaves your site to buy. You keep the customer record from every order and can use it in your email and ad tools.
What does "three-tier compliant" mean?
US alcohol law splits the market into three tiers: producers, distributors and retailers. A producer sells to a distributor, the distributor sells to a retailer, and only the retailer sells to the consumer. A three-tier compliant checkout keeps that order: the licensed retailer is the seller of record for each sale. See the three-tier system, explained.
How does a white-label alcohol checkout work?
- A shopper buys on your website. The checkout looks like your brand.
- The shopper confirms they are 21 or older at checkout.
- The order routes to a licensed retailer that carries your product and can ship to that address. The retailer is the merchant of record.
- The retailer ships the order, with an adult signature required at delivery.
- Sales tax is calculated and remitted by the platform as the marketplace facilitator, so you do not register in every shipping state.
- The retailer buys your product through your existing importer and distributors, like any other account.
Retailers set the final retail price. You set the wholesale price and a suggested retail price, and retailers buying at the same wholesale usually follow it.
What are the ways to run one?
- Any website: the AccelPay cart loads on your site with a script tag and a CNAME record, on WordPress, Wix, Squarespace and custom-built sites.
- Shopline: an integration built with Shopline passes each order to AccelPay and sends fulfillment updates back. See AccelPay on Shopline.
- Shopify: install the AccelPay Fulfillment app from the Shopify App Store, and our team enables AccelPay Payments. There is no domain or DNS change on Shopify. See AccelPay for Shopify.
- LiquidCommerce: another Vesper Commerce option for running the checkout.
White-label checkout vs marketplace vs compliance software
| Feature | White-label checkout | Marketplace listing | Compliance software |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where the shopper buys | Your website | The marketplace's website | Your website |
| Brand on the checkout | Yours | The marketplace's | Yours |
| Who keeps the customer data | You | Mostly the marketplace | You |
| Seller of record | A licensed retailer | The marketplace or its retailers | You, under your own permits |
| Who holds shipping licenses | The retailer | The marketplace or its retailers | You, state by state |
Compliance software fits producers that ship under their own permits. See Do I need ShipCompliant? and the best DTC platforms for alcohol brands.
Can I ship some orders myself?
Yes. If you hold your own direct-to-consumer shipping permits in some states, AccelPay can route those orders back to you to fulfill and send every other order to a licensed retailer. You choose the states or ZIP codes you ship yourself. Rules vary by state; see the state shipping guides and distillery direct shipping.
Who is a white-label alcohol checkout for?
- Wine, spirits and beer brands that want to sell online without getting a retail license
- Brands that want the sale on their own site, with their own design and customer data
- Brands on Shopify or another CMS that want one checkout for alcohol and merch
- Brands that also want reach on a marketplace like ReserveBar
How does AccelPay do it?
AccelPay, now part of Vesper Commerce, runs a white-label, three-tier compliant checkout for US alcohol brands. Orders route to a network of 3,500+ licensed retail locations, reaching customers in 40+ states. Eligible brands can also get a ReserveBar.com listing and introductory advertising credit on ReserveBar.com and Minibar, based on plan terms and product category. Launch takes about one week. Same-day delivery runs about 30 minutes through Gopuff and BevMo on the Portfolio plan, plus DoorDash from local retailers. Plans start at $1,000 setup + $500/month, 12-month term, no per-order charge to the brand, discount pricing available for craft brands. See pricing, or compare AccelPay vs Bevstack and AccelPay vs Bottle Nexus.
Frequently asked questions
What is a white-label alcohol checkout?
It is a checkout on the brand's own website, under the brand's name, where a licensed retailer sells and ships each order. The shopper buys from the brand's site, and the retailer is the seller of record.
Is a white-label checkout legal for alcohol?
Yes, when a licensed retailer sells and ships the order. The brand sells to the retailer through its existing distributors, and the retailer sells to the consumer, which keeps the three-tier system intact.
Do I need a liquor license to use a white-label checkout?
No. The licensed retailer holds the license, is the merchant of record and ships the order. You keep selling to retailers through your existing importer and distributors.
Who is the merchant of record on a white-label alcohol checkout?
The licensed retailer that fills the order. It processes the sale, ships with an adult signature at delivery and sets the final retail price, usually following the brand's suggested retail price.
Can I use a white-label alcohol checkout on Shopify?
Yes. With AccelPay, you install the AccelPay Fulfillment app from the Shopify App Store and our team enables AccelPay Payments. There is no domain or DNS change on Shopify.
How is a white-label checkout different from selling on a marketplace?
On a marketplace, the shopper buys on the marketplace's site and the marketplace owns the relationship. With a white-label checkout, the shopper buys on your site and you keep the customer data. With AccelPay you can do both, since eligible brands can also get a ReserveBar.com listing.
Do I need compliance software like ShipCompliant for a white-label checkout?
Not for orders a licensed retailer sells and ships, since the retailer holds the licenses. Compliance software is for producers that ship under their own permits.
What does AccelPay's white-label checkout cost?
Plans start at $1,000 setup + $500/month, 12-month term, no per-order charge to the brand, discount pricing available for craft brands. Eligible brands can also get introductory advertising credit on ReserveBar.com and Minibar, based on plan terms and product category.
Last updated: Oct 23, 2026