Why a buyer's payment failed

What to tell your buyer

1. Check the card details and try again.
2. Try another card or payment method, if Stripe's page offers one.
3. Ask their bank whether it blocked the payment. Only the bank can say why.

You can't retry a payment for them, and neither can we.

See what happened

Failed payments aren't in Orders. Dockstall only creates an order after a payment succeeds. To look one up:

1. Open Payouts and click Open Stripe dashboard.
2. Find the attempt in your payments list.

Why payments fail

Stripe explains in its guide to declines that a payment can fail in these ways:

• The buyer's bank declined it. Reasons include insufficient funds or a lost card. Stripe shares the reason it receives, but it may be limited.
• Stripe blocked it as too risky. Stripe's fraud tools decide this. If a rule you set up blocked a real buyer, Stripe explains how to allow them.

We can't override either one.

Messages buyers can see on Dockstall

These appear before Stripe's page opens:

• "This seller hasn't finished setting up payments yet." Stripe isn't active on your account. Check Payouts.
• "Stripe couldn't start the checkout. Please try again." Ask them to try again. If it keeps happening, write to us.
• "Please confirm the digital-content consent to continue." They need to tick the box at checkout.
• "Sold out" or "This item isn't available right now." Check your product's copies and state.
• "Someone is completing this payment right now." A one-time payment link has a checkout open. Ask them to try again in about 30 minutes.

"It says declined, but my bank shows a charge"

Stripe explains that with a blocked payment, some cards can briefly show an authorization. Stripe doesn't take the money, and the bank usually removes it within a few days. Ask them to check with their bank.

If a buyer has a real charge and can't find their purchase, see I didn't get my confirmation email.

Who pays

You pay no Dockstall fee on a failed payment, because our fee only applies to paid orders. A Stripe charge for a failed attempt would be Stripe's to confirm, in your Stripe dashboard.