Migration field guide
Migrating Regulated Commerce Integrations from Shopify
A regulated-commerce migration must prove that the destination can operate, not merely display products. Payment underwriting, age verification, shipping restrictions, tax rules and product-level checkout controls should be approved, configured and tested as separate workstreams before the storefront is cut over.
The migration map.
Give every source record a destination and a verification method before the full import begins.
A responsible sequence
How to plan this workstream.
The exact tools can change. The decisions and checks should not.
- 01Step 1
Document the merchant’s requirements
The merchant and qualified advisers must determine which licences, product rules, age controls, taxes and shipping restrictions apply. Translate those documented requirements into testable technical acceptance criteria.
- 02Step 2
Secure payment approval independently
A functioning WooCommerce build does not guarantee gateway approval. Complete provider underwriting early and treat credentials, reserves, permitted products and settlement terms as a separate critical path.
- 03Step 3
Model restricted checkout scenarios
Create a matrix covering eligible and ineligible ages, addresses, product combinations, carriers and payment outcomes. Include provider downtime and ambiguous results instead of testing only the happy path.
- 04Step 4
Implement least-privilege integrations
Create service accounts and API credentials in the merchant’s name where possible. Limit access, separate production from staging and document how keys can be rotated or revoked after handover.
- 05Step 5
Verify the complete buying journey
Test product discovery, cart restrictions, identity checks, payment authorization, shipping selection, tax, confirmation messages, fulfilment handoff, refund and support workflows before DNS changes.
Failure modes
What a clean-looking import can hide.
- The destination store is launched before the payment provider has approved the merchant and products.
- Age verification is tested only as a pop-up, not as part of the actual checkout decision.
- Shipping rules operate at a broad zone level and miss restricted products or address edge cases.
- Staging and production share live credentials or webhooks.
- A technical team interprets legal requirements instead of implementing documented merchant instructions.
- Compliance language implies that software guarantees lawful operation.
Questions, answered directly
Before the work begins.
The answers below state what can be planned now and which details still depend on the source store or provider.
01Does WooCommerce guarantee payment processing for regulated products?+
No. WooCommerce can integrate with payment providers, but the provider decides whether to approve a merchant and its products. Underwriting, permitted-use rules and ongoing availability remain separate from the website build.
02Can age verification and shipping restrictions be rebuilt?+
They can often be implemented with compatible providers and product-level rules. The merchant must define the applicable requirements, and the build should test eligible, ineligible, mixed-cart and provider-failure scenarios.
03Does moving platforms make a restricted product unrestricted?+
No. A platform migration changes the commerce software and infrastructure. It does not remove the merchant’s legal, payment, tax, shipping or product obligations.
Primary references
Sources used for this guide
Provider capabilities and platform documentation change. Review the current source documentation again when planning a live migration.