Understanding the Post-Sale Payout Process as a Seller
Understanding the Post-Sale Payout Process as a Seller
Once a buyer completes a fixed-price purchase or wins an auction, here's how the sale moves from checkout to payout.
1. Buyer checkout
The buyer completes payment through Stripe. Creatures supports several payment methods, and the method affects how quickly the sale moves forward:
- Card payments clear immediately
- Bank transfers (ACH) can take up to five business days to clear before the sale moves forward
Important: As a seller, keep custody of the animal until Creatures confirms payment is fully processed, especially in the case of bank transfer payments. If you're not sure whether payment has cleared, contact us and we'll help you verify.
For details on payment options, see Payment Options on Creatures.
2. Transportation coordination
After payment clears, the buyer and seller connect through Creatures messaging to finalize transportation or pickup. There are three ways transportation can happen:
- Buyer arranges pickup with the seller directly
- Seller offers transportation as part of the listing
- Creatures Transport coordinates delivery through a transportation agent
For more details on each post sale process, refer to the following walkthrough tutorials:
- The Payout Process as a Seller — when you arrange pickup or transportation directly with the buyer
- The Payout Process as a Seller Providing Transportation — when you handle transportation yourself
- The Payout Process as a Seller When the Buyer Uses Creatures Transportation — when Creatures coordinates delivery
3. Shipping confirmation from the seller
Once transportation is coordinated, the seller marks the animal as Shipped from the listing page.
4. Delivery confirmation from the buyer
When the buyer receives the animal, they confirm delivery from the listing page.
5. Payout to the seller
Once delivery is confirmed, payment is released to the seller's Creatures Wallet. From there, the seller can transfer funds to their connected bank account through Stripe.
Release timing depends on whether this is your first sale on Creatures:
Sale type | Release timing |
|---|---|
First animal sale | 7 days after delivery confirmation |
All later sales | Immediately after delivery confirmation |
The 7-day hold on first sales protects buyers and helps establish trust between new sellers and the Creatures community. After your first successful sale, all future payouts release immediately.
6. Ratings and reviews
After the sale, leave a review for the other party. Reviews build trust on the platform and help future buyers and sellers make informed decisions.
Walkthroughs
For a full walkthrough of the buyer experience, see:
Updated on: 28/04/2026
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