This Escrow & Payment Disclosure (“Disclosure”) explains how payment-related terminology is used on PRE-ORDER, how payment processing is expected to work, and, in particular, what PRE-ORDER does and does not mean when words such as “held”, “reserved”, “pending”, “deposit”, “prepayment”, “release”, “settlement” or “escrow” appear in a user interface, transaction document, technical description or communication.
This Disclosure is intended to prevent users from assuming that PRE-ORDER itself holds money as a bank, payment institution, electronic-money institution, trustee or escrow agent. B2C card payments are planned through Stripe; the agreed B2B model envisages conditional holding of prepayments by a separate licensed payment partner, subject to the provider’s acceptance, supported countries and binding terms. This Disclosure should be read with the Terms of Service, Platform Terms, Buyer Agreement, Seller Agreement, Payment & Prepayment Policy, Refund & Cancellation Policy and the applicable B2B Collection Agreement.
Important disclosure
- PRE-ORDER Europe EOOD operates the digital Platform but does not itself provide a regulated escrow service.
- B2C pre-orders are intended to be paid in full through Stripe. B2B prepayments are intended to be paid and conditionally held through a separately contracted licensed payment partner once that service is available for the particular transaction.
- Money that is authorised, pending, delayed, reserved, safeguarded, allocated or not yet paid out within a payment provider’s infrastructure is not thereby money held in escrow by PRE-ORDER.
- The Seller identified in the listing or order remains the seller of the Product and the party responsible for fulfilment, cancellation and refunds under the Product Contract, subject to mandatory law.
- No B2B conditional-holding service is deemed operational merely because a provider is being evaluated. Before payment, the actual provider, supported payment method, safeguarding arrangements, release/refund triggers, fees and applicable terms must be disclosed.
1. Operator and purpose
1.1 The PRE-ORDER Platform is operated by “PRE-ORDER Europe” EOOD, UIC/EIK 208904127, registered at Arthur Residential Complex, Block C, Floor 3, Apartment C44, 8229 Sveti Vlas, Nessebar Municipality, Burgas District, Bulgaria (“PRE-ORDER”, “Operator”, “we”, “us” or “our”).
1.2 PRE-ORDER provides innovative digital infrastructure for fashion pre-orders, business-to-business sourcing, communications, order management and payment coordination for Brands, B2B Buyers and B2C Customers. This Disclosure applies to payment arrangements made available through those services.
1.3 The purpose of this Disclosure is transparency. It does not itself replace the terms of Stripe, a bank, card issuer, Seller or other regulated payment participant, and it does not create a payment, deposit-taking, trust or escrow service by PRE-ORDER.
2. Transaction structure and parties
2.1 Unless the checkout expressly identifies a different lawful arrangement, the Product Contract is concluded directly between the identified Seller and the Buyer. PRE-ORDER provides intermediation and technical services and may facilitate the transmission of payment instructions.
2.2 The Seller determines or approves the Product price, production terms and payment schedule applicable to its Product, subject to Platform rules and mandatory law. The Buyer pays according to the payment model displayed before the relevant payment obligation is created.
2.3 Stripe is the intended payment processor for B2C transactions. For B2B transactions, a separate licensed payment or electronic-money partner is intended to process receipt, conditional holding, release, refund and payout of funds if and when an agreed service is activated. Each provider acts within its own licences, agreements and applicable law.
2.4 The Buyer’s bank, card issuer, card scheme, payment method provider, correspondent bank or currency-conversion provider may also participate in the payment chain. Their processing times and rules are not controlled by PRE-ORDER.
3. What “escrow” means – and what PRE-ORDER does not provide
3.1 In legal and financial usage, an escrow arrangement generally involves money or assets being held by a neutral third party under defined conditions and released when specified conditions are satisfied. The exact legal meaning and regulatory requirements depend on the jurisdiction and structure.
3.2 PRE-ORDER is not an escrow agent and does not promise that Buyer funds are deposited into a legal escrow account maintained by PRE-ORDER. PRE-ORDER does not accept Buyer money into its ordinary corporate bank account for the purpose of holding it as trustee or escrow holder for a transaction.
3.3 A payment flow can delay a charge, delay a payout, place an amount in a provider reserve, or keep an amount in a pending provider balance without creating an escrow relationship with PRE-ORDER.
3.4 Labels such as “escrow”, “funds held”, “wallet balance” or “release” must reflect the actual regulated service and verified payment status. A provider-controlled wallet or conditional payment is not automatically a legally defined escrow account, and a card authorisation is not a months-long deposit. No screen or communication may describe an uncollected amount as money already paid.
3.5 Any applicable protection for funds, insolvency treatment, entitlement to a wallet balance or conditional release arises solely from the relevant licensed provider’s legal and contractual framework. Users should review that provider’s specific terms before relying on such protection; PRE-ORDER does not itself guarantee the funds.
4. Role of B2C and B2B payment providers
4.1 Stripe is the selected B2C payment provider. A separate licensed B2B provider (under evaluation, potentially Mangopay or Lemonway) is intended for conditional prepayments; no named B2B provider is integrated or committed merely by being mentioned here. Availability depends on the completed agreement, supported jurisdictions, currencies, onboarding and payment methods.
4.2 Stripe may provide B2C card payment, authentication, security, refund and dispute services. An activated B2B provider may perform business verification, wallet or payment-account administration, receipt and safeguarding of funds, conditional release, payouts and refunds as permitted by its own regulatory model and transaction terms.
4.3 PRE-ORDER may transmit payment instructions, show provider-confirmed payment and wallet statuses, receive secure notifications, reconcile transactions and request release or refunds where authorised. PRE-ORDER does not itself operate user payment accounts or hold deposits in its corporate account.
4.4 Before a user becomes bound, the payment flow should identify the actual provider, payee, payment method, charge amount, fees, status terminology and relevant provider terms, including the conditions and deadlines for any B2B held funds.
5. Meaning of common payment statuses
5.1 Payment terminology can describe different technical and legal events. A status shown by PRE-ORDER is a user-facing representation of information available from the payment infrastructure and transaction workflow.
Authorised / reserved
An authorisation means payment capacity may be temporarily reserved by a bank or card issuer; funds have not necessarily been collected. Ordinary card authorisations expire and must not be represented as an effective long-term B2B prepayment or conditional wallet balance.
Pending
A pending status may mean that authentication, bank processing, capture, settlement, verification, risk review or another provider event has not yet completed. The precise meaning depends on the payment method and provider record.
Paid / captured
A paid or captured status generally indicates that a charge has been completed in the payment system. It does not necessarily mean that the Seller has already received a payout in its bank account.
Held / reserved / delayed payout
These expressions may refer to a provider-controlled balance or delayed payout. The Platform may show “funds held for this order” only after the relevant provider confirms that money has actually been received and is subject to the stated holding terms; this is not an escrow account operated by PRE-ORDER.
Settled / paid out
A settlement or payout generally means that available proceeds have been or are being transferred to the Seller through the payment provider, subject to deductions, reserves, reversals, refunds or provider rules.
6. Payment models used for pre-orders
6.1 The commercial payment model is determined by Buyer type and the specific order or Collection Agreement. For B2B, Model A provides a 30% initial payment and a 70% balance on an agreed date or event; Model B provides a 30% initial payment and a 70% balance in agreed stages linked to partial shipments; Model C provides 100% prepayment. B2C is planned as 100% payment through Stripe. Conditional holding of B2B funds is subject to a licensed provider’s confirmed service.
- Short-term authorisation: permitted only for payment methods and periods actually supported by the provider; not a substitute for receiving a long-term B2B deposit.
- B2B Model A: 30% paid at the confirmed order stage; remaining 70% paid on the date or objectively defined event stated in the Collection Agreement.
- B2B Model C and B2C: 100% prepayment, using the B2B licensed partner or B2C Stripe respectively where the service is active.
- B2B Model B: 30% paid at the confirmed order stage; remaining 70% paid in documented portions according to the partial-delivery schedule.
- Production minimums: the Brand may define minimum quantities at collection, article/SKU and colour level; the campaign outcome determines whether confirmed orders proceed or affected orders are cancelled and refundable amounts returned.
6.2 A saved item, cart entry, notification or unpaid expression of interest is not paid demand. A B2B deposit counts as financially confirmed only after the licensed provider confirms receipt under the relevant transaction. Delayed payout, card authorisation or internal labels alone do not establish legal escrow.
7. Deposits and prepayments
7.1 The relevant B2B Collection Agreement and payment screen must disclose the initial payment (30% for Models A/B or 100% for Model C), balance or instalments, currency, campaign deadline, applicable collection/SKU/colour MOQ, holding period, release conditions and cancellation/refund rules before the Business Buyer commits. B2C checkout must disclose the total amount payable, including mandatory taxes and charges, before the Consumer is bound.
7.2 PRE-ORDER will describe a B2B deposit as conditionally held or protected only to the extent expressly supported by an identified, activated licensed provider and its terms. Until then, no claim is made that PRE-ORDER or a third party is already holding a Buyer’s money. B2C payments through Stripe are not presented as escrow.
7.3 A statement that a deposit is “non-refundable” does not override mandatory Consumer rights, mandatory remedies for non-performance, payment-law rights or any other right that cannot lawfully be waived.
7.4 The Seller remains responsible for performance of the Product Contract and for funding or approving refunds that are legally or contractually due, even if proceeds were previously paid out to the Seller.
8. B2B staged and partial payments
8.1 The three B2B Collection Agreement models govern payment amounts and timing: A, 30% plus 70% on an agreed date/event; B, 30% plus 70% in stages for partial delivery; C, 100% upfront. The Brand and Buyer must also agree product, size and colour breakdowns, collection-level minimum, applicable SKU/colour MOQ and campaign deadline.
8.2 Under the intended B2B process, the first payment is received before the campaign deadline and, where supported, held within the licensed provider’s infrastructure pending the expressly documented MOQ/Brand decision and release conditions. PRE-ORDER does not independently hold or guarantee those funds.
8.3 Model B payment requests and partial deliveries must follow the agreed schedule. Official tax invoices, including VAT treatment and numbering, are issued by the Seller/Brand; the Platform may display an order schedule or payment request and enable the Brand to upload its invoice.
8.4 Where the relevant production threshold is not reached or the Brand cancels production, affected orders may need to be cancelled and received funds returned in accordance with the Product Contract, provider rules and mandatory law. A collection-level threshold may affect the entire collection even where individual SKU thresholds were reached.
9. Seller payouts and release of proceeds
9.1 A Seller payout is the transfer of funds that the licensed provider is permitted to release to the Seller’s verified settlement account after the applicable conditions are satisfied. Receipt of the Buyer’s money, release approval and bank payout are separate events and may occur on different dates.
9.2 A status such as “released to Seller” may be displayed only on the basis of the relevant provider-confirmed release or transfer event. It does not imply that PRE-ORDER held funds in escrow or that bank credit is already complete.
9.3 Payouts may be affected by verification, provider settlement schedules, banking days, refunds, chargebacks, reserves, negative balances, sanctions screening, fraud review, technical incidents or legal obligations.
9.4 PRE-ORDER does not guarantee an exact bank-credit time unless a specific transaction screen expressly states a provider-confirmed timing.
10. Reserves, payout delays and risk controls
10.1 Stripe for B2C or the activated licensed B2B provider may apply verification, risk controls, safeguarded-funds arrangements, reserves or payout restrictions under its terms. These provider risk holds are distinct from an agreed B2B conditional payment linked to MOQ or other production milestones.
10.2 A reserve or delayed payout is not automatically a segregated escrow account for the Buyer. The legal protection applicable to money in the provider’s infrastructure depends on the provider, service, jurisdiction and regulatory model.
10.3 Users should not assume that a provider reserve eliminates Seller credit risk, payment-provider risk, bank risk or transaction-performance risk.
10.4 PRE-ORDER may communicate the existence of a hold, reserve or delayed payout where relevant but may not be able to disclose confidential risk rules, security methods or legally restricted information.
11. Cancellations, reversals and refunds
11.1 Cancellation and refund rights are determined by mandatory law, the Product Contract, the Refund & Cancellation Policy, Buyer Agreement, Seller Agreement and transaction-specific terms.
11.2 A temporary authorisation may be reversed if no charge occurs. Where B2B funds have actually been received and held by a licensed provider, cancellation or failure of the stated production conditions may instead require a provider-managed refund or return to the payer.
11.3 Legally or contractually required refunds must be approved, funded or arranged by the responsible Seller and/or processed by the provider under the agreed transaction structure. PRE-ORDER may transmit a refund request where authorised, but cannot promise unilateral access to independently held funds.
11.4 Refunds or reversals are normally directed to the original payment source or another lawful provider-approved destination. For B2B, a transfer to a later collection, credit balance or substitute Product must be separately agreed and must not displace a refund required by law or the governing contract.
11.5 A refund request or dispute does not itself establish that funds are still held. The current held/released/refunded amount must be derived from the provider’s authoritative transaction records.
12. Chargebacks and payment disputes
12.1 A Buyer may have rights through its bank, card issuer or payment method to dispute an unauthorised or contested charge. Those rights exist independently of PRE-ORDER’s internal support workflow.
12.2 The Seller and PRE-ORDER may provide Stripe or another payment participant with transaction records, authentication evidence, communications, shipment information or other relevant material when responding to a chargeback, subject to privacy requirements.
12.3 A card-network or provider decision on a chargeback does not necessarily resolve all contractual rights between Buyer and Seller. Separate claims may remain available under the Product Contract and applicable law.
12.4 Fraudulent, duplicate or abusive chargebacks are prohibited and may result in Account restrictions or recovery of amounts lawfully due.
13. Fees, currency, taxes and deductions
13.1 The currency, payment amount, payment schedule and all mandatory charges must be disclosed before the Buyer is bound. B2B Product prices are generally specified exclusive of VAT; the applicable VAT treatment must be determined by the Seller according to the relevant supply, place-of-supply and tax rules, not solely the Buyer’s country.
13.2 The agreed B2B Platform commission is 1.5% charged to the Business Buyer and 1.5% charged to the Brand, generally on the Product amount excluding separately stated VAT and delivery. The B2C Platform commission rate is 8%; the party bearing that commission and its display or deduction must follow the applicable published and accepted terms. Payment-provider charges are separate where disclosed.
13.3 The Seller issues the official tax invoice in its own name, with its legally required numbering and VAT treatment, and remains responsible for its accounting and tax obligations. PRE-ORDER may provide a payment request, order schedule and document-upload tool, but these are not automatically a Seller tax invoice. Any fee invoice issued by PRE-ORDER is separate.
13.4 Delivery is quoted separately by the selected logistics provider; PRE-ORDER may have separate logistics-partner arrangements. Customs, import VAT, duties or carrier charges depend on the destination and agreed Incoterms. For B2C, mandatory taxes, delivery and unavoidable fees must be included or clearly disclosed in the final total before payment as applicable law requires.
14. Identity verification, fraud, AML and sanctions controls
14.1 Stripe, the activated B2B licensed provider, PRE-ORDER or appropriate verification partners may request lawful KYC/KYB, beneficial-owner, company-registration, authorised-representative, tax and bank-account information as required for onboarding and payment compliance.
14.2 Verification or risk review may delay a payment, payout, refund or Account function. Such a delay does not create an escrow relationship.
14.3 Users must not circumvent sanctions, falsify payment status or company identity, create sham pre-orders, or use the Platform to transfer funds without a genuine underlying Product transaction.
14.4 Additional detail is provided in the AML/KYC Notice and the applicable Stripe or payment-provider terms.
15. Fund protection, safeguarding and insolvency risk
15.1 PRE-ORDER does not make a general promise that Buyer funds are segregated, safeguarded, insured, guaranteed or bankruptcy-remote as if they were held in a PRE-ORDER escrow account.
15.2 Where a regulated payment provider is legally required or contractually configured to safeguard, segregate or otherwise protect certain funds, that protection arises from the provider’s regulatory and contractual framework, not from PRE-ORDER acting as escrow agent.
15.3 The availability and scope of any provider-level protection may depend on the payment service, jurisdiction, transaction structure and status of the parties. Users should rely on the provider-facing disclosures applicable to the actual payment rather than assume a uniform protection model.
15.4 PRE-ORDER cannot guarantee against insolvency or operational failure of an independent Seller, bank, payment provider, card scheme or other third party. Mandatory rights remain unaffected.
16. Payment data and security
16.1 PRE-ORDER is designed not to store full card numbers, CVV/security codes or independent custody balances in its ordinary application database. Regulated payment credentials and the legal record of held funds remain with the applicable provider.
16.2 PRE-ORDER may retain transaction identifiers, payment status, amount, currency, timestamps, refund or dispute status, payer/payee references and limited payment metadata needed for order administration, support, reconciliation, security and legal compliance.
16.3 Users must never send full card details, CVV codes, passwords or authentication secrets through PRE-ORDER chat, support messages or Seller communications.
16.4 Payment and personal-data processing are described further in the Privacy Policy, GDPR Notice and applicable notices and terms of Stripe or the activated B2B provider.
17. Platform records and authoritative payment records
17.1 PRE-ORDER displays payment statuses to help users understand an order, but a temporary mismatch can occur between the Platform and an external payment system due to network delays, webhook delivery, bank processing or technical incidents.
17.2 Where there is an obvious technical discrepancy, PRE-ORDER may correct the Platform status using the authoritative transaction record supplied by Stripe, the relevant payment provider or bank.
17.3 Users should retain order confirmations, invoices and payment records and promptly report any unexplained duplicate charge, incorrect status or missing refund.
18. No automatic buyer-protection or seller-guarantee scheme
18.1 PRE-ORDER may provide support, dispute-routing, transaction records and technical controls, but it does not automatically provide an insurance policy, bank guarantee, letter of credit, escrow guarantee or universal buyer-protection fund.
18.2 Any specific protection program, reserve-backed feature, guarantee or regulated payment protection will apply only if it is expressly described for the relevant transaction and its terms are made available before reliance on it.
18.3 PRE-ORDER’s verification of a Seller, payment account or transaction reduces certain risks but is not a guarantee of Seller performance, solvency, product conformity or delivery.
19. No lending, investment or interest product
19.1 A prepayment or deposit for a Product is a transaction payment, not an investment in PRE-ORDER or the Seller, unless a separate regulated investment product expressly states otherwise.
19.2 PRE-ORDER does not promise interest, yield or financial return on money that is authorised, pending, reserved or awaiting settlement.
19.3 PRE-ORDER does not provide consumer credit, lending or deposit-taking merely because a Product is paid for before manufacture or delivery. Any future financing product would require separate terms and regulatory disclosures.
20. Cross-border payments and availability
20.1 PRE-ORDER is designed for users in the EU/EEA, Ukraine and other lawfully supported countries. B2B payment-account and payout eligibility, including for Ukrainian participants, must be confirmed with the selected provider; neither partner consideration nor account creation alone guarantees the ability to receive, hold or withdraw funds.
20.2 A transaction may be unavailable or restricted because of provider coverage, sanctions, legal restrictions, currency limitations, card-issuer rules, Seller location or risk controls.
20.3 Cross-border payment processing may involve more than one legal entity or financial institution. The payment interface and provider terms applicable to the transaction should be reviewed carefully.
21. Activation of an independent B2B conditional-payment service
21.1 The intended B2B business model uses a separately licensed partner for receipt and conditional holding of initial prepayments, subject to due diligence, contracting, technical integration and service availability. Mangopay and Lemonway are candidates, not confirmed operating providers under this Disclosure.
21.2 Before the B2B service is enabled for a transaction, the payment flow must identify the licensed provider, regulatory and funds-protection structure, supported payment method/currency, holding and release events, refund process, relevant fees, country eligibility and applicable provider terms.
21.3 Availability of conditional holding for B2B does not make B2C Stripe payments escrow transactions and does not imply that PRE-ORDER itself holds funds.
21.4 Until the licensed provider’s arrangement has been fully approved and activated for the relevant route, the Platform must not present a wallet balance, deposit protection or escrow as functioning. Any alternative B2B payment route requires its own transparent, legally consistent terms and approval.
22. Relationship with other terms and mandatory law
22.1 This Disclosure explains payment structure and terminology. The Payment & Prepayment Policy governs the operational payment rules; the Buyer and Seller Agreements govern the relevant Platform roles; and the Product Contract governs the sale of the Product.
22.2 More specific lawful payment conditions in the checkout, the B2B Collection Agreement and the licensed provider’s agreed terms apply to the transaction where relevant, subject to mandatory law. No unpublished rule may override the rights or release triggers that the parties accepted.
22.3 Nothing in this Disclosure limits mandatory Consumer rights, statutory payment rights, fraud remedies, chargeback rights or other rights that cannot lawfully be excluded.
23. Contact and payment questions
23.1 Questions about a PRE-ORDER payment status, refund instruction or this Disclosure may be sent to info@b2b-agency.cc. Include the order number, transaction date, amount, currency and a concise description of the issue.
23.2 Do not send full card numbers, CVV/security codes, account passwords or one-time authentication codes by email or chat.
23.3 For unauthorised payments or bank-side issues, contact the paying bank or provider promptly. Provider-specific payment, wallet or refund issues may be subject to Stripe or the selected B2B partner’s applicable support and dispute procedures.