Payments — Connecting Stripe
Before you can take a single card payment, TimberCloud needs to be connected to Stripe — the company that actually moves the money and pays it out to your bank. The Settings → Payments page is the one place you do that: connect your account, watch its status, and jump to the Stripe dashboard when you need it.
Navigation: Settings → Payments
Availability: Commerce and up (paid plans). The Free plan is inquiry-only and cannot take online payments — it shows an upgrade prompt here instead.
Why connect Stripe
TimberCloud uses Stripe Connect. That means you get your own Stripe account, and payments flow straight into it — TimberCloud never holds your money, and never sees or stores your customers' card numbers or your bank details. You are redirected to Stripe to enter your business details securely, then sent back here.
Connecting Stripe unlocks the money side of TimberCloud:
- Card payments at checkout on your storefront and hosted website
- Direct Order selling mode (customers pay when they order, instead of just requesting a quote)
- Payment links — email a customer a secure Stripe checkout link to pay an invoice
- Recording card payments against orders from the dashboard
Until Stripe is connected, your storefront can still collect quote requests — it just can't collect money.
Connection states
The Payments page always shows one clear status badge for your account. Here is what each one means and what to do next.
| Status | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Not connected | No Stripe account is linked yet. | Click Activate Stripe to begin. |
| Setup incomplete | You started connecting but didn't finish Stripe's onboarding. | Click Continue Stripe setup to pick up where you left off. |
| Under review | You submitted your details and Stripe is verifying them. | Wait — payments unlock automatically when the review clears, usually within a few minutes. |
| Connected | Your account is active and ready to accept payments. | You're done. Use Manage on Stripe to reach your dashboard any time. |
Note: "Under review" is normal and short. You don't need to do anything — the page updates on its own once Stripe finishes checking your business.
Activating Stripe
- Go to Settings → Payments.
- Click Activate Stripe. You'll be redirected to Stripe.
- Enter your business details, bank account for payouts, and any documents Stripe asks for.
- When you finish, Stripe sends you back to TimberCloud and the status updates.
That's it. Once the badge reads Connected, your checkout and payment links are live.
Any time after that, the Manage on Stripe / Open Stripe Dashboard button takes you to your own Stripe dashboard, where you can see payouts, refunds, and transaction history.
Test mode vs. your live account
TimberCloud has a test mode so you can rehearse the whole payment flow with fake "test" cards before real money is ever involved. This is great for learning the ropes — but there is one rule you must understand:
Important: Test and live are completely separate Stripe accounts, and they can't be shared. If you activate Stripe while test mode is on, you create a test account. When you turn test mode off to take real payments, you'll need to activate Stripe again with a separate live account.
While you're in test mode, the Payments page shows an amber banner making this clear, and it asks you to confirm before it starts test onboarding. The status badge and buttons say "test account" so you always know which world you're in.
The practical takeaway: do your experimenting in test mode, then when you're ready to sell for real, turn test mode off and run the activation once more to connect your live account.
Trials can take real payments
Being inside your 14-day trial does not stop you from charging real customers. As long as three things are true, live charges work normally:
- Your Stripe account is connected and activated (status: Connected),
- That account is your live account (not a test one), and
- Test mode is off.
There is no separate "go live" switch beyond finishing Stripe onboarding — a trialing shop with a connected live account and test mode off is fully able to sell.
Next Steps
- Storefront Settings — switch to Direct Order selling once Stripe is connected
- Payment Terms & Taxes — deposits, net terms, and tax on paid orders
- Company Settings — business identity that appears on receipts and invoices
- Shop Settings — units, build sheets, stations, and labels