An artist selling from outside the United States runs into a fee layer a domestic seller never sees, cross-border payout costs on top of the usual payment processing fees. This piece breaks down what Stripe Connect, the payment infrastructure behind many marketplace payouts, actually charges an international artist, and how to think about it when deciding whether a marketplace’s payout structure works for a seller based outside the US.
None of this requires a finance background to follow, the mechanics come down to a small handful of fee layers stacking on top of the standard processing cost every seller already pays.
In this article:
- What Stripe Connect Actually Does
- Why Cross-Border Payouts Cost More Than Domestic Ones
- The Full Fee Stack for an International Seller
- Ways to Reduce the Cross-Border Cost Impact
- Which Sellers Actually Encounter These Fees
- How Payout Timing Works for International Sellers
- Should an International Seller Adjust Pricing to Offset Fees
- Setting Realistic Expectations About International Selling Costs
- Keeping Separate Records for International vs Domestic Sales
- Why Checking Current Rates Directly Matters
- Does Immibrand Absorb Any of This Cost
- Best For
- Frequently Asked Questions
What Stripe Connect Actually Does
Understanding the underlying infrastructure clarifies where these additional fees actually come from.
Stripe Connect is the infrastructure many marketplaces, Immibrand included, use to route payments from a buyer to an individual seller’s own account, rather than the marketplace holding all funds itself and manually distributing payouts. For a seller, this means their earnings flow through Stripe’s own payout system directly, with Stripe’s standard fee structure applying to that specific transfer.
Why Cross-Border Payouts Cost More Than Domestic Ones
Two distinct fee layers explain this cost difference, worth understanding separately rather than as one vague “international fee.”
A Separate Cross-Border Transfer Fee
This first layer applies whenever a payout crosses a national border, regardless of currency.
Beyond the standard payment processing fee already charged on the sale itself, Stripe applies an additional cross-border transfer fee when a payout moves to a bank account in a different country than where the transaction originated, typically an additional small percentage on top of the base processing fee.
A Currency Conversion Fee, Separate Again
This second layer is independent of the first, and applies specifically when currencies differ.
If a payout needs to convert from one currency to another, from USD to the seller’s local currency, for instance, a separate currency conversion fee typically applies as well, distinct from the cross-border transfer fee itself. These two fees stack, they’re not the same charge counted twice.
The Full Fee Stack for an International Seller
The table below lays out all three layers together so the total picture is clear.
| Fee Layer | What It Covers |
|---|---|
| Standard payment processing fee | The base cost of processing the card payment itself, same as any transaction |
| Cross-border transfer fee | Additional cost for moving payout funds to a bank account in a different country |
| Currency conversion fee | Additional cost if the payout currency differs from the transaction currency |
An international seller should expect all three layers to apply where relevant, not just the standard processing fee a domestic seller sees, this is the real, full cost stack worth understanding before assuming international payouts work identically to domestic ones.
Ways to Reduce the Cross-Border Cost Impact
A few practical steps can meaningfully reduce, though not always eliminate, this added cost layer.
Some sellers reduce currency conversion costs by maintaining a bank account in the same currency as the marketplace’s primary transaction currency, avoiding the conversion fee layer entirely, though this isn’t available or practical for every seller depending on their banking situation and country of residence.
Which Sellers Actually Encounter These Fees
Not every seller runs into this cost layer, it depends on a specific mismatch between the seller’s location and the marketplace’s settlement currency.
These fees specifically apply to a seller whose bank account is located in a different country than where the marketplace’s primary transaction currency settles, or whose payout currency differs from the transaction currency. A domestic seller within the same country and currency as the marketplace’s base operations doesn’t encounter this cross-border layer at all.
How Payout Timing Works for International Sellers
Cost isn’t the only consideration, timing is worth understanding too.
Payout schedules, how frequently funds are actually transferred to a seller’s bank account, are generally similar for domestic and international sellers using the same underlying infrastructure, though cross-border transfers can occasionally take an extra day or two to actually clear compared to a domestic transfer.
Should an International Seller Adjust Pricing to Offset Fees
Once the fee structure is understood, the natural next question is whether to build it into the price itself.
Some international sellers build the expected cross-border and conversion fee cost into their pricing from the start, treating it as another line item alongside production cost and standard processing fees, rather than absorbing the difference silently and being surprised by a lower-than-expected payout after the fact. This isn’t required, but it’s a reasonable way to keep margins consistent regardless of where a buyer’s payment settles from.
Setting Realistic Expectations About International Selling Costs
None of this changes whether international selling is worthwhile, only what a realistic net number looks like.
None of this means selling internationally, or from outside the US as an artist, isn’t worthwhile, it simply means the real net earnings on those specific transactions run slightly lower than an equivalent domestic sale once the cross-border and currency conversion layers are factored in. Pricing with this in mind, rather than being surprised by a smaller-than-expected payout later, keeps expectations accurate from the start.
Keeping Separate Records for International vs Domestic Sales
Good record-keeping makes the real difference between these two categories visible over time, rather than something only felt vaguely.
Since international transactions carry a genuinely different fee structure than domestic ones, keeping a simple record that separates the two, rather than lumping all sales into one undifferentiated total, makes it easier to see the real net margin difference between a domestic and an international sale, and to price or plan accordingly.
Why Checking Current Rates Directly Matters
Every specific figure discussed here is subject to change, which is worth keeping in mind before treating any number as permanent.
Payment processing rates, including cross-border and currency conversion fees specifically, are set by the processor and can change over time. An artist selling internationally should check Stripe’s own current published rates for their specific country and currency pair directly, rather than relying on a fixed percentage that may have shifted since it was last checked.
Does Immibrand Absorb Any of This Cost
This cross-border and currency conversion fee stack comes from Stripe’s own infrastructure, not from Immibrand’s own commission structure, meaning it applies the same way regardless of which marketplace uses Stripe Connect as its payout backbone. Immibrand doesn’t add a separate markup on top of these processor-level fees, they pass through at whatever rate Stripe itself currently charges.
Best For
Understanding this fee stack matters for any artist selling from outside the US, or selling to buyers whose payments settle in a different currency, since it’s a real cost layer beyond standard payment processing that doesn’t show up when reading about domestic seller fees alone.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Stripe Connect charge international sellers more than domestic ones?
Yes, cross-border transfers typically incur an additional transfer fee, and currency conversion adds a separate fee on top of that, beyond the standard processing fee.
Are the cross-border fee and currency conversion fee the same charge?
No, they’re separate fees that can both apply to the same payout if a transfer crosses borders and requires currency conversion.
Can an international seller avoid the currency conversion fee?
Sometimes, by maintaining a bank account in the same currency as the marketplace’s primary transaction currency, though this isn’t practical for every seller.
Does international payout timing differ from domestic payouts?
Generally similar, though cross-border transfers can occasionally take an extra day or two longer to clear than a domestic transfer.
Should an artist avoid selling internationally because of these fees?
Not necessarily, it simply means net earnings on those specific sales run slightly lower, worth factoring into pricing rather than avoiding international sales altogether.
Do these fee rates ever change?
Yes, processor rates can shift over time, an artist should check Stripe’s current published rates for their specific country and currency directly rather than relying on a fixed assumption.
Who actually encounters cross-border payout fees?
Sellers whose bank account is in a different country than the marketplace’s primary settlement currency, or whose payout currency differs from the transaction currency, a domestic seller in the same country and currency doesn’t encounter this layer.
Should international pricing be adjusted to account for these fees?
Some sellers do this deliberately, treating the expected fee as another cost line item, though it’s not required, it just helps keep margins consistent regardless of where a buyer’s payment settles from.
Does keeping separate records for international sales actually help?
Yes, it makes the real net margin difference between domestic and international sales visible over time, which supports better pricing and planning decisions than treating all revenue as one undifferentiated total.
Does Immibrand add its own markup on top of Stripe’s cross-border fees?
No, these fees come from Stripe’s own infrastructure and pass through at whatever rate Stripe currently charges, Immibrand doesn’t add a separate markup on top of them.
For how domestic payment processing fees work separately from these cross-border layers, see the payment processing guide. And for the basics of selling internationally more broadly, here’s the shipping and customs guide.
Ready to sell to buyers around the world? Sign up to sell on Immibrand, it’s free to start.
