Definition
In the Direct-to-Dealer model, the dealer only receives the order once payment is complete. Stripe has confirmed the payment and the purchase price has arrived in the dealer's own Stripe account. All the dealer has to do is pick, pack, ship and issue the invoice as with any sale: no credit check, no collections.
What the Dealer Does in the D2D Process
Onboarding (One-Time): Create a Stripe account or connect an existing one. Confirm terms with the manufacturer, define shipping rules.
Order Acceptance: See the incoming prepaid order in the dealer portal. Confirm product availability.
Shipping: Pick, pack and ship from your own stock. Enter the tracking number; the end customer is notified.
What "Prepaid" Means in Practice
In classic online retail, the dealer accepts the end customer's order, checks their credit (for purchase on invoice), handles the payment (PayPal, credit card, SEPA), issues an invoice, sends reminders when payment is late and only then, or in parallel, ships the goods. That is a lot of friction, a lot of payment default risk and a lot of collection work.
With D2D, the dealer only receives the order once the end customer has already paid. Stripe has confirmed the payment and the purchase price has arrived in the dealer's Stripe account, minus the per-order fee that Next Commerce retains automatically (see the price list). The dealer only ships; the money flow is already complete.
What Changes for the Dealer
No more credit checks. Stripe confirmed the payment before shipping, so there is no outstanding invoice amount. Chargebacks remain possible, as with any card payment.
No more collections. There are no open invoices, no reminder stages, no collection proceedings for non-payment.
Invoicing stays with the dealer. The dealer is the seller and the shopper's contractual partner and issues the invoice, as with any other sale.
No more payment processing. Stripe does it. In the dashboard, the dealer only sees "Payout €XX.YY on DD/MM".
What Stays with the Dealer
Remaining tasks: picking, packing, shipping, invoicing. Optional: customer communication about the delivery ("Your parcel ships today"). The shipping service stays entirely with the dealer, which further builds trust and the customer relationship through the delivery experience.
In detail, this means: the dealer runs their daily business (warehouse, shipping) unchanged, but without the admin overhead an online shop of their own would otherwise create.
Money Flow Architecture via Stripe
Every dealer has their own Stripe account, connected to Next Commerce via Stripe Connect. The end customer pays directly into this account: the dealer is the seller and receives the money.
On every order, Next Commerce automatically retains a per-order fee from the dealer, see the price list. The manufacturer pays no per-order fee.
Payouts from the Stripe account to the dealer's bank account happen automatically at the frequency the dealer chooses (daily, weekly). Stripe handles KYC, tax reporting and accounting exports.
Onboarding a Dealer
The manufacturer invites a new dealer through the dashboard (email link). The dealer clicks the link and creates a Stripe account or connects an existing one (Stripe asks for company name, tax ID, bank IBAN and proof of identity). The dealer then appears in the manufacturer's dashboard and can receive orders.
Between the invitation and the first order the dealer can accept, all it takes is a verified Stripe account, shipping costs and VAT for the dealer's markets and priced stock.