SalesThumb uses Stripe Connect (specifically the "Standard" connection model). What that means in practice: each shop has its own Stripe account, payouts go directly to your bank, and SalesThumb never touches your money.
How it differs from "merchant of record" SaaS
Some shop-management tools act as the merchant of record — your customers pay them, and they remit to you weekly. That model has issues: - You don't have direct Stripe Dashboard access - Payouts are weekly (or worse), not daily - If the vendor goes down, your payments freeze - If you ever leave, getting your data + account back is messy
Stripe Connect Standard is the opposite. You own the Stripe account. You get all the standard Stripe Dashboard tools (refunds, disputes, payouts, analytics). SalesThumb just hands the payment flow to your account.
What we do via Connect
- Create a checkout link tied to your account on quote acceptance
- Pull a deposit at booking time
- Generate an invoice link with your branding
- Trigger refunds on your behalf when an operator approves one in SalesThumb
- Sync payment status back to the customer record
What we don't do
- Hold your money
- Set your payout schedule
- See your other Stripe transactions (we only have scoped access to the ones we created)
- Take a platform fee on transactions (Stripe's standard 2.9% + $0.30 is between you and them)
If you ever leave
Your Stripe account stays with you 100% intact. Customer payment history, payout records, dispute resolution — all of it. Disconnect SalesThumb from Stripe in Settings → Integrations and we lose access immediately.