Vendor Plans Trial Period

Vendor Plans Trial Period is a CS-Cart Multi-Vendor add-on that brings a simple and predictable trial model to vendor plans. Instead of building complicated promo mechanics, you configure a temporary plan price, a temporary transaction fee, and a trial duration in days, and the add-on automatically applies these terms to new vendor applications.

This add-on is built for marketplaces that want to lower the entry barrier for new vendors without breaking the standard Vendor Plans business logic. You can offer a softer start for new sellers, test a more conversion-friendly onboarding model, and still keep the default plan terms intact for the rest of your marketplace.

How the add-on works:

• trial settings are configured per vendor plan
• you can set a temporary plan price
• you can set a temporary transaction fee with both percent and fixed amount
• trial duration is stored in days
• 0 means permanent temporary terms
• the trial is assigned only to new vendor applications
• each vendor can receive the trial only once
• existing vendors do not receive a fresh trial just by switching plans

When a vendor applies, the add-on stores a snapshot of the granted trial terms. This is one of the most important parts of the logic: if you later change the trial setup of the plan, vendors who already received a trial keep their original terms. The add-on freezes the assigned conditions, so the historical onboarding terms remain stable and predictable.

The trial starts when the vendor becomes active, not when the administrator saves the plan settings. This matters for marketplaces with manual review or delayed approval flows: if a vendor is created today but activated later, the trial begins from the real activation date instead of being partially wasted during moderation.

While the trial is active, the add-on updates both presentation and actual business calculations:

• temporary terms are shown on the storefront and in vendor plan selection flows
• the current trial period is visible in the admin area and vendor panel
• vendor plan payment amount is recalculated using the temporary price while the trial is active
• marketplace commission for orders is recalculated using the temporary fee while the trial is active
• once the trial ends, the system automatically falls back to the regular plan terms

The add-on supports month and year vendor plan periodicities. One-time plans are intentionally excluded from the trial logic, which keeps the behavior clean and avoids edge cases where a trial period does not make business sense.

Key Features:

• Trial period for vendor plans in CS-Cart Multi-Vendor
• Temporary plan price for new vendors
• Temporary transaction fee with percent and fixed amount
• Trial duration in days
• Permanent trial option with 0
• Automatic trial start on vendor activation
• Frozen trial snapshot per vendor
• Protection from retroactive changes to already granted trial terms
• Correct vendor plan payment override during the active trial
• Correct marketplace order commission override during the active trial
• Trial terms shown on storefront, admin side, and vendor panel
• Native integration with the standard Vendor Plans add-on
• Clean logic without promo windows, deadlines, or extra conditions

Who is this for? Any CS-Cart Multi-Vendor marketplace that wants to attract new vendors with a lower-risk start while keeping plan monetization and commission rules under control.

Reach me out if you need a custom solution tailored to your requirements — https://larionov.tech/.