Storefold turns your WooCommerce shop into a multivendor marketplace. Sellers apply and get their own store page and dashboard, orders are split per vendor, you keep a commission and you pay vendors by PayPal or bank transfer.
Storefold lets other sellers open their own store inside your WooCommerce shop. Sellers apply on a Become a Vendor page, you approve them, and they manage their products, orders, coupons, earnings and payouts from a Vendor Dashboard page on the front of your site. Vendors never see wp-admin.
Customers check out once and see one order. Behind the scenes Storefold creates one sub-order per vendor with that vendor's items, their share of shipping and their tax. For every sold item it records what the vendor keeps and what you keep as commission. When vendors have earned enough, they request a withdrawal. You send the money yourself and mark the request as paid.
The plugin is for shop owners who want to run a marketplace with several sellers. It adds a Storefold menu in wp-admin, ten marketplace emails under WooCommerce > Settings > Emails, "Sold by" labels in the shop, store pages at /store/store-name/, a store directory and store reviews. It does not connect to any external service.
Storefold needs WooCommerce. Install and activate WooCommerce first, then install Storefold from WordPress.org.
Make sure WooCommerce is installed and active under Plugins.
Go to Plugins > Add New and search for Storefold.
Click Install Now on Storefold - Multivendor Marketplace for WooCommerce, then click Activate.
On activation Storefold creates three pages for you: Vendor Dashboard, Stores and Become a Vendor, each with its shortcode.
A notice on the Plugins screen says Storefold is active. Click Run the setup wizard to answer four quick questions, or Dismiss to set things up later under Storefold > Settings.
Open Storefold > Setup wizard. Choose your marketplace type, set your commission, pick how vendors get paid and choose how much you want to review. Click Finish and open my marketplace. You can change every answer later under Storefold > Settings.
Open Storefold > Settings. Review the commission, who gets shipping and tax, and when vendors earn their money. Under Marketplace pages, check that Vendor dashboard, Become a vendor and Store directory point to the pages that hold their shortcodes. Click Save settings.
Go to Appearance > Menus (or the Site Editor for block themes) and add the Become a Vendor and Stores pages, so sellers can find the application form and shoppers can browse stores.
When someone applies, you get the Marketplace: new vendor application email and the application shows under Storefold > Vendors with the Pending status. Click Approve. You can also create a vendor yourself with Add a vendor.
The approved vendor logs in and opens the Vendor Dashboard page. They follow the setup checklist: store logo, description, first product and payout method. Their products show on the shop with a "Sold by" label and on their store page.
When a customer buys vendor products, the vendor gets a Marketplace: new vendor order email once the order is paid. The sale shows under Storefold > Commissions, and Storefold > Overview shows this month's numbers.
Storefold > Overview is your control center. Use it to see how the marketplace is doing and what is waiting on you.
Storefold > Vendors lists every store with its owner email, status, balance and the date it joined.
Use the links above the list (All, Pending, Approved, Suspended, Rejected) to filter, and Search stores to find a store by name.
Delete removes the store and the vendor role and cancels open withdrawal requests. The user account, their products and all commission and ledger history are kept, because they are financial records.
If an account already uses that email, it becomes the store owner. Otherwise a new account is created and the owner gets an email with a link to set their password. Administrators and shop managers cannot own a store: use a separate account to test the vendor side.
Under Products > All Products, a Vendor column shows who sells each product. Pick a store in the All vendors dropdown and click Filter to list only that store's products.
Click a store name under Storefold > Vendors to open its screen. The top row links to the owner's user profile, the store page, the store's Products and its Commissions, with the Suspend, Reject and Delete buttons below.
Use this for bonuses, fees or corrections made outside the store.
When a cart holds items from several vendors, the customer pays once and sees one order. Storefold creates a vendor sub-order for each vendor with only their items (after coupon discounts), their share of shipping and their tax, so its total matches what the customer paid for that vendor. An order with a single vendor is simply assigned to that vendor. Your own products and fees stay on the main order.
On the main order under WooCommerce > Orders, a line under the customer lists the Vendor orders with links.
Refund the customer's order as usual, by item, shipping or amount. The refund is copied to the vendor orders it covers and the matching part of each vendor's earning (items, shipping and tax) is taken back. You can also click Refund on a vendor sub-order: Storefold refunds those items on the customer's order (through the payment method when you choose to refund via the gateway) and copies it back.
A refund made before the vendor earned the money is never paid out later. If the vendor was already paid, their balance can go below zero and is settled from future sales. Earnings of cancelled or failed orders are dropped from all totals.
Storefold > Commissions shows one row per sold item: the Order, Vendor, Product, Item total, what the Vendor keeps, what You keep, the Status and the Date.
Commission statuses:
To filter, choose a vendor and a status, set the From and To dates and click Filter. Click Export CSV to download the filtered rows for your accountant. The rule used for each row is saved with it, so later setting changes never rewrite history.
Vendors request a payout from Payouts in their dashboard. Requests show under Storefold > Withdrawals, with the vendor, amount, method, the payout details the vendor entered, the request date and the status. Use Pending, Paid, Rejected and All to switch views.
Type a short reason in Reason if rejecting and click Reject. Nothing leaves the vendor's balance and the vendor is emailed the reason.
Tick pending requests, choose Mark as paid or Reject in the dropdown above the table and click Apply to selected. You see how many were processed and how many failed. A withdrawal can never be paid twice, even with a double click or two admins at the same time.
Storefold has two payout methods. Enable one or both under Storefold > Settings > Payouts > How vendors can get paid. In both cases you send the money yourself outside the plugin and then mark the withdrawal as paid.
| Method | What the vendor enters in their dashboard settings | What you do |
|---|---|---|
| PayPal | PayPal email address | Send the amount to that PayPal address, then mark the request as paid with the transaction reference. |
| Bank transfer | Account holder name, Account number or IBAN, Bank name (required) and Routing, SWIFT, or IFSC code (optional) | Wire the amount to that account, then mark the request as paid with the transfer reference. |
A vendor cannot request a withdrawal until they have chosen a method and completed its details. They can only request what is available, and at least the Minimum withdrawal amount.
Storefold > Announcements posts a message to every vendor. It shows under From the marketplace team on the vendor dashboard overview and in the Announcements section of the dashboard.
Published announcements are listed under Published. Click Delete to remove one.
Customers can rate a store from its store page. Storefold > Reviews (screen title Store reviews) lists every review with the store, customer, rating, review text, status and actions.
Two settings under Storefold > Settings > Storefront control reviews: limit reviews to customers who bought from the store, and hold new and edited reviews until you approve them.
Storefold > Settings holds all marketplace rules on one screen, in six sections. Every option has a short explanation and a Learn more link to the built-in help. Click Save settings at the bottom when you are done.
Commission is calculated per sold item on the item total after coupons, and is never more than the item price. It is never taken from shipping or tax. See the settings reference below for every field and option.
Storefold > Setup wizard (screen title Set up your marketplace) asks four quick questions. Everything can be changed later under Storefold > Settings.
| Preset | New vendor applications | New vendor products |
|---|---|---|
| Strict | You approve each one | Wait for your review |
| Balanced (recommended) | You approve each one | Go live immediately |
| Open | Anyone can sell right away | Go live immediately |
Click Finish and open my marketplace. You land on the overview with the message Your marketplace is set up. Share the "Become a Vendor" page to start inviting sellers.
Storefold > Help and docs (screen title Help and documentation) is the built-in manual. It covers getting started, every setting, managing vendors, orders, commissions and refunds, withdrawals, the vendor dashboard, emails, shortcodes and store pages, security and privacy, and troubleshooting. The Learn more links on the settings screen jump to the matching entry.
Storefold adds ten emails to WooCommerce > Settings > Emails. Each is a regular WooCommerce email: switch it on or off, change the subject, heading and body text, preview it with sample data and send a test.
| Sent to | When | |
|---|---|---|
| Marketplace: new vendor application | You (Recipient(s)) | Someone applies to become a vendor. |
| Marketplace: store approved | The vendor | You approve their store. |
| Marketplace: vendor application rejected | The applicant | You reject an application (with your optional reason). |
| Marketplace: store suspended | The vendor | You suspend their store (with your optional reason). |
| Marketplace: new vendor order | The vendor | A customer has paid for an order with their products. |
| Marketplace: product waiting for review | You | A vendor submits a product that needs approval. |
| Marketplace: product approved | The vendor | You publish a product they submitted for review. |
| Marketplace: withdrawal requested | You | A vendor asks to be paid out. |
| Marketplace: payout sent | The vendor | You mark their withdrawal as paid. |
| Marketplace: payout declined | The vendor | You reject their withdrawal request. |
To edit one:
{store_name} or {order_number}. Leave Body text empty to use the default text.
Vendors work from the Vendor Dashboard page (shortcode [storefold_vendor_dashboard]). It adapts to your theme and works on phones. Logged-out visitors see a login form, and customers who are not vendors see an invitation to apply.
Size: S | M | L, saves, then sets price, sale price, SKU and stock per variation.In vacation mode the store stays visible but its products cannot be bought, and the vacation message shows on the store page and its product pages.
The Add a vendor form at the top of the vendors list creates an approved store for an existing or new account.
The name of the new store. It is shown on the store page, in the store directory and in "Sold by" labels.
When to change it
Fill it in together with Owner email, then click Create approved vendor.
The email of the account that will own the store. An existing account with this email becomes the owner; otherwise a new account is created and emailed a link to set a password.
When to change it
Use the seller's own address. An administrator's email is refused, because administrators cannot become vendors.
The screen of one store, where you rename it and record manual balance adjustments.
The store's display name. Click Save store details to save a new name.
Whether the adjustment adds money to the vendor's balance or takes it away.
The amount to add or deduct. It must be above zero.
A short reason, required. The vendor sees it in their earnings history and it is stored in the ledger.
Filters above the commissions table. Click Filter to apply them; Export CSV downloads the filtered rows.
The dropdown above the withdrawals table applies one decision to every ticked pending request when you click Apply to selected.
The decision applied to the selected pending withdrawals.
When to change it
Send the money for every selected request before you choose Mark as paid.
Write a message that every vendor sees on their dashboard.
All marketplace rules: vendor approval, commission, payouts, storefront, marketplace pages and data. Click Save settings after changes.
Decides whether new sellers can sell right away or wait for you. With manual approval they see a pending screen until you approve them under Storefold > Vendors, and get an email when you do.
When to change it
Keep manual approval unless you trust your audience or review products instead.
Decides whether new vendor products are published at once or wait for your review. Products waiting for review appear under Products with the Pending status and in the Needs your attention list.
When to change it
Choose review when product quality matters more than speed. Edits to already published products stay live either way.
Adds a required checkbox with a link to your seller terms page to the vendor application form. Applicants cannot submit without ticking it.
When to change it
Turn it on when you have written seller terms, and pick the page in Seller terms.
The page with your seller terms that the application form links to. The list holds the published pages of your site.
When to change it
Create a page with your terms first, then choose it here.
How your commission on each sold item is calculated. Your cut is never more than the item price, and it is never taken from shipping or tax.
The percentage you keep, from 0 to 100. Used by the percentage choices of How do you take your cut?.
The amount you keep on every unit sold, in your store currency. Used by the fixed choices of How do you take your cut?.
Who receives the shipping the customer pays. Commission is never taken from shipping. With several vendors in one cart, shipping (and its tax) is split in proportion to each vendor's item total, unless a shipping method reports the exact amount per vendor.
Who receives the sales tax the customer pays. Commission is never taken from tax.
Until the vendor order reaches this status, the commission stays Pending and cannot be withdrawn. Refunds automatically take the matching amount back.
The payout methods vendors can pick in their dashboard settings. You send the money yourself and mark each withdrawal as paid.
When to change it
Enable at least one, or vendors cannot get paid.
Vendors can only request a payout once their available balance reaches this amount, in your store currency.
When to change it
Raise it to keep transfer fees down; set 0 to allow any amount.
Shows "Sold by" with the store name under the product title, a small "by" line in shop listings, and a "Sold by" line in the cart, checkout (classic and block) and order lines. Shoppers can click through to the store page.
When to change it
Turn it off only if you do not want shoppers to see who sells each product.
Only customers with an order from that store can leave a store review.
When to change it
Recommended once you have real orders. It stops fake reviews from people who never bought anything.
New and edited reviews wait under Storefold > Reviews until you approve them. You can hide or delete any review there and see the ones customers reported.
When to change it
Turn it on if you want to read every review before shoppers see it.
The page vendors work from. It must contain the [storefold_vendor_dashboard] shortcode. The Vendor Dashboard page is created on activation. The list holds the pages of your site.
When to change it
Change it only if you built your own page with the shortcode.
The page with the vendor application form. It must contain the [storefold_vendor_registration] shortcode. The Become a Vendor page is created on activation.
When to change it
Change it only if you built your own page with the shortcode.
The page that lists all approved stores. It must contain the [storefold_store_list] shortcode. The Stores page is created on activation.
When to change it
Change it only if you built your own page with the shortcode.
Off: deleting the plugin keeps every table and setting, so reinstalling brings everything back. On: deleting the plugin removes the marketplace tables, settings, the vendor role and the three pages. Data is always kept while another Storefold edition is installed.
When to change it
Leave it off unless you are sure. Commissions and payouts are financial records.
The first question of the four-step wizard. Steps 2 to 4 (commission, payout methods and review preset) are described in the Setup wizard section above.
What kind of marketplace you are building. Choosing Digital downloads makes earnings available when payment is received (order is processing); every other choice makes them available when the order is completed. You can change this later with Vendors earn their money when.
When to change it
Pick the choice closest to what your sellers offer.
Sent to the marketplace team when someone applies to become a vendor.
Turns this email on or off.
The subject line. Leave it empty to use [{site_title}] New vendor application: {store_name}.
The heading at the top of the email. Leave it empty to use "New vendor application".
The main text of this email. Simple HTML is allowed. Leave it empty to use the default text. Placeholders: {site_title}, {site_address}, {site_url}, {store_email}, {store_name}, {vendor_email}, {vendor_phone}, {what_they_sell}, {review_url}.
Extra text shown below the main content.
The format of the email.
Extra addresses that get a copy, comma separated.
Extra addresses that get a hidden copy, comma separated.
Who gets this email, comma separated. Defaults to the site admin email.
When to change it
Add the address of whoever reviews applications.
Sent to a vendor when their store application is approved.
Turns this email on or off.
The subject line. Leave it empty to use Your store {store_name} is approved.
The heading at the top of the email. Leave it empty to use "Welcome aboard!".
The main text of this email. Simple HTML is allowed. Leave it empty to use the default text. Placeholders: {site_title}, {site_address}, {site_url}, {store_email}, {store_name}, {store_url}, {dashboard_url}.
Extra text shown below the main content.
The format of the email.
Extra addresses that get a copy, comma separated.
Extra addresses that get a hidden copy, comma separated.
Sent to a vendor once the customer has paid for an order that includes their products, with the standard WooCommerce order table.
Turns this email on or off. When it is off, vendors are not told about new orders by email.
The subject line. Leave it empty to use New order #{order_number} for {store_name}.
The heading at the top of the email. Leave it empty to use "You have a new order!".
The main text of this email. Simple HTML is allowed. Leave it empty to use the default text. Placeholders: {site_title}, {site_address}, {site_url}, {store_email}, {store_name}, {order_number}, {order_total}, {order_date}, {customer_name}, {order_details}, {orders_url}.
Extra text shown below the main content.
The format of the email.
Extra addresses that get a copy, comma separated.
Extra addresses that get a hidden copy, comma separated.
[storefold_vendor_dashboard]Shows the vendor dashboard. Logged-out visitors see a login form, and customers who are not vendors see an invitation to apply. Created on the **Vendor Dashboard** page on activation.
[storefold_vendor_dashboard][storefold_vendor_registration]Shows the step-by-step vendor application form. Logged-out visitors create their account in the same form. Created on the **Become a Vendor** page on activation.
[storefold_vendor_registration][storefold_store_list]Shows a searchable grid of approved stores with logo, rating and product count, 12 stores per page. Created on the **Stores** page on activation.
[storefold_store_list]Shoppers and sellers see these pages on the front of your site:
/store/store-name/: banner, logo, description, policies, the store's products and its reviews, with a Review this store form (Your rating from 5 stars to 1 star, and Your review). With the purchase rule on, only customers who bought from the store can review it.
No. The customer pays once and sees one order. Vendor sub-orders are created in the background and hidden from the customer account.
No. WooCommerce's own order emails go out for the customer's order only. Each vendor gets one Marketplace: new vendor order email once the order is paid.
The vendor requests a withdrawal from Payouts in their dashboard. You send the money by PayPal or bank transfer and mark the request as paid under Storefold > Withdrawals. Storefold does not send money for you.
Refund the customer's order in WooCommerce as usual, by item, shipping or amount. Storefold copies the refund to the vendor orders it covers and takes the matching amount from each vendor's earnings. You can also click Refund on a vendor order: the refund goes through the customer's order and its payment method, then is copied back to the vendor order.
When the vendor order reaches the status set in Vendors earn their money when (completed, or processing), the commission becomes Earned and goes into their balance. They can request at least the Minimum withdrawal amount and at most their available balance.
No. Vendors work from the Vendor Dashboard page on the front of the site. They only see their own products, orders, coupons and media uploads.
Yes. Your own products and fees stay on the main order and are shown as Marketplace in the Vendor column of the Products list. Your administrator account cannot own a store, though: to test the vendor side, apply with a separate account.
Under WooCommerce > Settings > Emails. Each marketplace email has an editable subject, heading and body text with placeholders, plus a preview. Leave the body empty to use the default text.
Yes. Copy any file from the plugin templates folder to yourtheme/storefold/, keeping the same sub folders, and edit the copy.
Yes. On the Earnings screen of the Vendor Dashboard, vendors can download a CSV file of their own sales and earnings, for all time or a date range. You can export all commissions under Storefold > Commissions with Export CSV.
Yes. Storefold supports HPOS (custom order tables) and the Cart and Checkout blocks.
No. This plugin does not connect to any external service.
Store pages at /store/store-name/ need pretty permalinks. Open Settings > Permalinks and click Save Changes without changing anything. If Plain is selected, choose any other structure. The overview health check shows Plain permalinks break /store/ pages. when this is the cause.
The new vendor order email goes out once the order is paid (Processing or Completed), not for unpaid orders. Check that Marketplace: new vendor order is enabled under WooCommerce > Settings > Emails, and that your site can send email at all (an SMTP plugin helps). If the overview says "Every marketplace email is switched off. Vendors will not hear about new orders.", turn the emails back on.
Earnings become available when the vendor order reaches the status set in Vendors earn their money when. Complete the order, or switch the setting to Payment is received (order is processing) under Storefold > Settings > Commission.
The vendor has not chosen a payout method or left required details empty. Ask them to open Settings in their Vendor Dashboard and enter their PayPal email address, or the account holder, account number or IBAN and bank name for a bank transfer. Make sure the method is enabled under Storefold > Settings > Payouts.
The method the vendor picked is not enabled. Tick PayPal, Bank transfer or both under How vendors can get paid and click Save settings. The overview health check flags "No payout method is enabled, vendors cannot get paid."
The vendor asked for less than the Minimum withdrawal amount or more than their available balance (balance minus requests waiting to be paid). They need to change the amount, or you can lower the minimum under Storefold > Settings > Payouts.
The request was already paid or rejected, for example by another admin or a double click. Open the All view under Storefold > Withdrawals to see its status. A withdrawal can never be paid twice.
You tried to create a store for an administrator account under Add a vendor. Use a separate account for the seller. If the health check says a store is linked to an administrator or shop manager account, delete that store under Storefold > Vendors, or remove the manager role from its owner.
Enter a valid Owner email and a Store name. If the account already owns a store, find it under Storefold > Vendors instead of creating a new one.
Under Adjust balance on a vendor screen, both Amount (above zero) and Reason are required. Fill in both and click Record adjustment again.
The applicant already has a customer account. They should log in, then open the Become a Vendor page again. The form then skips the account step.
Free vs Pro
Storefold Free already runs a full marketplace: vendor applications, store pages, a vendor dashboard, split orders, commissions and PayPal or bank transfer payouts. Pro adds disputes, refund requests, messaging, Stripe Connect payouts, seller plans, staff accounts, vendor shipping, reports and more.
13 of 29 features in Free16 more with Pro
| Feature | Free | Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Vendors and stores | ||
| Vendor application form with your approval | Included | Included |
| Store pages and searchable store directory | Included | Included |
| Front-end vendor dashboard, no wp-admin access | Included | Included |
| Store reviews with moderation and verified buyer label | Included | Included |
| Vacation mode for vendor stores | Included | Included |
| Announcements to all vendors | Included | Included |
| Orders and commissions | ||
| Split orders into one sub-order per vendor | Included | Included |
| Refunds copied to vendor orders and earnings | Included | Included |
| Export commissions to CSV | Included | Included |
| Commission rules per product, vendor and category Free uses one marketplace-wide rule: a percentage, a fixed amount per item, or both. | Limited | Included |
| Payouts | ||
| Withdrawal requests paid by PayPal or bank transfer | Included | Included |
| Automatic vendor payouts with Stripe Connect | Not included | Included |
| Scheduled payout requests every week or month | Not included | Included |
| Hold new earnings for a set number of days | Not included | Included |
| Setup and emails | ||
| Setup wizard and marketplace health checks | Included | Included |
| Editable marketplace emails in WooCommerce Free has 10 marketplace emails. Pro has 22, adding refund, dispute, plan, verification, message and staff emails. | Limited | Included |
| Customer service | ||
| Disputes: customers open a case, you rule and refund | Not included | Included |
| Refund and return requests from the order page | Not included | Included |
| Customer to seller messages | Not included | Included |
| Seller tools | ||
| Seller membership plans, free or paid, with product limits | Not included | Included |
| Staff accounts for vendors with limited permissions | Not included | Included |
| Offers: several vendors can sell the same product | Not included | Included |
| Vendor shipping zones and rates | Not included | Included |
| Identity verification with a verified store badge | Not included | Included |
| Custom questions on the vendor application form | Not included | Included |
| Install the dashboard on phones, with new order alerts | Not included | Included |
| Reports and integrations | ||
| Activity log and CSV vendor import | Not included | Included |
| Marketplace and vendor sales reports with CSV export | Not included | Included |
| Webhooks for Zapier, Make, n8n or your own system | Not included | Included |
Upgrade
Storefold Pro is a separate, standalone edition for larger marketplaces. It contains everything in this free edition and adds more tools. When Pro is active, this free edition stays idle and all your data is kept.