Face-to-face transaction flow

The following steps show a full face-to-face transaction from start to finish.

We show two types of flow.

Multiple sellers to multiple buyers.
A single seller to multiple buyers.

Before you begin this guide, follow our setup guide.

Step 1: Create a guest seller

For an application where you have different buyers and sellers, for example in a marketplace eCommerce solution, create guest buyers and guest sellers.

Every transaction must have two users, a seller and a buyer.
Using the Trustap API, guest buyers and sellers can complete a transaction together.

To receive a payout, the seller must later create a full Trustap account.

curl --location 'https://dev.stage.trustap.com/api/v1/guest_users' \
--header 'Content-Type: application/json' \
--user '<API_KEY>:' \
--data-raw '{"email":"sarah.garcia@shopit.com","first_name":"Sarah","last_name":"Garcia","country_code":"ie","tos_acceptance":{"unix_timestamp":1737558834,"ip":"127.0.0.1"}}'

Step 2: Create a guest buyer

The buyer is the party that receives the goods and pays for the transaction.

Guest buyers can pay for transactions and even create complaints.

curl --location 'https://dev.stage.trustap.com/api/v1/guest_users' \
--header 'Content-Type: application/json' \
--user '<API_KEY>:' \
--data-raw '{"email":"bert.gray@mail.com","first_name":"Bert","last_name":"Gray","country_code":"ie","tos_acceptance":{"unix_timestamp":1737558834,"ip":"127.0.0.1"}}'

Step 3: Get Trustap Fee (Charge)

Before creating a transaction, retrieve the charge for the transaction. This returns the cost for using the Trustap service for this transaction.

price is an integer, in which the last 2 digits are the decimal part of the price. For example, price:1050 currency:eur = 10,50€.

curl --location 'https://dev.stage.trustap.com/api/v1/p2p/charge?price=20000&currency=gbp' \
--user '<API_KEY>:'

Step 4: Create a transaction with a guest seller and guest buyer

In the Trustap API, the transaction object includes details about the the buyer and seller, the type of transaction, and the status of the transaction.

curl --location 'https://dev.stage.trustap.com/api/v1/p2p/me/transactions/create_with_guest_user' \
--header 'Trustap-User: 1-886e3c26-b585-4c92-a93b-e3c84b9b32e9' \
--header 'Content-Type: application/json' \
--user '<API_KEY>:' \
--data '{
"seller_id": "1-886e3c26-b585-4c92-a93b-e3c84b9b32e9",
"buyer_id": "1-615a70d4-b624-4243-95be-a8367b7953ea",
"creator_role": "seller",
"currency": "gbp",
"description": "Face-to-Face no deposit",
"deposit_price": 20000,
"deposit_charge": 1080,
"charge_calculator_version": 3,
"skip_remainder": true
}'

Step 5: Buyer transfers funds

After a transaction is created, redirect the buyer to the payment page to pay for it. Trustap support two methods for payment. These funds will not be released to the seller until the buyer approves.

Transfer using card

With card transfer, direct the buyer using a URL a payment screen where the buyer can enter their card details for secure payment.

During testing, it's helpful to simulate the full payment flow. We recommend using test credit card numbers to complete transactions without processing real payments.

Transfer using bank transfer

With a bank transfer, direct the buyer using a URL to a screen displaying bank transfer details.

The payment URL that you send to the buyer depends on your type of integration.

In the following examples, replace <CALLBACK_PAYMENT> with the redirect URI you set during your Trustap setup. This is the location where the buyer will be redirected to following payment.

	Test environment	Production environment
Guest buyer	`https://actions.stage.trustap.com/f2f/transactions/{transaction_id}/pay_deposit?redirect_uri=<CALLBACK_PAYMENT>`	`https: //actions.trustap.com/f2f/transactions/{transaction_id}/pay_deposit?<CALLBACK_PAYMENT>`
Full user buyer	`https: //actions.stage.trustap.com/f2f/transactions/{transaction_id}/user_pay_deposit?redirect_uri=<CALLBACK_PAYMENT>`	`https://actions.trustap.com/f2f/transactions/{transaction_id}/user_pay_deposit?<CALLBACK_PAYMENT>`

For example:

https://actions.stage.trustap.com/f2f/transactions/21380/pay_deposit?redirect_uri=https://www.example.com

The Trustap API also supports state when sending a buyer to the payment screen.

Learn more about state in our guide.

The payment screen looks like the following.

Step 6: Seller accepts deposit

Once the payment is made by the buyer, the seller can choose to accept the deposit.

curl --location --request POST 'https://dev.stage.trustap.com/api/v1/p2p/transactions/21380/accept_deposit_with_guest_seller' \
--header 'Trustap-User: 1-886e3c26-b585-4c92-a93b-e3c84b9b32e9' \
--user '<API_KEY>:'

Step 7: Seller confirms handover

Once the physical handover of the item has taken place, the buyer must confirm the handover was complete before funds can be released to the seller.

Both parties can confirm the handover for a face-to-face transaction. The complaints period begins (24h) when any of the users confirms the handover.

curl --location --request POST 'https://dev.stage.trustap.com/api/v1/p2p/transactions/21380/confirm_handover_with_guest_user' \
--header 'Trustap-user: 1-886e3c26-b585-4c92-a93b-e3c84b9b32e9' \
--user '<API_KEY>:'

Step 8: Complaints period

At this point, the buyer has the option to create a complaint if the were not satisfied with the transaction. The buyer will receive an email from Trustap with details on how to create a complaint. Submitting complaint will pause any payout until the issue is resolved. The Trustap support team mediate between both buyer and seller to resolve the complaint.

The complaints period typically lasts 24 hours.

Alternatively, you can enable your buyer to manually create a complaint. If a complaint is made, you will receive an email as well as a webhook event.

If no complaint is made within the complaints period, funds are automatically released following the seller claiming the payout.

Step 9: Seller claims payout

Before a seller can claim, they must create a full Trustap account from a guest to a full user account. See our full user guide for details.

Following handover, the seller can claim the payout. Claiming the payout means the seller requests to receive the money for the transaction.

curl --location --request POST 'https://dev.stage.trustap.com/api/v1/p2p/transactions/21380/claim_for_seller' \
--header 'Trustap-User: b9c9e108-1edd-5d5e-8268-8873d7beb3e3' \
--user '<API_KEY>:'