Shopping Cart
Enable multi-item checkout for your marketplace. Buyers can add multiple products to their cart and check out in a single transaction. Especially useful on multi-vendor marketplaces where the cart fans out into per-seller orders via Stripe Connect.
The shopping cart is available on the Business plan and above. See plans and pricing →
Quick answer
Overview
The shopping cart feature allows buyers to collect multiple products before checking out. Instead of buying one item at a time with "Buy Now", buyers can:
- Add to Cart — save products for later purchase
- Multi-item checkout — buy everything in one transaction
- Per-seller shipping — shipping calculated per unique seller
- Cart persistence — cart is saved to the user's account
When to Enable the Cart
Enabling the Shopping Cart
The shopping cart is part of the Shipping settings (since cart orders use shipping configuration). To enable it:
- Go to Store Settings → General in your dashboard
- Find the Shipping section
- Toggle Enable Shopping Cart to on
- The setting saves automatically
Allow buyers to add multiple items before checkout
When the cart is enabled:
- Product pages show an "Add to Cart" button alongside "Buy Now"
- Listing cards show "Add to Cart" instead of "Buy Now"
- A cart icon appears in the store header with item count
- Buyers can view and manage their cart before checkout
Authentication Required
To add items to the cart, buyers must be signed in. This ensures:
Cart Persistence
The cart is tied to the user's account, not the browser. Buyers can add items on their phone and check out on their laptop.
Seamless Checkout
Since the buyer is already signed in, checkout is faster — their email is pre-filled in Stripe.
When an unauthenticated buyer clicks "Add to Cart", they're prompted to sign in first. After signing in, they can add items to their cart.
Per-Seller Shipping
When a buyer's cart contains items from multiple sellers, shipping is calculated per unique seller. Each seller ships their items independently.
Example: Cart with 3 sellers
Flat rate: $4.99 × 3 sellers = $14.97 shipping
Independent Fulfillment
A multi-seller order is split into one shipment per seller. Each seller ships on their own schedule with their own tracking number, and the buyer receives multiple packages. The overall order is only marked Fulfilled once every seller has shipped.
Once Pearl Studio ships, the order flips to Fulfilled. Each seller's payout is released when their own shipment is marked shipped.
Where the money goes
Stripe Connect splits the $211.97 charge across three connected accounts automatically. You never manually move money.
Amounts shown are gross. Your platform commission and Stripe's processing fees are deducted from each seller's share at the moment of payment. Shipping (100%) goes to the seller.
Items Ship Separately
How It Works for Buyers
Browse & Add to Cart
Buyers browse products and click "Add to Cart" on items they want. The cart icon in the header shows the current item count.
Review Cart
Clicking the cart icon opens the cart page where buyers can adjust quantities, remove items, and see the total including shipping.
Checkout
Clicking "Proceed to Checkout" takes the buyer directly to Stripe's secure checkout page. All items are purchased in a single transaction.
Order Confirmation
After payment, the buyer receives a confirmation email. For multi-seller orders, the buyer will receive separate shipping notifications as each seller ships their items.
Stock Validation
Stock is validated at checkout time to prevent overselling. If an item in the cart is no longer available (sold out or insufficient stock), the buyer sees an error message and cannot proceed until they update their cart.
Out of Stock Error
Seller Restrictions
Sellers cannot add their own products to the cart. If a seller tries to add their own listing, they'll see a message explaining they cannot purchase their own products.
Cart vs Buy Now
Both options remain available when the cart is enabled. Here's when each is useful:
| Feature | Add to Cart | Buy Now |
|---|---|---|
| Multiple items | Yes | Single item only |
| Review before checkout | Cart page | Direct to Stripe |
| Save for later | Persists in account | Immediate purchase |
| Authentication | Required | Required |
| Best for | Browsing, comparing | Quick single purchase |
Quick Reference
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Plan Required | Business |
| Location | Store Settings → General → Shipping section |
| Shipping Calculation | Flat rate × number of unique sellers |
| Cart Persistence | Tied to user account (not browser) |
| Authentication | Required to add items to cart |