Invoices and the App Subscription Bill

Shopify uses app usage charges for app developers to bill for services through Shopify. We submit an invoice for these services every 30 days.

One of the most common questions we get is about the App Subscription that must be approved in order start using Green Shipping Protection or Carbon Offsets.

Corso has made the decision to bill for our services through the Shopify platform which we believe is a better and streamlined experience for everyone. Many apps do not bill through the Shopify Platform and invoices are sent and paid outside of Shopify.

Our goal is to make our services as easy as we can for merchants to use and get benefit from.

Most important! - Corso will never invoice you for more than the amount your customers paid for adding Green Shipping Protection to their orders. There is no direct cost to any merchant to use Green Shipping Protection. Corso makes you money. Let's show you how.

Billing - The Simple Explanation

1. Your customers add Green Shipping Protection to their orders as a line item and you collect those funds.
2. Every 30 days, Corso submits an invoice. The invoice is comprised of the amount of Green Shipping Protection line items, minus any refunds or reorders we processed on your behalf for your customers.
3. The app subscription charge you approve allows Shopify to send the invoice amount to us.

The App Subscription Threshold

When you approve the app subscription, Shopify makes us place upper-limit threshold on the amount we can bill you for. This is to protect you from any apps that might charge you an extreme amount without you knowing.

We calculate an initial amount by taking last months orders and allowing for a 15% buffer. If the invoice amount ever exceeds that, then you will need to approve a new app subscription.

Let's look at an example

Lets say you fulfill 100 orders with an average order value of $50. Of those 100 orders, 75 have Green Shipping Protection for $1.

Then let's say one of your customers has an issue with their shipment and they need to place a reorder. Using our Shopify Integrated Merchant Support Application, we can quickly resolve shipping issues by placing reorders via the Shopify API. This will look like any other order in your Shopify admin. However, it's not paid for with a credit card, it is paid for with the funds you have collected from Green Shipping Protection.

The total invoice we send you would be $25: the value of Green Shipping Protection ($75) minus the Reorder amount ($50).

This means that you didn't have to pay for fulfilling that reorder, so the total money you collect is $550: the value of the products you sold, plus the reorder that you didn't have to pay for.

What about refunds?

Refunds work similarly to Reorders. Using our Shopify Integrated Merchant Support Application, we use the shopify API to process a refund on your behalf. This leverages the same method that you would use to refund the customer in the Shopify Admin. We would also deduct that from the 30 Day App Subscription Bill.

Alternative Reorders

We really try to push for reorders instead of refunds. We want to deliver your products to your customers. If a product is no longer in stock, instead of offering refunds, we always ask the customer if they would like something of equal value. In this case we have to manually place an order with our Credit Card. Since this order is coming out of our funds, we would not deduct these alternative reorders from the bill. In the example above, we would invoice for the $75, but you would still get the $50 dollar reorder, bringing your total money collected to the equivalent $550.

Pre-billing Invoices

Our goal is to be completely transparent with all of the orders, reorders, and refunds which comprise the invoice. Prior to submitting a bill, we always send an invoice in advance. This gives you a chance to look at it and ask us any questions before getting the bill. You will get an email with the summary of your invoice along with a downloadable CSV that will look something like this:

You'll see all the orders that have Green Shipping Protection and which ones had a reorder or refund placed on them. The total amount of the reorders and refunds would be deducted from the invoice amount.

What happens if reorders and refunds exceed the Green Shipping Protection Amount

In the rare case that reorders and refunds exceed the amount of Green Shipping Protection value, then your invoice for that billing period would obviously be $0. We would then carry over the balance to the next 30 day billing cycle and make sure it is deducted out of the next month of orders. If multiple months go by with balance carryovers, we would need to discuss raising the price of Green Shipping Protection.

Transparently Helpful

Our goal is to be transparent and helpful. Every transaction will be available for you to review and understand. In addition to the amazing opportunity to help the planet through carbon offsets, we want to help your business by easing your support load and putting reorders and refunds in your pocket. Please reach out with any questions you have related to your invoices and app subscription bill. support@corso.com