How payouts work
Customer payments go straight to your own Stripe account — Zillo never holds your money. Zillo's platform fee comes out at the moment of sale, and Stripe pays your balance to your bank on the schedule you choose (daily, weekly, or monthly). This page covers the money flow, the fee, payout timing, and why a payout might be delayed.
How payouts work
When a customer checks out, their payment goes straight to your own Stripe account — not to Zillo. Stripe then pays your balance out to your bank on the schedule you choose (daily, weekly, or monthly). Zillo's 3% platform fee comes out automatically at the moment of the sale, so there's no invoice to settle later and nothing for you to chase.
The short version: money never sits with Zillo, you stay in full control of your bank details and payout timing inside Stripe, and you can see every single charge and payout in your Stripe dashboard.
What happens at checkout
Every sale follows the same three steps, start to finish:
- Customer pays. They enter their card details on your storefront and Stripe charges the card.
- Money lands in your Stripe balance. Stripe adds the funds to your balance immediately — minus Stripe's own card-processing fee and Zillo's 3% platform fee. Both come out at this point, automatically.
- Stripe pays you out. On your next payout date, Stripe transfers your available balance to your linked bank account.
Zillo never touches your funds. The money flows directly from your customer to your Stripe account; we simply collect our 3% fee at the same instant the sale completes. That's why you manage your bank account and payout schedule inside Stripe, not inside Zillo.
The 3% platform fee
The platform fee is 3% of the order total, taken automatically at the time of sale. You decide who actually bears it from Settings → Payments:
- Absorb it (the default) — the 3% comes out of your payout, and your customer pays exactly the price you set.
- Pass it on — checkout adds a clearly labelled "Service fee" line, so the customer pays the 3% on top of the product price. They see exactly what they're paying before they confirm.
Both approaches are fine and there's no penalty for either. A common pattern is to absorb the fee on lower-priced items (where a service fee line feels fussy) and pass it on for higher-value sales — but plenty of stores simply pick one and leave it.
Stripe's own card-processing fee is separate from Zillo's 3% and is always set by Stripe. You can see Stripe's current rates in your Stripe dashboard.
Choosing your payout schedule
Stripe controls when money actually reaches your bank. New accounts usually default to automatic daily payouts, but you can switch to weekly or monthly whenever you like:
- Open your Stripe dashboard. From Settings → Payments, click Open Stripe dashboard.
- Go to Payouts. In Stripe, head to Settings → Payouts.
- Pick a schedule and save. Choose daily, weekly, or monthly. The change takes effect on your next payout cycle.
Brand-new Stripe accounts sometimes have a short initial hold on the very first payout while Stripe verifies the account. This is normal and one-time — after the first payout, your chosen schedule applies as usual.
Why a payout might be delayed
If a payout hasn't arrived when you expected, the reason is almost always something Stripe can tell you directly. Open your Stripe dashboard and check the notification panel first.
Verification incomplete — Stripe needs another document (ID, proof of address, or business details) before they'll release funds. The notification panel in your Stripe dashboard tells you exactly what's outstanding. Funds resume once you supply it.
Bank details don't match — a wrong account number, sort code, or routing number stops the transfer. Correct them in your Stripe dashboard under Settings → Payouts and the next payout will go through.
Stripe risk review — Stripe occasionally pauses payouts while reviewing unusual activity (a sudden spike in sales, a higher-than-usual refund rate, etc.). They reach out by email when this happens; respond to clear it quickly.
It was a test-mode sale — orders placed while your store was in Test mode aren't real payments and never pay out. Before selling for real, make sure Test mode is off so charges hit your live Stripe account.
If Stripe shows the funds as available and paid out but your bank still hasn't received them after a few business days, contact your bank — at that stage the money has left Stripe and is in transit.