Connect & Marketplace

Connect (Marketplace Payments)

Build a platform where you process payments for other businesses. Perfect for marketplaces, SaaS platforms, and crowdfunding.

10 min read

What is ClapPay Connect?

ClapPay Connect lets you accept payments on behalf of other people or businesses, then send them their money (minus your cut).

Use cases:

Marketplaces - Buyers pay, sellers get paid (like Etsy)
Platforms - Your users accept payments through your app
Crowdfunding - Collect money for creators
On-demand - Pay drivers, delivery people, service providers

How It Works

Onboard - Sellers/providers create connected accounts
Collect - Customer pays on your platform
Split - You keep your fee, rest goes to the seller
Payout - Seller gets money in their bank account

Customer

Pays $100

Your Platform

Keeps $10

Seller

Gets $90

Account Types

Type	Best For	Who Handles KYC
Express	Quick onboarding, ClapPay handles everything	ClapPay
Standard	Sellers use ClapPay Dashboard directly	ClapPay
Custom	Full control, white-label experience	You (with ClapPay tools)

Most platforms start with Express - it's the fastest way to get going.

Onboard Sellers

Create connected accounts for each seller on your platform:

// Create a connected account
POST /v1/accounts

{
  "type": "express",
  "country": "US",
  "email": "seller@example.com",
  "capabilities": {
    "card_payments": { "requested": true },
    "transfers": { "requested": true }
  }
}

// Get the onboarding link
POST /v1/account_links

{
  "account": "acct_abc123",
  "type": "account_onboarding",
  "return_url": "https://yoursite.com/onboard/complete",
  "refresh_url": "https://yoursite.com/onboard/refresh"
}

Send the seller to the onboarding link. They'll enter their info, verify their identity, and connect their bank account. When done, they're redirected back to your site.

Accept Payments for Sellers

When a customer buys from a seller, create a payment that automatically splits the money:

// Create a payment with automatic split
POST /v1/payments

{
  "amount": 10000,
  "currency": "USD",
  "payment_method_types": ["card"],
  "application_fee_amount": 1000,
  "transfer_data": {
    "destination": "acct_seller123"
  }
}

// Customer pays $100
// You keep $10 (application fee)
// Seller gets $90 (minus processing fees)

Split Payments (Multiple Sellers)

When one order includes items from multiple sellers, split the payment:

// Customer buys from 2 sellers - $60 + $40
POST /v1/payments

{
  "amount": 10000,
  "currency": "USD",
  "payment_method_types": ["card"]
}

// After payment succeeds, create transfers
POST /v1/transfers

{
  "amount": 5400,
  "currency": "USD",
  "destination": "acct_seller1",
  "source_transaction": "ch_payment123"
}

POST /v1/transfers

{
  "amount": 3600,
  "currency": "USD",
  "destination": "acct_seller2",
  "source_transaction": "ch_payment123"
}

// You keep $10 platform fee

Seller Payouts

Money flows to sellers automatically based on payout schedule:

Automatic - ClapPay pays out on a schedule (daily, weekly)
Manual - You control when sellers get paid

// Check seller's balance
GET /v1/balance?account=acct_seller123

{
  "available": [
    {
      "amount": 9500,
      "currency": "usd"
    }
  ],
  "pending": [
    {
      "amount": 2500,
      "currency": "usd"
    }
  ]
}

// Manual payout
POST /v1/payouts?account=acct_seller123

{
  "amount": 9500,
  "currency": "USD"
}

Handle Refunds

When you refund a payment, decide who covers the cost:

Full refund - Money comes from seller's balance
Refund and keep fee - Your platform fee is not refunded
Refund from platform - You cover it, not the seller

// Refund from seller's account
POST /v1/refunds

{
  "payment_intent": "pi_abc123",
  "amount": 10000,
  "refund_application_fee": true,
  "reverse_transfer": true
}

Seller Dashboard

Give sellers access to see their payments and payouts:

// Create a dashboard login link
POST /v1/accounts/acct_seller123/login_links

// Returns a one-time URL
{
  "url": "https://connect.clappay.com/express/..."
}

This gives sellers a view of their earnings, payouts, and transactions.

Monitor Account Status

Check if sellers can accept payments:

// Get account details
GET /v1/accounts/acct_seller123

{
  "id": "acct_seller123",
  "charges_enabled": true,
  "payouts_enabled": true,
  "requirements": {
    "currently_due": [],
    "pending_verification": []
  }
}

charges_enabled - Can accept payments
payouts_enabled - Can receive payouts
requirements - What else they need to provide

Connect Webhooks

Listen for Connect-specific events:

Event	What It Means
account.updated	Seller updated their account or status changed
account.application.authorized	Seller connected to your platform
account.application.deauthorized	Seller disconnected from your platform
payout.paid	Seller received their payout

Best Practices

Start with Express - Fastest way to get started, ClapPay handles compliance.
Monitor onboarding - Check for sellers stuck in verification and help them.
Set clear fee expectations - Tell sellers your platform fee upfront.
Handle refunds fairly - Decide your refund policy before launching.
Test thoroughly - Use test mode to simulate all payment flows.

Payouts

Send money to bank accounts

Webhooks

Get notified of account events

Refunds

Handle marketplace refunds

API Keys

Manage API access