Buyer Approval (Request to Purchase)

The Short Version

When to Use This

Built for sellers who want to vet the buyer before accepting them — common in events and high-touch sales:

• Booth / exhibitor space at an expo, fair, festival, or trade show
• Retreats and tours where the host wants to review participants
• Consulting or services where the seller is selective about clients
• Any fixed-price listing where "apply, then get accepted" fits better than instant checkout

Setup — Marketplace Owner

Enable the feature once per listing type so it's available to your sellers.

1. Go to Store Settings → Listing Form.
2. Pick the listing type (e.g., "Booths") and confirm Calendar & Availability is set to No calendar. The toggle only shows for non-calendar (fixed-price) types — calendar listings use the separate booking-approval flow instead (see the note below).
3. Toggle Allow sellers to require buyer approval on. Save.
4. Sellers (and you, in admin mode) will now see a Buyer Approval section on every listing of that type.

Per-Listing Toggle

Once enabled at the listing-type level, each listing gets its own toggle:

1. Open the listing in the seller dashboard (or admin mode).
2. Scroll to the Buyer Approval section.
3. Check Require my approval before the purchase is finalized. Save.

Each listing is independent: one producer's booth can require approval while another's sells instantly — even within the same listing type. Left off (the default), the listing sells instantly exactly as before.

What the Buyer Sees

• On the listing: a Request to Purchase button instead of Buy Now / Add to Cart (approval listings are not cart-eligible).
• After requesting: a "Request submitted" confirmation, and the order shows as Pending approval in My Orders — clearly noting they haven't been charged.
• If they revisit the listing: the button shows Request pending (they can't submit a duplicate).
• When approved: an email + an "Approved! Pay now" banner in My Orders. They complete payment to confirm.
• When declined: a polite email and a declined notice in My Orders. No charge ever occurred.
• They can also message the seller from the order at any point.

What the Seller Sees

• Email notification of each new request.
• A "Pending purchase requests" card on their dashboard, and a Pending purchase requests section in My Sales listing each request with the full item breakdown (variants + add-ons).
• The buyer's marketplace profile right there — business name, name, bio, website & social links, and how many listings they have — so they can evaluate the buyer without a separate application.
• Approve, Decline, or Message buyer (to ask for more info before deciding).
• On approval the buyer is sent a payment link; the sale and payout appear in My Sales once they pay — exactly like a normal sale.

Emails

Three transactional emails are sent, all fully branded and editable under Store Settings → Email Translations (Orders group):

• Purchase request → to the seller, when a buyer requests
• Request approved → to the buyer, with a Pay now link
• Request declined → to the buyer

Things to Know