Platform Fees Explained
How OutdoorShare platform fees work, who pays them, and how they're configured.
Category: Payments & Billing
What is the platform fee?
The platform fee is a percentage of each booking total that OutdoorShare charges for providing the rental management infrastructure. It covers hosting, payments processing coordination, customer support tooling, and platform development.
Who pays the fee?
The platform fee can be configured in two ways:
| Mode | Who pays | |------|----------| | Absorbed by business | The rental company pays the fee from their revenue | | Passed to customer | The fee is shown as a separate line item to the customer at checkout |
By default, the fee is passed to the customer (similar to a "service fee" on other booking platforms). You can change this in Settings → Payments → Platform Fee.
Fee calculation
The fee is calculated as a percentage of the base rental amount (excluding taxes). Custom fees above $100 have an additional 3% processing fee applied.
FAQ
Q: Can I see the fee breakdown on each booking?
A: Yes — the booking detail page shows a full payment breakdown including the platform fee amount.
Q: Can I change the fee percentage?
A: The platform fee percentage is set by the OutdoorShare superadmin. Contact support to discuss your fee tier.
Q: Is the deposit included in the fee calculation?
A: No — security deposits are excluded from the platform fee.