Stripe is how your sales reach your bank account. You connect it once, and until you do your listings stay as drafts. The whole thing usually takes five to ten minutes. This guide walks through each screen and tells you what to put in the boxes that trip people up.
Before you start, have these to hand
- Your bank account number and sort code.
- A photo ID such as a passport or driving licence.
- Your date of birth and home address.
- One sentence about what you sell, for example “handmade ceramic mugs”.
Step 1: open Payment Settings
In your dashboard go to Settings, then Payment Settings. At the top of the page you will see your shop address with a copy button next to it. Copy it now. Stripe will ask for it in a moment.
Click Continue to Stripe. You will be taken to Stripe’s own secure pages. We never see your bank details or ID; Stripe handles all of that.
Step 2: sign in or create an account
Already use Stripe? Sign in and approve the connection. That is all, you can skip to step 4.
New to Stripe? Enter your email and choose a password. Stripe will send a code to your phone to confirm it is you.
Step 3: answer Stripe’s questions
These are the questions that cause the most support requests, with the answer for a typical maker:
- Type of business. Choose Individual or Sole trader unless you run a limited company. Most makers on Crafter’s Market are sole traders, and that is fine even if you are not registered with HMRC yet.
- Business website. Paste your Crafter’s Market shop address, the one you copied in step 1. You do not need your own website.
- Industry or product description. Pick the closest match, for example “Arts and crafts” or “Retail”, and describe what you make in a few words.
- Statement descriptor. This is what appears on a customer’s bank statement. Your shop name works well.
- Bank account. The account you want your earnings paid into. It must be in your name, or your business name if you set up as a company.
- Identity check. Stripe may ask you to photograph your ID with your phone. This is normal and only happens once.
Step 4: check the connection
When Stripe sends you back to your dashboard you will see one of two messages on Payment Settings:
- Connected and ready to receive payouts. You are done. Your drafts can now be published.
- Action needed before you can be paid. Stripe still wants something, usually a document or a missing detail. Click Finish setup in Stripe and it will show you exactly what. Withdrawals stay paused until this is cleared, but you can still list and sell.
Stripe emailed me later asking for more information
This happens to lots of sellers, often after the first few sales. Stripe is required by law to verify accounts as they grow. Follow the link in Stripe’s email, or open Payment Settings and click Finish setup in Stripe. Your money is safe while you do it; Stripe simply holds payouts until the check is complete.
If you are not sure an email really came from Stripe, do not click it. Go to Payment Settings in your dashboard instead. If Stripe needs something, you will see it there.
Fees and getting paid
Stripe charges a small fee on each card payment, taken before the money reaches your balance. The current rates and how withdrawals work are in Understanding payments, withdrawals and Stripe. If you have ever wondered why we use Stripe rather than PayPal, this article explains.
Still stuck?
Raise a ticket from your dashboard and tell us which screen you are on. Screenshots help. We can see whether your account is connected from our side, so we can usually point you to the exact box that needs filling.