Multi-vendor checkout
One cart and one payment covering items from several independent sellers, split behind the scenes into separate orders, deliveries and payouts per seller.
Updated October 2026 · with examples from our own builds
What does multi-vendor checkout mean in practice?
In a multi-vendor marketplace a buyer may add items from three shops and pay once. The system then splits the purchase into one order per shop, each with its own delivery, status, dispute window and payout.
Everything after checkout follows from that split. Each seller ships on their own schedule and to their own regions, and a problem with one shop's order mustn't freeze the others.
Delivery rules belong in one place. If each screen decides separately whether a seller can deliver to a buyer, some screens will get it wrong.
Multi-vendor checkout at a glance
- Buyer sees
- One cart and one payment
- System creates
- One order per seller
- Keep central
- The rules for who can deliver where
Where has multi-vendor checkout come up in our builds?
Checkout splits into one order per shop. Delivery is domestic only, with a separate region list for live plants, and one deliverability service now decides for every surface that shows or sells a product, after an earlier version applied the rule call site by call site and missed three of them. Checkout still runs on a payment simulator.
Common questions about multi-vendor checkout
Should a multi-vendor cart charge the buyer once or once per seller?
Once is simpler for the buyer, with the platform splitting the money per order in its ledger. Charging per seller is simpler to account for but adds friction at checkout.
What if one seller can't deliver to the buyer's address?
The product should know before checkout, from one deliverability rule used by every screen, and show which items can't be delivered and why.
Related terms
Planning a product and not sure where multi-vendor checkout fits? Ask us, or browse all 116 terms in the glossary.