Bookings

Everything behind a service, rental or appointment marketplace: how a booking travels from request to payout, and which setting controls each step.

Quick answer

Sellers publish listings with open time slots. A customer picks a slot and either books instantly or sends a request the seller approves. Payment is taken online at that point (or in person, if you allow it), the session happens, and the seller's share lands in their Stripe account. You keep a commission on every booking. Start with booking settings, then availability.

The life of a booking

This is the whole flow in one picture, with what happens to the money at each step. It is the fastest way to see which settings you actually need before you launch.

Weekend pottery workshop · $200 · 20% commission

1

Customer picks a slot

Sat, Oct 3, 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM on the listing page.

Nothing charged
2

Seller approves the request

Skipped entirely if you turn on instant booking.

Nothing charged
3

Customer pays

Card checkout from a payment link, or cash at the session if you allow pay in person.

$200 taken
4

Money splits immediately

Your commission stays with you, the rest goes to the seller's Stripe account.

You $40 / seller $153.90
5

The session happens

Either side can still reschedule before it, within the rules you set.

Already paid out

The $6.10 gap between $200 and $40 + $153.90 is Stripe's processing fee, which the seller absorbs. See Booking payments & payouts for the full split.

There is no completion step yet

A booking is paid out when the customer pays, not when the job is finished. There is currently no “mark complete, then release the money” flow for bookings the way there is for shipped orders. If that matters for your marketplace, tell us at [email protected] — it is a common ask and we track demand for it.

Where each setting lives

Booking controls are split between the store and the individual listing. This is the part that trips people up most often.

What you want to changeWhere it lives
Turn bookings on, instant vs approval, time zone, cancellation policyStore Settings → Booking
Which days and slots are open, how many people per slotThe listing's availability calendar
How long a session runsSession length, on the listing
Advance notice before a slot can be bookedLead time, on the listing
Commission you keep on bookingsStore Settings → Payments, or per listing type
Cash at the session instead of online paymentPay in person, per listing type

In this section

  • Seller Dashboard — Manage Bookings as the seller sees it, including approving and rescheduling
  • Listing Form — the availability calendar and session length fields on the listing itself
  • Payments & Stripe — connecting Stripe and setting your commission
  • Email Notifications — every booking email and who receives it
  • Webhooks — booking events you can send to your own systems

Not sure how to model your marketplace?

Whether a haircut, a kayak rental and a two-hour lesson should be one listing type or three is worth getting right early. Write to [email protected] and we will sketch it with you.
Bookings | Prometora Docs