Every listing belongs to an order type, and every order type has a transaction type: the model of the sale. A marketplace of craftspeople, one of home services and one of downloadable patterns differ first by this choice.
The five transaction types
| Transaction type | What changes hands | On the listing | Payment | Shipping | Calendar |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Contact only | Nothing, on the marketplace: the buyer contacts the seller | No button to buy or book | — | — | — |
| Services | A service, a booking, a rental | Book, with a date or a period on the seller’s calendar | Yes | — | The seller’s availability |
| Events | A place on a date set by the seller | Pick one of the seller’s dates | Yes | — | The seller’s dates |
| Products | A physical item | Add to the cart | Yes | Yes | — |
| Digital Assets | A file | Buy, then download | Yes | — | — |
Choose
Answer the questions in order; the first “yes” gives your transaction type.
- Is nothing paid on the marketplace? Buyers and sellers agree between themselves, as with classified ads or a directory → Contact only.
- Is a file delivered once paid? A template, a photo, a course to download → Digital Assets.
- Is a physical item shipped or picked up? → Products.
- Does the seller set fixed dates that buyers pick from? A workshop, a class, a trip → Events.
- Is it a service or a rental, booked on the seller’s availability? By the hour, by the day, by the night → Services.
A quote is not a transaction type: in the guided setup, Quote request creates a Contact only order type, on which buyers write to the seller to ask for a price.
Where the transaction type is set
- In the menu, under , click , then Order types, in the Sales & catalog group.
- Open the order type. On the Transactions tab, under Choose transaction type, click a card.
- Save.
Buyers and sellers get in touch; nothing is paid on the marketplace (Craigslist-like). Services
Bookings, rentals and services, on the seller’s availability (Airbnb or Fiverr-like). Events
Workshops, classes, trips: the seller sets the dates in advance and the customer picks one (Meetup or Eventbrite-like). Products
Physical goods, with a cart and shipping (Etsy-like). Digital Assets
Files the buyer downloads once paid (Creative Market-like).
The sections below the cards follow your choice: Products selling options (cart, shipping, weight, SKU) for Products and Digital Assets, Booking / Rental options (calendar, single date or period) for Services, Event options for Events. The sections of the other types fold away behind a line that says so; what they hold is kept.
Several models on one marketplace
Depending on your plan, Settings › Order types lists several order types, each with its own transaction type: products and services side by side, for example. Add new order type creates one.
On an order type, the Categories tab chooses the listing categories it applies to, and the User groups tab the groups whose members can use it. When a seller creates a listing, the form takes the order type of the category chosen. See Manage different types of transactions.
What your users see
The transaction type sets what a listing offers on the storefront: no button for Contact only, a booking calendar, a list of dates, an Add to cart button or a download once paid. The exact look depends on your theme. Sellers see the matching fields in their listing form: shipping and weight for products, the file for digital assets, the calendar for services.
Edge cases and limits
- Changing the transaction type of an order type that already has listings and orders is allowed. Orders keep the type they were placed with; listings follow the new one.
- Events is a variant of Services: the seller states the dates. It cannot be chosen when the Advanced Calendar app manages the order type.
- Rental is a Services order type whose buyers choose a period rather than a single date.
- Stock is set on the Quantity tab, for every transaction type: see Stock and quantity management.