i want to test my in ap purchase in my flutter app

Yes, Google Play requires a merchant (payments) profile even for in-app purchase sandbox testing, but you do NOT need to complete full banking or receive money to test.

Here is the simple and clear explanation

Google Play In-App Purchases are handled through Google Play Billing, and that system works only when a Google Payments (Merchant) account is linked to your Play Console.

Even in sandbox / test mode:

• Google must know who the seller is

• Test transactions still go through the billing system

• That’s why the merchant account is mandatory

What you actually need for testing:

• Create a Google Payments profile in Play Console

• Link it to your app

• You do NOT need:

  • Bank verification

  • Real money transfer

  • Tax details (for basic testing)

Once the payments profile is created:

• You can create in-app products

• You can use license test accounts

• Purchases will show as “Test purchase”

• No real charges happen

Important clarification:

• Without a merchant account ? In-app products cannot be activated

• Sandbox testing will not work

• Your Flutter app will fail billing initialization

Safe testing setup checklist:

• Merchant account created (basic setup only)

• App uploaded to Internal / Closed testing

• Test users added

• Test account signed into Play Store

• No real payment method required

Why Google enforces this:

• Legal compliance

• Tax & seller identification

• Unified billing flow (same for test & production)