Sell something that repeats

A subscription is permission to charge someone again. Treat it that way and most of the rules follow.

Setting one up

Decide the interval and whether the customer picks it. Monthly is the default people expect; a 6-week interval needs explaining on the page, not in the terms.

Price it for what it costs you every cycle, including delivery. A first-order discount that carries into every cycle is a mistake you only see three months later.

What the customer must be able to do

Pause, change the address, change the interval, and cancel — without writing to you. A subscription that needs an email to cancel generates chargebacks, and in many places it is not legal.

Before each charge

Tell them it is coming, with the amount and the date, far enough ahead that they can act. Not the same morning.

What to check

• A test subscription charges the right amount on the right date.
• Cancelling from the customer's own account actually stops the next charge.
• The emails say the amount, the date and how to stop it.

A subscription created in the admin proves nothing. The second charge is the test.