SELLER FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Why would I want to use Barn2Door?
Farmers use Barn2door to save time, increase orders, and promote their brand, by offering their customers a consistent, convenient buying experience—with real-time inventory—across all digital channels (web, mobile, social and email).
We help you give your customers the simple, online experience they have come to expect. Customers can order whenever they want, and Farmers can readily manage all direct-to-consumer and direct-to-wholesale sales, fulfillment and marketing through a simple online interface.
How much does it cost?
- All of our pricing is transparent and published on the web at www.barn2door.com/pricing. You can choose either a monthly pay-as-you-go subscription, or an annual subscription (save up to 20% over monthly pricing). Pricing varies based on the plan that makes the most sense for your Farm!
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Standard Plan : Provides a stand-alone Farm-branded web Store and ordering experience to use as-is and integrate into your Channels (website, social, email, newsletter). We can integrate the web Store into an existing website if you have one, but a website is not needed. The Standard Plan includes a dedicated Onboarding Manager for the first 2 months to help make it easy to get started, including setting up your Store (adding your inventory, logistics and customer details). We’re here to help you save time. -
Plus Plan : Designed for Farmers seeking a custom designed Farm-branded website and web Store experience to facilitate ordering across web, mobile, social and email. In addition to an Onboarding Manager the first 2 months, the Plus Plan includes a dedicated Account Manager that will meet with you at regular intervals (typically monthly), to help you implement best practices to increase sales, access more local customers and save time. Plus Plan customers also accrue2 Service Hours every year to custom tailor your Farm-branded assets and content. -
Premium Plan : Designed for Farmers seeking to build a strong brand presence on every Channel and real-time Chat support for their customers. The Premium Plan includes a Farm-branded website, web Store, and live! Chat support 40 hours per week to ‘staff’ your Store and answer your customers questions as they shop. The Premium Plan includes an Onboarding Manager, Account Manager and accrue8 Service Hours every year to utilize for seasonal updates, social assets and / or embedded video. - See our Pricing Overview for more specific details and features offered with each plan, including a one-time set-up fee that range from $299 (Standard), $399 (Plus), to $499 (Premium).
Will this take a lot of time to set up?
No! We can typically build and launch your Farm-branded web Store in days (depending on how quickly you give us information!) - and integrate easy ordering from your Farm across web, social, email and newsletter Channels. At that point you can start invoicing customers and / or customers can begin ordering on their own!
Once your Store is ‘open for business’, we shift to building out access across your Channels (website, email, social, newsletter). For Plus and Premium subscribers we dive into building your custom Farm-branded website, newsletter template and other design assets by the end of month 2.
While we are a software company, we are a relationship-driven Company. We are here to support and serve our Farmers; we are here for the long-haul. This means let’s invest together in your Success. We help with the ‘heavy lifting’ upfront, to get you setup so you can hit the ground running. We then train you on how to readily manage inventory, customers and logistics. Much of the marketing is automated and streamlined --- so you can start with setting up ‘little to no time marketing’ and ratchet it up based on your Farm’s goals for customer engagement and growth.
Our Team is here for you at the beginning and every step of the way: from Interns helping with setup to Engineers developing new features, an Onboarding Manager to get you started, and ongoing support and services from our Designers, Copyeditors, Support team (helpdesk, Chat) and your Account Manager…. We’ve got your back!
Our Team is on your Team.
How do I get started?
You can Sign Up directly online—create an account (email and password), then choose the plan that works for your business. You can immediately start building your Farm’s web Store and access our online Learning Center, which includes help articles and video-based training to do-it-yourself. That said, an Onboarding Manager will contact you after Sign Up to arrange a personal 1-on-1 orientation call - and schedule weekly training calls with you for up to 2 months.
If you want to learn more before signing up, you can click here to Watch a Demo, and a Barn2Door Farm Account Executive will personally assist you. Each Farm Account Executive is dedicated to a specific state or territory; she / he can learn more about your Farm, answer your questions 1-on-1, and share examples of other Farms we service that are similar to yours.
What other Farms use Barn2Door?
We work with Farmers, fishers, foragers and ranchers all across the United States. We are the largest end-to-end ecommerce solution designed exclusively for Farmers to manage direct sales and marketing to their customers.
We regularly publish Farmer Spotlights to feature Barn2Door customers, all selling different products in different ways! They’re definitely worth a read, to see how we’re helpful depending on the Farm’s priorities.
Are there fees in addition to the monthly subscription?
Yes, there is a one-time setup fee applied based on the plan you select. This cost relates directly to the work needed to configure your account. See our Pricing Overview for more specific details and features offered with each plan, including one-time setup fees that range from $299 (Standard), $399 (Plus), to $499 (Premium).
How do my customers pay?
Customers can shop as a "Guest" or choose to "Sign Up" to manage their profile and order history. There is no cost for customers to sign up. Your customers can pay online with credit card (Visa, Mastercard, Discover, Diners Club, and American Express) or ACH (direct bank-to-bank transfer). Money is processed and then deposited directly into your account (we never take possession or delay your payments).
Do you markup prices?
No! We do not markup the prices of Farmers’ products (we figure: Your food? Your profits!). And, Buyers do not pay any service or member fees. Farmers list their prices and Buyers pay the listed price. Clean and simple ---- just like we like our food!
Can I implement a surcharge for purchases via credit card?
Unfortunately, no. While a few states do permit Sellers to pass on credit card fees, the vast majority of states do not. Further, the card issuers also implement additional restrictions for the use of their card brands (e.g. AMEX, Mastercard, VISA). To comply, credit card fees through Barn2Door are paid by the Sellers.
What we were able to do is build in the option for Buyers to “opt in” to pay credit card fees for a Farm (effectively a 3% tip)! This is permitted in every state and by all the card issuers. We have found this opt-in model to be incredibly valuable for many Farmers, who have lowered their overall effective card rates substantially (e.g. if half of your Buyers opt-in to cover your card fees, then your effective credit card rate would be less than 1.5%).
Do you collect and remit taxes on my sales?
No. Each seller on the Barn2Door platform is responsible for collecting and remitting taxes to their respective taxing authorities on gross sales.
The tax regimes vary dramatically from state-to-state (and county-to-county) based on the products, categories and how a sale is consummated. Given the complexity of city, county, state and federal tax regimes (and the high degree of variation from state-to-state), we do offer an integration to TaxJar, which inputs tax amounts into the shopping experience and provides a tax filing service to Farmers. Note, you will need to sign-up for a separate TaxJar account for this service to be available for your Farm (see www.taxjar.com/pricing for details on their plans).
How do I accept payments?
Barn2Door uses Stripe for payment processing, payouts to sellers, and to support payment-related transactions such as refunds. Barn2Door utilizes Stripe (for credit cards, refunds etc.) and Plaid (ACH authorizations and payments), which are fully integrated into our back-end; no separate login or account is required for your Farm.
Customer Credit Card and ACH purchases are processed through the Barn2Door experience and money is routed directly into your bank account. You can track deposits, charge variable pricing, and remit partial or full refunds (on the Orders tab of your Barn2Door account). Farmers are responsible for collecting and tracking paper check(s) and cash payments.
What is Stripe?
Stripe is the partner we use to process credit card transactions; they are a standard payment solution across large online marketplaces and ecommerce sites. Stripe is a certified Level 1 Service provider—the most stringent certification regarding security, privacy and compliance.
To learn more about Stripe, see www.stripe.com/about
How long does it take for payments to post to my bank account?
- All payments are managed directly by our processor—Stripe. Monies are deposited directly into your bank account—Barn2Door never takes possession of your funds. Timing varies depending on the payment method. Typically:
- Credit Cards: Timing can range from 24 to 48 hours. If you are deemed a credit risk, in some cases the Issuing Bank may hold funds longer until your volume increases. As your volume increases and credit risk decreases, your payment timeframe will shorten.
- Debit Cards: Timing can range from 24 hours to 5 days.
- ACH: Typically post in 24 hours.
- Payments are deposited in batches on a rolling basis. For more information from Stripe on topic, see: Stripe Payout Schedule.
What do you mean when you say you help "automate marketing" for Farmers?
Digital marketing is where we thrive. We know "marketing" is key to Farmers’ success, and we aim to make it as easy as possible for Farmers to stay top-of-mind, with regular direct marketing. Staying top-of-mind and regularly engaging customers leads to more frequent orders and if done right, builds customer loyalty (leading to consistent, frequent sales and customer commitment).
We help Farmers ‘setup’ marketing and promote a consistent brand experience across all Channels, including access to order. Farmers need to be where their customers love to shop—web, mobile, social, or email---as each customer has their own habits and preferences! We help Farmers optimize all Channels with their brand and easy access to order.
For websites this means including clear CTA’s, SEO and best practices for customer navigation. While a website is key for ‘landing’ and shopping, social and email channels are better for ongoing marketing---which leads to ongoing sales. Here, we help automate and streamline marketing activities and actions. For example through Barn2Door, Farmers can instrument automated order reminders and one-click sharing on social Channels.
Through your Barn2Door account you can quickly, regularly engage customers through group emails, custom newsletters, individual messages and social marketing. Each Farmer in our Plus or Premium plans has a dedicated Farm Account Manager to work with and strategize ongoing, best direct marketing practices specific to their Farm’s needs, whether a Farmer wants to maximize orders with existing customers or reach new customers (hint: lists matter!).
Can I use Barn2door to sell to both wholesale and consumers (with different prices)?
Yes! you can manage multiple pricing sheets—and determine what customers see what price for any given item. Cool, right? This includes but is not limited to different pricing and delivery options for retail, wholesale, and private pricing for specific customer(s).
I already have a website but my customers cannot currently place orders on my website. Can you help with that?
Yes! We can help you set up a Farm-branded web Store that can integrate with your existing website, social properties, email and newsletters.
If you’re looking to up-level your website (a design lift) or want a new website, we recommend our Plus or Premium plan. In either case, we can work with your existing website, or build you a new one.
I already sell food on my website. Why do I need Barn2Door?
Selling food and marketing takes way more than just a website. In fact, 40% of all purchases are made across multiple channels (including a website). That said, we do recommend having a website---ideally optimized for sales and ideally including not just a standard ecommerce solution but one built specifically for Farmers. Does your website come with an Onboarding Manager, a Team dedicated to your Farm’s success and Chat staffed for your Buyers?
We deliver a Farm-branded buying experience across all Channels - including the web, social, email and newsletters - to help you increase orders, access more local customers and save time. Today’s Buyers expect a consistent and convenient buying experience on every Channel and every device - and we can help.
Our software isn’t just a standard online store, built generically for a broad range of industries and Sellers. Barn2Door is specifically built for Farmers selling direct-to-consumer and direct-to-wholesale, who manage varying fulfillment options (pickup, delivery, shipping) across unique schedules and product categories. Farmers’ selling needs go well beyond ‘generic’ and are far from one size fits all!
Barn2Door is focused solely on the needs of Farmers --- not any other industry --- so we build software to support the unique product, fulfillment, marketing and payment needs Farmers have, to successfully and easily sell direct. For example: microgreens need to be sold before being planted, custom meats require deposits in advance (patent-pending technology!), CSA orders might be up-front or pay-as-you-go and chefs want weekly ordering on auto-pilot! Learn How it Works.
Additionally, a Barn2Door Entrepreneur, Business, and Scale subscription includes a dedicated Account Manager who will meet with you regularly, 1-on-1 to help you implement best practices to access more customers and improve buyer conversion.
Do you offer any special programs for US Veterans?
Yes. For US veterans, we first want to thank you for your service. In honor of your time and commitment, we offer a $100 refund on your initial setup fee with a Barn2Door annual subscription for members of the Farm Veteran Coalition (read about our partnership here)
We will also donate one month of your annual subscription to FVC to support their efforts to promote careers in agriculture for veterans!
Which countries and currencies are usable with Barn2Door?
For now, Barn2Door is available only across the United States (including Alaska and Hawaii). We look forward to expanding to additional countries and currencies!
What happens to my old website and URL (if I get a new one with Barn2Door)?
You own your URL (www.yourfarm.com), in the same way you own your phone number. For example, if you move houses, you can keep your phone number. Our team does the work to move your domain from your current (old) website and transfer it to your new custom-built website (with Barn2Door). We also make sure that you keep any custom emails you may have (farmer@yourfarm.com), and work to transfer any accrued search engine optimization (SEO).
We also connect powerful analytics tools to your website to track your web traffic over time. We can generate heat maps of website navigation. This allows us over time to audit your website Channel, and make adjustments if need be, to optimize your website for orders (9 in 10 visitors go to your website to shop / self-service ordering). A dedicated Barn2Door Account Manager will review analytics from time to time, and can make recommendations to tweak navigation or user experience, if needed.
What happens if I terminate my Barn2Door subscription?
If you elect to cancel your Barn2Door subscription, your cancellation will be effective 30 days after written notice is submitted online at www.barn2door.com/contact - as set forth in our our Terms of Use.
All of your Customer data and Order data is available for you to download into a *.CSV file at anytime while your subscription is still active. We encourage you to download all of your data prior to the effective date of termination. Thereafter, your data will no longer be accessible.
As of your effective date of termination, we will delete your website. Unfortunately, your website is non-transferrable - it is not possible to move a website subscription from one site to another. However, you can export certain content from your website into a *.XML file that may be useful if you elect to build a new website (e.g. WordPress or another Content Management System). Note many features and capabilities native in the website will not transfer (including SEO, navigation, the Store etc.), so plan ahead to design a completely new site.
While your termination of Barn2Door subscription will end your use of your website and commerce capabilities, you will still be liable for any third-party subscriptions that you may have integrated - including your DNS, GSuite or Office365, MailChimp, Quickbooks, TaxJar or others.