Selling to buyers in other countries raises three practical questions: what currency do you charge in, how do you price the coins or credits your site runs on, and how is tax added? This guide explains how PrizeX, BidKing and RaffKing handle each one, including what they deliberately keep simple, so you can plan your pricing before launch instead of after your first foreign order.
One store currency
- You choose it. In Settings, you set your store's currency code (such as INR, USD or EUR) and its symbol (such as ₹, $ or €).
- Everything uses it. Prices, wallet top-ups and payments are shown in that one currency. Most gateways charge in it too. A few charge in their own currency, as explained below.
- Visitors aren't shown converted prices. There's no currency switcher, and a buyer in another country sees prices in your store currency. With most gateways they pay in it too, and their card issuer or payment provider handles any conversion on their side.
- Some gateways charge in their own currency. bKash, Instamojo, M-Pesa, Midtrans, OpenPix, Paytm, PayU and Venmo convert the amount due into the one currency they take. The payment page shows the buyer the converted amount before they pay.
- Crypto gateways are another exception. Crypto payment add-ons let buyers pay in a cryptocurrency, and the crypto processor converts from your store currency.
One currency keeps your accounts, refunds and payouts simple. Pick the currency most of your buyers use, and check that your payment gateways can charge in it.
How gateways handle your currency
Most currencies have two decimals. A few, such as the Japanese yen, have none, and a few, such as the Kuwaiti dinar, have three. Payment gateways count amounts differently for each.
- Stripe, Razorpay and Checkout.com send every amount in the gateway's own units for your currency, including zero- and three-decimal currencies.
- Mollie and PayPal send zero-decimal currencies they take, such as JPY, without decimals. Three-decimal currencies they don't take, such as KWD, are refused with a message, so the buyer can choose another method.
- bKash, Instamojo, M-Pesa, Midtrans, OpenPix, Paytm, PayU and Venmo each take one currency. If your store uses another, they convert the amount due into it. They use the Exchange Rates plugin's rate if a fetched rate is less than a day old, or else a fixed rate you set on the gateway. With neither, the gateway is hidden at checkout. Midtrans (Indonesian rupiah) and M-Pesa (Kenyan shillings) round up to a whole unit.
- Other gateways don't adjust for zero- or three-decimal currencies, and some don't check the currency at all.
Before launch, make a small test payment in your store currency through every gateway you switch on, and check the amount the gateway shows.
Pricing coins and credits
Many auction, raffle and prize sites run on a wallet of coins or credits. You set what one coin is worth in your store currency, and buyers top up a whole number of coins.
- Pick a value that's easy to work with. A coin worth 1 unit of your currency is simplest to explain. A smaller value, such as 0.10, gives finer prices for bids and tickets.
- Think about your fees. Gateway fees can take a large share of a small top-up, so plan coin prices with your fees in mind.
- Changing the value later affects refunds. An order refunded to the wallet is converted at the coin value at the time of the refund, so settle on a value before launch.
Tax rules by country
Under Tax Settings, you create tax rules. Each rule has:
- A country.
- A name for the receipt, such as VAT, GST or Sales Tax.
- A rate as a percentage.
- What it's charged on: shop orders or wallet top-ups.
- An order on the receipt, and a switch to turn it on or off.
When a buyer checks out, every rule that's switched on for the right country and that kind of purchase is added on top of the price. For an order that's delivered, that's the country of the delivery address. For a wallet top-up or anything without delivery, it's a saved billing address, else where they are, from your CDN's country header or their IP address. If that can't be told, they count as being in the US. Two rules for the same country add together, so a 9% and a 9% rule charge 18%.
What's taxed
- Shop orders: products in the cart, auction Buy Now purchases and prizes claimed through the cart. Tax is worked out after discounts and coupons.
- Wallet top-ups, if you add rules for them.
- Not taxed: shipping, lottery tickets and memberships.
Where buyers see it
- Each tax appears as its own line in the cart, on the payment page and on the order page.
- With the Shop Operations feature, invoices carry a tax breakdown, and sellers can add a tax ID under their address.
What it doesn't do
The tax rules are deliberately simple. They don't support:
- prices that include tax (tax is always added on top);
- different rates for states or regions within a country;
- different rates for different products, or tax-exempt products;
- buyer VAT numbers, reverse charge or business exemptions;
- automatic splitting of GST into its parts, such as CGST, SGST and IGST in India;
- a tax report. The Shop Operations orders export includes a tax column.
There's also an exchange-rate table in the admin, which can fetch rates from a live source or hold rates you fix yourself. Storefront prices don't use it. Gateways that charge in their own currency do.
Getting tax right
- Find out where you must register. Selling to buyers in other countries can create tax obligations there, sometimes from the first sale. The rules depend on what you sell and where.
- Decide what counts as a taxable sale. Coins, tickets, bids and prizes can be treated differently from ordinary products.
- Review your tax rules before launch. A fresh install includes sample rules, all switched off. Edit and switch on the ones that apply, delete the rest, and add your own.
- Keep your records. Your accountant will need your orders, top-ups and refunds.
We can't give tax advice, and this guide isn't any. Check with an accountant who knows the countries you sell to before you set your rules.
Common questions
Can buyers see prices in their own currency?
Not on the storefront. Prices are shown in one currency, the one you choose in Settings. Most gateways charge in it too, and the buyer's card issuer or payment provider converts if needed. bKash, Instamojo, M-Pesa, Midtrans, OpenPix, Paytm, PayU and Venmo charge in their own currency instead. The payment page shows the buyer the converted amount before they pay.
Can I charge different tax rates in different countries?
Yes. Each tax rule is for one country, with its own name and rate, and applies to shop orders or wallet top-ups.
Are prices shown with tax included?
No. Tax is added on top of the price at checkout and shown as its own line.
Does it handle VAT numbers or reverse charge?
No. There's no buyer VAT number field and no reverse charge. Ask an accountant how to handle business buyers in your country.