Stripe Payment Links for Selling Products: Stock Limits, QR Codes and Shipping

Yes, you can sell physical items with Stripe Payment Links, and it costs nothing beyond the normal card fee. You make one link per item in the Stripe Dashboard, share it as a URL or a QR code, and Stripe takes the payment and the buyer’s address. What Stripe does not have is stock control. The only thing standing between you and selling one item twice is a setting that switches a link off after a set number of payments.

Who this is for

This guide is for people who sell actual things through Stripe: a maker with a small range, a reseller who sends checkout links over Instagram or WhatsApp, or a stall holder who wants buyers to pay by scanning a code. If you sell subscriptions or digital downloads, most of it still applies, but the stock and shipping sections will matter less to you.

What a Payment Link is

Stripe describes a Payment Link as a Stripe-hosted payment page for a product, a subscription or a donation. You build it in the Dashboard: choose or create a product, set a one-time price, and Stripe gives you a URL. The same link can be reused by many buyers, so it works as a permanent “buy” button for an item.

The buyer sees Stripe’s checkout with your product name, photo and price. They pay by card or another method you have turned on, and the money lands in your Stripe balance like any other payment. The page is translated into 34 languages, picked from the buyer’s browser settings.

What it costs

Stripe charges nothing to create or share a Payment Link. You pay the same fee as any other online card payment, and only when a payment succeeds:

Foreign cards and currency conversion add a percentage on top. If you refund a buyer, Stripe keeps the original fee: its UK pricing page says the processing fees “are not returned”. The full breakdown, with premium cards, disputes and the euro area, is in our guide to Stripe fees for selling products.

Does Stripe have inventory management?

No. A Stripe product has a name, a description, photos and a price, but no quantity. Stripe’s own suggestion for limited stock is a setting on the link itself. In the Payment Links settings, “Limit the number of payments” lets you say how many times the link can be paid. When that number is reached, the link deactivates and buyers see a message that it is no longer available. You can write your own message instead of Stripe’s default.

For a single item, set the limit to 1. For five identical candles, set it to 5. The limit counts completed checkouts, so it works fine while Stripe is the only place you sell. It stops working the moment you sell the same item somewhere else, because Stripe has no way of knowing. If your last candle goes at a craft fair or on Etsy, the link stays open and the next buyer pays for something you no longer have.

That is the main thing to plan for. Either keep Stripe stock separate from everything else, or switch the link off by hand each time an item sells elsewhere. Open the link in the Dashboard, use the menu on the right and choose Deactivate.

Shipping, quantity and the buyer’s details

For a physical item you will want the buyer’s address. Under the link’s options you can collect billing addresses only, or billing and shipping addresses, and choose which countries you ship to. You can also add shipping rates so the buyer picks and pays for delivery at checkout. Stripe only allows shipping rates on one-time prices, which is what you would use for an item anyway.

If you hold several of the same item, turn on “Let customers adjust quantity” to add a quantity picker to the checkout, with a minimum and maximum you set. You can also ask for the buyer’s phone number, which couriers often need.

QR codes for selling in person

Every Payment Link has a QR code. Open the link in the Dashboard, select QR code, then copy it or download it as a PNG, as described in Stripe’s sharing guide. Print it on a tag, a shelf card or a sign, and a buyer scans it with their phone camera and pays on Stripe’s checkout. You do not need a card reader.

The QR code does not expire. It points at the link, so it works as long as the link is active. If the link is deactivated, scanning the code takes the buyer to an expiry page instead.

Price changes are where printed codes catch people out. A new price usually means a new link, and a new link has a new URL and a new QR code. The old tag still scans, but it points at the old link. Switch the old link off so nobody pays the old price, and print the new code before you put the item back on display. If you take card payments in person often, our guide to selling in person with Stripe compares QR codes with Stripe’s readers and Tap to Pay.

Payment Links and Link are different things

Searches for “Stripe link” bring up two products. Payment Links are the checkout pages in this guide. Link is Stripe’s saved-payment service: a buyer who has stored their card with Link can pay in one click on any Stripe checkout, including a Payment Link. You do not set up Link to sell, and it does not create pages for your items.

Selling the same items on marketplaces

A Payment Link only sells to people you send it to. Stripe has no shoppers browsing for things, so most sellers also list on marketplaces such as eBay, Etsy, Depop or Vinted. That is where the stock problem above bites, because the same item is now for sale in two places that do not talk to each other.

FLUF Connect connects Stripe alongside those marketplaces. Your active Stripe products with a one-time price can be imported and published to the marketplaces you have connected. In the other direction, when you send a FLUF item to Stripe, FLUF creates the product and a Payment Link limited to the quantity you have, and the link’s QR code is ready in your Stripe Dashboard.

Crosslisting and inventory sync are on every FLUF plan. Relisting, offer management and smart pricing come with the Pro plan and above. You can start with 7 days for £1, then from £9/month, then plans from £9/month.

Automatic relisting, offer management, smart pricing and listing boosts are included from Pro upwards. Starter covers unlimited crosslisting, inventory sync, order sync and Instagram posting without them. Accounting integrations are included from Pro upwards. Yearly billing is charged once a year. New accounts get 7 days for £1, then move onto a plan.

If you are still choosing a payment provider, our Stripe vs Square comparison looks at catalogue, stock and in-person selling for product sellers.

New to the Stripe App Marketplace? Read how Stripe apps work for product sellers, from permissions to uninstalling.

Sources

• Stripe Docs: Payment Links (checked October 2026)
• Stripe Docs: Customize Payment Links (checked October 2026)
• Stripe Docs: Share Payment Links (checked October 2026)
• Stripe Docs: Charge for shipping (checked October 2026)
• Stripe Docs: Link in Checkout (checked October 2026)
• Stripe: Pricing (UK) (checked October 2026)
• Stripe: Pricing (US) (checked October 2026)