Standalone Checkout Mode

WP Sell Services includes its own built-in checkout system, so you can run a fully independent marketplace without WooCommerce or any other e-commerce plugin.

What Is Standalone Mode?

Standalone mode means your marketplace handles everything on its own – cart, checkout, payments, and orders. No extra plugins needed. It is the default for the free version and the fastest way to get started.

When Should You Use Standalone Mode?

Choose standalone mode if:

• You only sell services (no physical products)
• You want a lightweight, fast checkout experience
• You do not need WooCommerce extensions
• You want fewer plugins on your site

Choose WooCommerce mode if you need access to 100+ payment gateways, WooCommerce extensions like Subscriptions or Bookings, or already run a WooCommerce store.

How It Works for Buyers

1. Buyer browses services and clicks Add to Cart
2. Cart page shows selected services, packages, and add-ons
3. Buyer proceeds to checkout and enters billing details
4. Buyer picks a payment method (Stripe, PayPal, bank transfer, etc.)
5. Buyer clicks Place Order and receives an order confirmation
6. Vendor is notified and work begins

Buyers can purchase services from multiple vendors in a single checkout. Each service becomes its own separate order with independent delivery tracking.

Setting Up Standalone Mode

1. Go to Sell Services > Settings > General
2. Under E-commerce Platform, select Standalone Mode
3. Click Save Changes
4. Go to Settings > Payment Gateways and enable at least one payment gateway
5. Test the full checkout with a sample service

Available Payment Gateways

The free plugin ships with Stripe, PayPal, and Offline (bank transfer) built in. Razorpay is available with Pro.

Gateway	Included In	What It Supports
Stripe	Free	Credit/debit cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay
PayPal	Free	PayPal balance, cards, Venmo
Offline/Bank Transfer	Free	Manual payments you confirm yourself
Razorpay [PRO]	Pro	UPI, cards, net banking, wallets (India)

See Stripe Payments and Other Payment Gateways for setup details, including sandbox and test mode instructions for each gateway.

Test Gateway (Development Only)

When WP_DEBUG is enabled in wp-config.php, a Test Gateway option appears at checkout. It completes payments instantly with no external credentials – useful for testing the full order lifecycle during development or QA. It is automatically hidden on production sites where WP_DEBUG is false.

See Other Payment Gateways for full details.

What the Checkout Page Includes

• Billing details – name, email, address
• Order review – services, prices, and totals
• Payment method selector – choose from your enabled gateways
• Terms and conditions checkbox (optional)
• Place Order button

Standalone vs WooCommerce: Quick Comparison

	Standalone	WooCommerce [PRO]
Extra plugins needed	None	WooCommerce required
Payment gateways	3 built-in + Razorpay [PRO]	100+ via WooCommerce extensions
Checkout speed	Fastest	Good
Physical products	No	Yes
Best for	Pure service marketplaces	Stores that also sell products

Switching Between Modes

You can switch at any time from Settings > General. A few things to keep in mind:

• Finish active orders first. Existing orders stay in the system they were created in.
• Reconfigure payment gateways after switching, since each mode uses its own gateways.
• Test checkout thoroughly after any switch.

What Buyers and Vendors See

Vendors get a dashboard with:

• Incoming orders and delivery management
• Service listings and editing
• Earnings tracking and withdrawal requests
• Messaging with buyers

Buyers get:

• Order history and active order tracking
• Messaging with vendors
• Profile and account settings

Related Docs

• Stripe Payments – Card payments setup
• Other Payment Gateways – PayPal, Razorpay, offline
• WooCommerce Checkout [PRO] – WooCommerce integration
• Currency and Tax – Financial settings