Seller Guide & Troubleshooting
Operate smoothly, understand payouts, and resolve issues quickly on OffaBuy.
Contents
- Seller Lifecycle Overview
- Payment & Payout Model
- Subaccount Setup
- Pending Payouts Widget
- Sales Before Subaccount
- Verifications & Status
- Order Management
- Typical Seller Issues
- Manual Payout Recovery
- Split Payments Internals
- Notifications
- Best Practices
- Safety & Compliance
- Verifying a Payout
- When to Contact Support
- Roadmap
1 Seller Lifecycle Overview
- Create account & complete profile
- (Optional early) Upload products
- Complete KYC (Admin approval grants Verified + Seller)
- Create Paystack Subaccount
- Receive live split payouts OR accumulate pending
- Manage orders → Fulfill → Complete
2 Payment & Payout Model
| Component | Marketplace | You (Seller) |
|---|---|---|
| Commission | 5% retained | 95% earnings |
| If subaccount exists | Instant split to bank | Immediate credit |
| If no subaccount | Commission retained | 95% stored as Pending Payout |
You never lose earnings—funds queue as pending until you finish setup.
3 Subaccount Setup (Required for Live Payouts)
Path: Seller Dashboard → Payment Setup ("Setup Payment" / "Create Subaccount").
- Bank name (supports digital banks e.g. Kuda, OPay, PalmPay)
- Account number
- Business/display name
On success: Pending payouts attempt automatic transfer and widget updates from orange to green.
4 Pending Payouts Widget
Location: Seller Dashboard top area.
- Orange: pending payouts but no subaccount
- Green: subaccount exists; processing
- Hidden: no pending payouts
5 When a Product Sells Before You Create a Subaccount
- Buyer checkout success
- Commission (5%) retained
- Your 95% logged as
pending - Visible in dashboard widget
- After subaccount creation → system batch transfers
6 Verifications & Seller Status
KYC approval sets is_verified=true, is_seller=true. Verified badge increases trust & conversion.
7 Order Management
| Status | Meaning | Your Action |
|---|---|---|
| pending | Buyer paid / order created | Prepare fulfillment |
| completed | Order fulfilled | None |
| canceled | System or buyer action | Review reason |
8 Typical Seller Issues & Resolutions
| Issue | Cause | Resolution |
|---|---|---|
| No payout after sales | No subaccount | Create subaccount (Section 3) |
| Subaccount created but no transfers | Transfer queue delay | Wait & refresh |
| Some payouts missing | Failed transfer attempt | Remain pending; retry auto |
| Product not visible | Inactive / filtered / category | Check status/category |
| Verification pending long | Admin backlog | Contact >48h |
| Commission seems off | Gross vs net confusion | Net = 95% ex shipping |
| Widget disappeared | No pending left | Normal |
9 Manual Payout Recovery (Edge Case)
If auto-transfer fails status stays pending. Admin can trigger reprocessing. No ticket needed unless >24h.
10 How Split Payments Work Internally
- Buyer pays full cart
- System groups items per seller
- If subaccount → transaction with subaccount param
- If none → record pending payout
- Commission tracked per group
- Webhook validates success
11 Notifications You May See
| Type | Meaning | Action |
|---|---|---|
| pending_payout | Funds waiting for setup | Create subaccount |
| payout_processed | Transfer succeeded | None |
| subaccount_reminder | Delayed setup | Finish setup |
| payment_setup | Confirmation | None |
12 Best Practices to Maximize Earnings
- Complete KYC early to build trust
- Setup subaccount before promotions
- Keep product titles concise
- Respond to inquiries quickly
- Monitor pending payout totals
13 Safety / Compliance
- Only use your own bank details
- Don’t request off-platform payments
- Report abusive buyers via Order → Report
14 Advanced: Verifying a Payout
- Check your bank app credit
- Match amount to widget / notification
- Support can cross-check Paystack transfer ref
15 When to Contact Support
- Payout stuck pending >24h after subaccount creation
- Verification rejected without explanation
- Wrong payout amount (send order ID)
- Duplicate listings or phantom orders
16 Roadmap (Seller Enhancements)
- Payout history screen
- Export earnings CSV
- Low-stock alerts
- Abandoned cart insights