Friday, October 30, 2026
News For Internet Marketers
The Iowa Department of Revenue postponed publication and enforcement of its vapor products directory on October 15 without new dates. Once the list appears, unlisted products are banned at once and penalties start 21 business days later.
Analysis. Stripe's Prohibited and Restricted Businesses page, updated September 22, 2026, says U.S. merchants selling electronic tobacco may only sell FDA-authorized products. Shopify Payments prohibits tobacco outright, and PayPal's 2022 policy puts e-cigarettes in pre-approval.
Enforcement of Pennsylvania's Act 57 began October 19, 2026. Nicotine vapes not on the Attorney General's ENDS directory can be seized, first violations cost $500 per unit, and nicotine-free products sold under a nicotine brand name must be listed too.
When an acquirer moves a firearm or nicotine account to MCC 5723, 5993, or a new location record, Visa's April 2026 data rules and October 2026 dispute guide make the statement descriptor part of the change, with VAMP's 1.5% merchant line leaving little room for unrecognized charges.
WooCommerce 11.2 adds a date field type to the Additional Checkout Fields API, letting Checkout block stores collect a birth date and reject underage birthdays with relative limits such as -P21Y. The field is self-reported, so vape sellers still need PACT Act database verification.
Chapters 1021 and 1044 of Virginia's 2026 Acts of Assembly repealed the licensed delivery-sale section for liquid nicotine and nicotine vapor products and left Code 18.2-246.8(B) limiting delivery of internet vape orders to retail dealers. A proposed Virginia ABC internet permit rule has not said how it treats vapor products.
USPS generally bars consumer mailing of cigarettes, smokeless tobacco, and ENDS except narrow exceptions, while private carriers add tobacco agreements, adult signature, and vape bans. Nicotine pouch classification still turns on product facts.
