What it costs to start, and how to fund your account

What you pay to join

Nothing.

You can sign up, connect a store, browse the app and get products priced without paying anything.

What you pay per order

One number: what the order costs. Product, plus shipping to your customer.

Order processing is already included in the prices you are quoted. There is no separate handling fee, no per-order surcharge added at the end, and no pick and pack line. The price you are quoted is the price that comes off your balance.

You are charged per parcel shipped, not per product listed. A catalogue of two hundred products you have not sold costs you nothing.

No, you do not buy stock up front

This is the question underneath most of the others, so let us be plain about it.

Sourcing on demand is the default. An order arrives, we buy that item, we ship it. You are never asked to buy inventory before you have sold it, and there is no minimum quantity to start selling a product.

Holding stock in our warehouse is an option later. It ships faster and usually prices better, and plenty of merchants move a proven product onto stock once it is selling. But it is a choice you make after the product works, never a condition of starting.

How the balance works

Peregrine runs on a prepaid balance. You add funds, and we deduct as orders ship.

Why prepaid. Your goods are bought and shipped from China before any money reaches us from your customer. The balance is what lets an order move the moment it lands, instead of waiting on a payment cycle.

What you will see. Two numbers in the top bar: Available and Occupied. Available is spendable. Occupied is reserved against orders in progress and has not been spent. ReadAvailable and Occupiedbefore your first order, because the first time money moves into Occupied it looks alarming and it is completely normal.

Adding funds

Use the + in the top bar, or Top up balance on the Billing screen.

Both card and bank transfer are supported. Card is quicker and suits smaller amounts. Bank transfer suits larger ones. Bank details are shown in the app.

Note we do not use PayPal.

Card is instant, has a $100 minimum, and carries a 3.4% plus $0.30 processing fee on top of what you credit. Bank transfer has no fee.

Bank transfers take time to clear and do not clear at weekends. If you are funding ahead of a busy weekend, send it during the week.

How much to start with

Enough to cover the orders you expect, plus a margin. Not more.

Work it out rather than guessing: take the landed cost of your product, multiply by the orders you expect in your first week or two, and add some headroom. For most people testing one product, that is a small number, and there is no advantage to putting in more.

Once you are running, the Avg cost per order card on the Billing screen gives you a real figure. Multiply by expected volume and you have your top-up.

Small accounts are normal. Starting with a modest balance does not mark you out or change your service.

Keep the balance ahead of your orders

If Available reaches zero, new orders cannot be funded and they will not ship. Money in Occupied cannot cover them, because it is already committed.

Two habits:

Getting money back out

Unused balance is not locked in. Ask support and it is returned by bank transfer.

Worth knowing before you fund the account rather than after, so here it is plainly: it is your money, and it comes back if you do not use it.

Frequently asked

Is there a monthly subscription? Not to use the service. Plans exist, and what changes at each tier is covered in the plans article.

Do I need a registered company? No.

I topped up and my balance has not changed. Card should be quick. Bank transfer takes time and does not clear at weekends. If a card top-up has not landed after a short wait, message support with the reference before trying again.

Are there hidden fees? No. The quoted price includes processing. Storage is free while stock is moving, and the one exception is inStorage.