Two Options for Collecting Payments
Pic-Time has two options for collecting your store payments:
By default, Pic-Time is the selling entity and will collect all payments from your store sales. With this option we handle the appropriate sales taxes for orders, and then pay out any profits from the orders to you. More details below.
Alternatively, you can choose to collect the payments yourself through your own payment gateway. At the time of writing, we support the payment gateways PayPal, Stripe, Square and Offline. With this option, when a customer places an order in your store the payment will be processed through your nominated payment gateway. You will receive the amount paid in full. Pic-Time will then collect any costs associated with the payment (production costs, shipping costs) from you before the order is pushed into production. More details below.
Comparison
A brief comparison between Pic-Time as the selling entity and the Photographer as the selling entity:
Pic-Time as seller | Photographer as seller |
Pic-Time handles the sales tax | Photographer is responsible for sales tax |
Pic-Time takes a commission | No commission collected for Pic-Time (excluding Free and Beginner Plans) |
Store sales in USD only | Store sales in multiple currencies |
Pic-Time name and logo on bank description and order confirmation emails | No Pic-Time branding |
Pic-Time support can issue refunds on your behalf (based on your refund policy). | All refunds must be done by you, Pic-Time has no access to refund your clients on your behalf. |
No ability to self-fulfill products outside of Pic-Time or sell custom products. | Alongside Pic-Time default products, you can self-fulfill products at labs outside of Pic-Time, and sell custom products. (Available for Professional and Advanced plans only) |
Please Note: Both collection options allow for automatic lab fulfillment.
Payment Collected by Pic-Time
When Pic-time is the entity that collects payment we take care of everything relating to sales tax and payments. The appropriate sales tax from each order is collected and filed by Pic-Time. The net positive profits (total amount paid by the client minus the production and shipping cost) from sales made in the store are deposited into the photographer’s PayPal account on the 1st and 15th of each month when all 3 parameters are met:
The total profit amount is over $20
The sale was made 7 days prior to the deposit date
Your account information has your PayPal email, address, phone number, Name on Invoice and Tax Number
In this case, Pic-Time is the selling entity for the order and the order confirmation will display the Pic-Time logo. The client’s credit card statements will show Pic-Time as the processing company and all order confirmations will be sent via email from Pic-Time. After advising the photographer, our support is able to refund a sale if there is a problem with the product/delivery or it does not meet our service standards.
At the end of the year, Pic-Time will send the appropriate tax documentation to the photographer with a summary of their store profits.
Click here to learn how to setup payments collected by Pic-Time.
Payment Collected by the Photographer
When you choose to collect payments yourself as the Photographer, we can still automate the production of print products, however you are the selling entity for the order and therefore responsible for everything relating to sales tax and payments.
When your client makes a payment for the order the full amount paid by your client goes to your chosen payment gateway (Stripe, Paypal or Square, unless Offline payment is chosen), and the costs for the order (production and shipping costs) are charged to your payment method on file in the Plans & Billing tab.
Photographers can, but are not required, to self-fulfill items (available for Professional and Advanced plans only). They are still able to use the labs which are integrated with the Pic-Time system. When the payments are collected by the photographer there is no commission fee collected by Pic-time (except on the Free and Beginner Plans-- 15% commission is collected at all times).
Some benefits of collecting the payments as a photographer are:
Use a currency other than USD
Self-fulfill products in the store
Collect payments
Avoid sales commission (except for Free and Beginner Plans)
Adjust sales tax rate(s)
Quicker/immediate deposits
Order email confirmation is branded with your brand
Click here to learn how to set up payments collected by the photographer.