Paid customer accounts/extra 1st order fee/subscription

[crocant]

Hey all!

I'm trying to figure out how to setup a system where the customer has to pay a deposit before being able to place an order (or ideally together with the 1st order).

I'm setting up a webshop for a zero waste grocery store which would like to start to do delivery and use their own containers in order to send out the deliveries. The containers stay with the customer after the 1st delivery and get returned and picked up during 2nd delivery and then the cycle repeats. It is therefore necessary to have a sum of money as a warranty (deposit) that these containers get returned.

I came up with a few possible solutions but couldn't figure out how to incorporate any of them.

- paid customer accounts: during account creation ask to pay the deposit (eventually if an account is closed the deposit is refunded).

- extra fee with 1st order: charge an additional fee only with the 1st order. Only with the 1st order and not again unless the deposit is refunded. (I am able to set an extra fee but do not know how to only do it with the 1st order and how I would automatically track whether the fee has been refunded)

- subscription: automatically add an infinite subscription item together with the first order (or before the 1st order and only then allow to place an order) and never again unless the subscription is refunded. The customer would then only be able to make future orders if the subscription is active (using customer groups would allow that). (This is very similar to the 1st option but prevents the need to delete customer accounts).

I'm seriously struggling with this and would really appreciate any help or thoughts! :)

 

[tuk66]

20 hours ago, crocant said:

- extra fee with 1st order: charge an additional fee only with the 1st order. Only with the 1st order and not again unless the deposit is refunded. (I am able to set an extra fee but do not know how to only do it with the 1st order and how I would automatically track whether the fee has been refunded)

 

 

I would simply sell the containers. It depends on everyone whether they buy it or not. She must, of course, know that she needs such a container to buy the filling.

[crocant]

43 minutes ago, tuk66 said:

 

I would simply sell the containers. It depends on everyone whether they buy it or not. She must, of course, know that she needs such a container to buy the filling.

Unfortunately that’s not an option and not really the business model of the store