#xfechx-connect-transfers

1 messages · Page 1 of 1 (latest)

halcyon terraceBOT
lapis anvil
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Hi 👋 what's your question? (In the future please feel free to just ask it in your original post)

keen ingot
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hi @lapis anvil

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ok

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So, at the moment - I have built a web app, where a platform enters their sk and pk, and then connected accounts enroll, and get connected to this platform.

As the creator of the app, I have to also connect my account "as connected account", so that each time there is a transaction, I take a percentage, using direct transfers.

However - I feel this is not ideal, as the app is progressing in a way, that I would like to eventually upload it to app stores, so I would like to:

  1. Have the business owner which will use the app, just use stripe connect, so that its platform, can be connected to my platform, as a connected account.
  2. At the same time - now the business owner using the app, can have other connected accounts use the app, and his business (platform) will take percentage fee for each of it's connected accounts transactions (this is already sorted, using destination charges)
  3. My app will take a percentage fee, from the platform each time it's been used.

So it is something like this:

App -> platform -> connected accounts.

"Platform" in this scenario is also a connected account of "App"

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How can I modify my app, so that instead of having the platform enter manually their keys, can just connect using stripe connect, and then, users of the platform, can connect to the platform?

Not sure if I explained myself clearly,...

lapis anvil
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Nope, that's not supported. You can't nest Connect flows like that. Your Platform can have other Platforms connect to it as Connected Accounts, but you don't have the ability to interact with their Connected Accounts on their behalf.

Also as someone who is personally pretty security conscious, I would never be comfortable giving your app the secret key to my Stripe account and would expect that you'll encounter pushback from like minded folks.

keen ingot
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As a platform, I don't really want/need to interact with the sub-platform's connected accounts on their behalf

keen ingot
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So the preamble is:

  1. App (me)
  2. Platform (connected account to App)
  3. Connected Account (connected account to Platform)
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When Platform receives an application fee, transfer also a fee (can be direct charge, or transfer, or application fee) to App.

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Right now, I have it set up like this:

  1. Platform (top level)
  2. Connected Accounts
  3. Special connected account (app, i.e me)

When there is a transaction, app gets a transfer using balance transactions from original transaction to make sure funds are available, and app gets transfer.

lapis anvil
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Sorry, I'm having a really hard time wrapping my head around this. I kinda get the connection flow you're describing, but I don't understand the payment flow so I don't really understand why you want to connect the accounts that way.

Maybe it'd be easier if you took a step back and described the business flow that you're after?

keen ingot
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Sure,

I would like to have an app, that can connect platforms, and then those platforms can have connected accounts.

When connected accounts receive payments, platform gets a fee, and app gets a fee

lapis anvil
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Okay, so from your perspective, you just care about that first level of connection, that Platforms can connect to your Platform?

keen ingot
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Yes, that can be the case, because as an App, I can "see" when Platforms received an application fee, once this happens, my app also receives an application fee, from the Platform, not from the connected accounts

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I guess I should not call it application fee, when money is transfered to the app, as it won't be an application fee, will it? It could be in the shape of a direct charge to the platform, or transfer from platform (as connected account) to the app

lapis anvil
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Nope, wouldn't be an application fee, because you aren't processing charges for your Platformn's so you can't collect application fees.

One possible problem, do you hope to allow people to bring their existing Stripe accounts?

In general I don't think there is a great way to build the flow that you're describing. If you want to connect other Platforms as Connected Accounts, those would need to be Standard Connected Accounts, which you can't directly debit:
https://stripe.com/docs/connect/account-debits
that's only supported for Express or Custom accounts

keen ingot
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ok, so there is that wall?

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that it will only have to be express?

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I need to know how I will be able to do it, because you are saying I cannot debit standard connected accounts, and they HAVE to be connected as Standard?

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I didn't get the last part, please explain

lapis anvil
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Yup, that's exactly what I'm saying, what you're describing doesn't seem like something we'd be able to support.

keen ingot
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How can I work around it?

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right now I am working around it, but with the app being a connected account

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and getting direct transfers from platform

lapis anvil
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As far as I know you can't

keen ingot
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but there should be a way, so that I can create SaaS that I can get fees from

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And if a platform is a connected express account?

lapis anvil
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I still think the account structure you're describing may be unnecessarily complicated, but I still don't really understand your business model.

keen ingot
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I can explain again

lapis anvil
keen ingot
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if you didn't understand

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I would like you to really understand what I am trying to do, and provide me with options

keen ingot
lapis anvil
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They're meant for Direct Charge flows, where the Platform collects an Application Fee on payments they process for the Connected Account.

Please do, I still don't understand your business model. Right now it sounds like you want to get paid for an existing platform's payments, and I don't understand what you're adding to the situation.

keen ingot
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Ok, will try again

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So,

There is an app, that is me.
There is a platform, that is a business, that requires to have connected accounts.
There are connected accounts, which require a platform

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yes?

lapis anvil
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I understand the connection you're describing just fine, I don't understand why that's what you're after

keen ingot
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App, is a platform.
Platform is a standard connected account
Connected accounts are Express connected accounts

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Because I want my app to get transaction fees

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instead of charging subscriptions to busineses

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I want my app to receive a transfer/charge/money however stripe calls it, each time the connected platform's connected account makes a successful charge.

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I already have the Platform with multiple express connected accounts model working

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now I need to figure out how the app can also get paid by listening to the events of the connected platform

lapis anvil
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Sorry, that's the same thing you've already described so I'm still not understanding any better. I still don't understand why you should get a portion of another Platform's payment that they are processing.

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Like what are you actually selling?

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Or enabling your users to sell?

keen ingot
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Through the app, I am enabling businesses (connected platforms) to have the ability to make marketplaces and connect users, and get app fees through my app

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Why is it making you a short circuit?
It is a business model, it is strange that no one has come up with something similar?

lapis anvil
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I mean, no, allowing people to run marketplaces makes a ton of sense. It's why we built Connect 😅 , so we can enable Platform's to do just that. But a marketplace for marketplaces? That I don't understand the point of, and with the way our system is architected is not something that I think you would be able to model well within Stripe.

keen ingot
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Ok, going to resume my question to simpler terms, because you don't really need to understand what I am trying to build, I guess.

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I want to offer the app, that a business can use so that they can have a marketplace.
And I want my app to take fees

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it's simple

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How, as a Platform (app) with a connected account as Platform (standard connected account), can I listen (I guess through webhook, but I need clarification) to each time there is an application fee, and using this make a transfer to app, or a charge, or whatever is permited, for flow of funds from the Platform (connected standard account) to app

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So it is a nested Connect scenario, and I want the top level to get funds when there is earning on the connected account (which is also at the same time a platform with connected accounts)

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That is the summary

lapis anvil
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You can't. You can't directly charge Standard Connected Accounts, and non-Standard Connected Accounts can't be Platforms. The flow you're describing is not supported.

halcyon terraceBOT
keen ingot
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Is there no way to make a transfer from a standard connected account to it's platform?

lapis anvil
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No, Transfers are intended for pushing funds from a Platform to it's Connected Accounts, not the other way around. The reverse flow is only enabled for Express and Custom accounts.

keen ingot
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I see, and express and custom accounts cannot be platforms.

kindred vector
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xfechx-connect-transfers

lapis anvil
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Correct

keen ingot
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ahhh why 😭

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I mean, I have a workaround, but doesn

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t seem super clean

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Another question

kindred vector
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@keen ingot you forgot to ask the question :p

keen ingot
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lol, I was still thinking how to formulate it

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as a Platform, the only way to have connected accounts is through keeping sk and pk under a php file, right?

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(using php)

kindred vector
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not really? Sorry I honestly have no idea what those words could mean right now

keen ingot
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Also, regarding what I was just asking before, not many people want to do that?
Is that not a common case scenario then I suppose?

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(having nested connected accounts)

kindred vector
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nested connected accounts is definitely not common

keen ingot
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Because in my case, it actually works with transfers. But I was hoping to have a better solution, and not just having an extra connected account that gets transfers instantly each time the app is been used

kindred vector
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can't really tell you sorry

keen ingot
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One would think that a Platform can charge its standard connected accounts

kindred vector
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with Standard accounts you charge a fee as part of the transaction you faciliate, no other way

keen ingot
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Ah, yes I remembered what I was going to ask..

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for making a customer portal, for a platform with connected accounts, how do I go about it?
I can see this note on the website:

Common mistake
If you’re using the customer portal with Stripe Connect, make sure you configure the customer portal for the platform, not a connected account.

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So in this case, I should not pass on the connected account array, or what does that mean?

kindred vector
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Sorry I'm going to push back a bit and ask you to be crisper and more specific for help

keen ingot
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OK, I will come back another day, thanks a lot for your help @kindred vector and @lapis anvil cheers