This checklist says what to look for, not which provider fits you. SMPHUB’s answers describe SMPHUB on the date above; what binds are our terms.
Who is the seller?
With some providers you only get a checkout and sell to your players yourself. Then your store needs your own imprint, terms of sale and privacy policy, and withdrawals, refunds and the taxes on the sales are yours to handle. Other providers sell in their own name and take on these duties towards the buyer; this is often called merchant of record.
Ask: who is the buyer’s contract partner, and whose legal texts does the store show?
At SMPHUB: SMPHUB is the seller in every store. Every store shows SMPHUB’s imprint, terms of sale and privacy policy, and SMPHUB handles payments, withdrawals and refunds. You get your share of every sale as your remuneration.
Does the provider keep to the Minecraft EULA?
Mojang’s EULA and usage guidelines set what a Minecraft server may sell. A provider that lets anything through puts your server at risk, not only itself.
Ask: which items are not allowed, and what happens to a store that breaks the rules?
At SMPHUB: Stores on SMPHUB sell only what the Minecraft EULA and Mojang’s usage guidelines allow: no gameplay advantages for money and nothing that looks like a Minecraft cape. Stores that break the rules are suspended.
What does it really cost?
Compare more than the monthly price: is there a setup fee, a share of every sale, extra fees for payments or payouts, and which features need a paid plan?
Ask for the complete list of fees, and where it stands in the terms.
At SMPHUB: The Starter plan is free, with no setup or monthly fee. Premium is optional: €6.99 a month, less for longer terms, or without a subscription for a higher share of each sale. SMPHUB earns a share of every sale, and Stripe’s payment fees are included in it. The exact split is in the terms for store owners (section 7), and your panel shows your share of every order.
How and when are you paid?
Find out who pays you out, from which amount and after how long a waiting period. Check that the payout provider works in your country and with your bank, and what it needs from you.
Ask: is there a minimum amount, a holding period, and where do you see your balance?
At SMPHUB: Players pay through Stripe, and your share goes to your balance at Stripe with every purchase. You set up your payout account once in the panel and pay out to your bank account whenever you like, from €10; the share of a purchase can be paid out 30 days after it.
Who handles refunds and chargebacks?
Sooner or later a buyer asks for a refund or charges a payment back with their bank. Someone has to answer, and the money for it has to come from somewhere.
Ask: who handles disputes, how are they settled with you, and which costs do you carry?
At SMPHUB: The SMPHUB team handles refunds. If a purchase is refunded or charged back, your part of it is taken back from your payout account, and later payouts settle what is still open. Which of Stripe’s costs for it you carry is set out in the terms for store owners (section 7).
Java, Bedrock or both?
Many servers let Bedrock players join through Geyser and Floodgate. The store has to know which account a purchase is for, and Bedrock names often carry a prefix.
Ask: can players enter a Bedrock gamertag, and does delivery handle the prefix?
At SMPHUB: When you create your store you choose Java, Bedrock or both. Players enter their Java name or Bedrock gamertag before they buy, and Bedrock names get your server’s prefix (a dot by default), which you can change.
How do purchases reach your server?
A purchase is only done once the player has it in game. Find out how that happens: a plugin on your server, or by hand. Never hand out console, RCON or hosting passwords for it.
Ask: which server software does the plugin support, and do you have to share any password?
At SMPHUB: The SMPHUB plugin runs on Paper and Purpur from 1.20.1 and runs the commands you save on a package, also for expiry and refunds. It connects to SMPHUB with a token that only works for your store; you never share console, RCON or hosting passwords. Without the plugin your team hands out each purchase from the order list in the panel.
Your own address and domain
Players should find your store easily, and the address should stay yours as your server grows.
Ask: what does the address look like, can you change it, and can you connect a domain of your own?
At SMPHUB: Every store gets its own address like yourserver.smphub.net, which you can change in the panel. With Premium you connect a domain of your own like store.yourserver.net: one DNS record at your domain provider, and SMPHUB checks it and sets up the certificate.
What do you have to hand over?
Opening a store should not need your bank details or ID documents. They belong with the payment provider that pays you out, which has to check them by law.
Ask: which data does the provider ask for, and who stores your bank details?
At SMPHUB: Creating a store on SMPHUB never asks for account numbers or ID documents. Stripe asks for them when you set up your payout account, in Stripe’s own form inside the panel.