Spark Payments Billing for Retailers

Some suppliers on the Spark Vendor Portal bill their retailers through Spark Payments. If one of your vendors does, a Billing menu appears in your top bar once they propose billing terms to you. This is separate from your Spark Shipping subscription invoices.

To accept terms, add payment methods or pay, your team role needs permission to manage billing.

Overview

Billing > Overview lists each vendor that bills you, with your terms status, balance owed, next due date, past-due amount, any amount held while you question it, and your tax certificate status.

It also lists Orders on billing hold. These orders came back from the vendor with a billing Order Error. The reason is one of: Billing not set up, Card declined, Card hold lapsed, Payment method unavailable, Account past due, Credit limit reached, Exemption certificate missing or Vendor payments unavailable. Fix the cause (accept terms, update the card, pay the past-due invoice or upload a certificate), then reprocess the order in Spark Shipping.

Accept a vendor's terms

1. Go to Billing > Terms and open the vendor.
2. Review the terms: billing mode, net days, how invoices are issued and paid, currency, accepted payment methods, the vendor's card or bank fees, sales tax, credit limit, late fee and holds.
3. Choose a Payment method and click Accept terms.

Two billing modes are possible:

• Per order: your card is authorized when an order routes to the vendor and charged when it ships. Only cards can be used.
• Net terms: shipped orders are invoiced. Depending on the vendor's terms, invoices are paid automatically with your payment method as they're issued, or you pay each one from the portal.

To switch cards later, pick another method and click Use this method. End relationship stops billing with that vendor. Each term change the vendor makes is listed under Change history.

Payment methods

Billing > Payment Methods is your wallet, shared across vendors. Add a card or bank account, give it a nickname, and see which vendors use it. A bank account may need to be verified first: two small deposits arrive in 1 to 2 business days. Click Verify deposits next to the account (or use the link in the email) to confirm them. You can use the account once it is verified. To retire a method a vendor still uses, use Replace and remove.

Fill in Billing details as well. Vendors use your Home state to decide which tax certificates you need.

Invoices

Billing > Invoices lists invoices from all your vendors. Pick a vendor to see your statement with them: opening balance, invoices, late fees, payments, credits and closing balance, plus an aging summary.

On an invoice:

• Pay now: pay the amount due (without any questioned lines), the full balance, or another amount. Paying with a different method doesn't change your default for that vendor.
• Question a line: add a note and click Send question. That amount is held until the vendor responds. Autopay skips it and you can pay the rest.

Tax certificates

If a vendor collects sales tax in your state, they may need a resale or exemption certificate before selling to you tax-free. On Billing > Tax Certificates, click Upload a certificate under the vendor, enter the details exactly as printed on the form, and click Send for review. The vendor accepts or rejects it.

Upload one per vendor, because a certificate names the seller. You're warned when a certificate is about to expire.

Transactions

Billing > Transactions lists every charge, refund, credit and payment with your vendors. It shows the last 90 days unless you pick dates. Filter by vendor and with the From and To dates, and click Export CSV to download the list. Card payments link to their receipt.