What to know

  • ChatGPT's Instant Checkout lets users purchase items without leaving the chat interface.
  • Available to U.S. users across Free, Plus, and Pro tiers, initially supporting Etsy sellers.
  • Over 1 million Shopify merchants, including brands like Glossier and SKIMS, will join soon.
  • Powered by Stripe’s Agentic Commerce Protocol, enabling seamless, secure transactions.

You can now buy products directly inside ChatGPT thanks to OpenAI's new Instant Checkout feature. Through this feature, U.S.-based users can shop single items from Etsy sellers without leaving the chat. The feature works across all ChatGPT subscription tiers—Free, Plus, and Pro. Soon, over a million Shopify merchants including big names like Glossier, SKIMS, Spanx, and Vuori will also be available for direct purchases in chat.

How ChatGPT's Instant Checkout works

Instant Checkout transforms ChatGPT into a personal shopping assistant, not just recommending products but helping complete purchases. When users ask for product recommendations like "best mattress under $1,000" or "gift for an avid reader," ChatGPT suggests relevant items with a "Buy" option.

Users can then confirm shipping and payment details stored securely inside the app to finalize their order seamlessly.

Behind the scenes, the Merchant handles the order fulfillment and customer service, while ChatGPT securely passes order and payment information. Merchants pay a small fee per completed purchase, but users pay no extra charges. Product results are ranked by relevance and are not influenced by paid placements, ensuring an organic discovery experience.

Instant Checkout is powered by the Agentic Commerce Protocol, an open-source system co-developed by OpenAI and Stripe. This protocol aims to unify product discovery, ordering, and payments across different platforms with minimal integration efforts for merchants.

The current rollout focuses on the U.S., supports single-item purchases, and plans to expand to multi-item carts and other regions in the future.

Feature Available now Coming soon
Buyer regions U.S. only Expansion to more countries
Merchant platforms Etsy sellers in the U.S. Shopify merchants (over 1M stores)
Cart support Single-item purchases Multi-item carts
Buyer fees None beyond standard product and shipping —
Merchant fees Commission per sale —

The service is in its early phase, with gradual rollout expected worldwide.

Concerns and challenges

Some analysts highlight possible risks. Bias toward products that support checkout, questions around data privacy, and the role of AI in influencing purchase decisions are all areas to watch.

Global rollout also requires work on local payments, shipping, taxes, and compliance. For now, international users can only discover products through ChatGPT, not complete purchases.

OpenAI plans to expand to multi-item carts, add Shopify merchants, and grow into more regions. Over time, ChatGPT could support complex transactions like bundles, subscriptions, and global logistics.