Once you’ve decided to use FlippaPay for your transaction, the next big step is funding the trust account with the purchase price. In other words, the Buyer needs to send the agreed upon funds into the secure trust account so the Seller knows the money has been secured. Our payments partner, Trolley, will walk the Buyer through this, but here’s a detailed guide on how to fund your FlippaPay trust account and what to expect.
Step 1: Completed requirements prior to funding
Before the Buyer can send funds, two key things must be done:
(a) Both buyer and seller need to complete their identity verification (KYC) on Flippa, and
(b) the purchase contract (Asset Purchase or Sale Agreement) must be signed on Flippa.
We cannot enable the funding step until these are done, as they’re legally required. If you try to fund but haven’t yet verified your identity, you will be prompted to complete the verification steps first. (See KYC/AML Verification Requirements for more on that process.)
Step 2: Get FlippaPay funding instructions
Once all preliminary steps are completed, the Buyer can proceed to fund the transaction. To do this, go to the Payments tab on your Flippa Deal Room page. If FlippaPay has been activated, you’ll find detailed funding instructions, including bank account information. This typically includes:
- A U.S.-based trust account (for USD transactions) managed by Flippa’s partner
- Bank name, account number, and routing number (or SWIFT/BIC for international wires)
- A payment reference such as “Flippa [Transaction ID]” or your listing/deal ID
- Buyers must choose one of the following funding methods:
- ACH Payment (USD only, for Buyers inside the United States)
- Bank Wire Transfer
If you wish to fund the transaction in a different currency, please reach out to us before creating a transaction via our normal process. A contact link is provided directly in the same section for your convenience.
A copy of the funding instructions will also be emailed to you. If you have any doubt, you can always contact Flippa support to confirm the wire instructions – but generally, the info in your dashboard is accurate and up-to-date.
Step 3: Send the funds via your chosen method
Now, the Buyer needs to actually transfer the money from their account to the trust account. FlippaPay supports several funding methods: the most common is a bank wire transfer (especially for larger sums). U.S. buyers may have the option to do an ACH transfer (electronic bank payment) if the amount isn’t too high. FlippaPay can also receive and secure funds from non-bank services like Payoneer or Wise if desired. Choose the method that suits you:
Bank Wire Transfer
Go to your bank (or your online banking) and initiate an international or domestic wire transfer using the account details provided by Flippa. If you’re in the USA and the trust account is in the US, it will be a domestic wire transfer; if you’re outside the USA, it’ll be an international wire transfer. Please double-check the currency – if the deal is denominated in USD, you need to send funds in USD. If it’s in another supported currency (FlippaPay can handle USD, EUR, GBP, AUD as incoming currencies when both parties are in the same country), you’ll be provided payment instructions for that different currency.
ACH Transfer
If available, this is a bank-to-bank transfer within the USA that can be a bit slower than a wire but is often cheaper or free to send the funds. FlippaPay instructions will let you know if ACH is an option for the given account details provided.
Non-Bank Services (Payoneer, Wise and others)
These are typically used to send money internationally at a lower cost and potentially much faster than traditional banks, but may have different regulations or requirements which govern how they're used, and how payments can be received from or sent to them. You would use the Flippa-provided bank information as the recipient in your Payoneer or Wise transfer. (FlippaPay’s banking partner, Trolley, will recognize the incoming funds and credit them to the correct deal as long as you used the correct reference.)
Please make sure to include the reference note or transaction ID in your transfer as instructed, so that Flippa can match the incoming funds to your transaction. If your bank allows adding a memo or reference, paste exactly what Flippa provided (e.g. “Flippa [Listing ID Number] Payment”). Also, ensure the name on the sending bank account matches the name you verified on Flippa – the system and our teams will check that for compliance. If a third party (like a business account or someone on your behalf) is sending the funds, you will need to inform Flippa in advance, as additional verification will likely be needed.
Step 4: Wait for funds to clear
After you send the payment, it will take some time to arrive and be confirmed. The time frame can vary depending on your location and method. Generally, domestic US wires or ACH can arrive within 1-2 business days, while international wires may take around 3-5 business days to arrive.
We advise that international transfers typically take 5–10 business days to fully clear into the U.S.-based trust account. Please don’t be alarmed if it’s not instantaneous – banks often have intermediary processes which we are not informed of and cannot control. During this time, Flippa cannot mark the funds as received until our payments partner confirms the deposit.
You can keep an eye on the Payments tab in your Deal Room, it should update automatically when the the funds are secured. The status should change to Funds Secured or a green checkmark on the payment step. We also send an email confirmation to both the Buyer and the Seller once the payment is secured.
Step 5: Confirmation of receipt
Once the funds arrive in the trust account, Flippa will notify both parties that the Buyer’s payment has been secured. At this point, the transaction moves forward. The Seller is now safe to hand over the assets, since the Buyer's funds are secured in the trust account. The Buyer’s role is mostly done until it’s time to confirm the release of funds.
A couple of tips for this stage in the process:
– Try to avoid delaying payment or 'last-minute' funding. It’s best to initiate the payment as soon as possible after the deal is agreed, especially if using international transfer, to avoid extending the transaction timeline. Sellers can get concerned and reach out to us if there is a signed agreement and funds are not at least on their way to be secured with in the trust account.
– If you don’t see a status update within the expected time (say, a week has passed for an international wire transfer), reach out to our Payments team or your account manager/broker. They can escalate with our provider to see what details we can provide. Sometimes small banking delays happen, or additional documentation is required by our provider in order to receive and settle your funds.
– If you have a deadline (perhaps the APA stipulates the payment must be made by a certain date), please plan accordingly to allow clearance time.
FlippaPay does not currently support funding via credit card or PayPal for these larger transactions (unlike Escrow.com which allows cards up to $5,000). FlippaPay transactions necessarily will require you to pay in using a bank or wire transfer as explained above. Please be prepared and ensure your bank or provider can send the amount. For very large amounts, you may want to advise your bank beforehand to avoid any anti-fraud blocks on your account.
After funding, your job as the Buyer is to engage with the Seller in your Deal Room conversation on Flippa to transfer and receive the assets for your transaction. The money will be safely held by FlippaPay until you give the go-ahead to release it. Sellers can have confidence at this stage because they know the funds are secured in the trust account. If for some reason the deal falls through or assets aren’t delivered, the buyer can potentially get the money returned (subject to the terms of the sale and Flippa’s dispute resolution). But in the typical expected sequence, funding the FlippaPay account is the key step that enables the sale to proceed to the handover stage.
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