Merchant of record
In short
The merchant of record decides who owes the customer refunds and service, and in most agent checkouts it stays you. Whether an agent may complete a purchase is the next stop after Merchant of record. Compare it with Agentic checkout and Buy for Me. OpenAI's commerce docs say OpenAI is not the merchant of record under the Agentic Commerce Protocol.
Definition
The business legally selling the item, responsible for payment, refunds and customer service. In most agent checkouts it stays the merchant.
A dated example
- Read 4 Nov 2026
OpenAI's commerce docs say OpenAI is not the merchant of record under the Agentic Commerce Protocol.
Where it matters
It decides who owes the customer refunds and service, and in most agent checkouts it stays you.
Related terms
- Agentic checkoutA purchase completed inside an AI assistant or by an agent, with the merchant still selling the item.
- Buy for MeAmazon's feature that completes a purchase of an eligible product on another retailer's site for the customer.
Sources
- OpenAI commerce docs: key concepts (developers.openai.com/commerce/guides/key-concepts), read 4 Nov 2026.
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