Frequently Asked Questions
How buying and selling on Farm Fresh Direct works. Can't find your answer? Contact us.
Do I need an account to buy?
No. You can check out as a guest with just an email address, which is where we send your confirmation and pickup code. Creating an account adds a My Purchases page where you can see all your orders in one place.
How do I pay?
Online at checkout, by card, Apple Pay or Google Pay. Payments are processed by Stripe. Every order is paid in full up front, so you never need to bring cash to a pickup.
Can I order part of a unit, like half a pound?
No. Orders are in whole units of whatever the farmer lists: whole pounds, whole dozens, whole bunches. If a farmer lists in ounces, you can order any whole number of ounces.
Are there any fees?
Buyers pay a service fee of 6% + $1.00 on top of the produce price. It includes card processing, which is paid out of it; after processing, Farm Fresh Direct keeps about 9 cents of every dollar of produce sold, from the buyer's and seller's fees together. The fee is charged once per checkout, however many items are in your cart. Where sales tax applies, it is added too. You'll see the exact amounts at checkout before you pay.
Can I buy from more than one farm at once?
Yes. Add items from as many listings and farms as you like to your cart, then pay for everything in one checkout. Each farm is still a separate pickup, at its own address, and you get one pickup code per farm that covers everything you bought from it.
What if only some of my items are ready, or one gets cancelled?
Each item is handled on its own. You're emailed as each one is ready, and you can collect them on different days. A pickup code only works for one visit: if you collect part of what you bought from a farm, we email you a new code for the rest. If a farmer has to cancel or reduce one item, only that item is refunded and the rest of your order carries on as normal.
When does the farmer get my money?
Not until you've picked up your order. We hold your payment and only release it to the farmer when they enter the pickup code you give them at pickup.
What is the pickup code?
A code you receive when you order, shown on your order page as both a QR code and a short code. Once your produce is in your hands, let the farmer scan the QR code or read them the short code — it confirms the handover and releases their payment. Don't share either before then, by text, phone or email.
Where and when do I pick up?
Listings show the farmer's city and zip code, and the days and times they're usually available, and that's what you see when you order. The full pickup address comes in our "ready for pickup" email, along with the days and times you can come and any instructions. Many sellers are home gardeners, so we only share their address once there's something to collect.
Can I find out when a farm has something new?
Yes, with an account. Click Favorite This Farm on a farm's page, a listing or one of your orders, then open Favorite Farms from the My Account menu to see what each of your farms has for sale, with new listings marked. We don't send emails about it.
What is a Farm Box?
A box of whatever a local farm is harvesting that week, picked up on a set day every week or every other week through their season. Farms that offer one show it on their farm page. For small growers it means steady, predictable sales: knowing how many boxes to fill lets them plan their planting and pick only what's needed. You can sign up for every box, or buy just one to try it, with no sign-up or account needed. To sign up you need an account, and you save a card when you do. Each box is charged separately, 2 days before pickup, at the box price plus the usual 6% + $1.00 service fee and any sales tax, and you get a pickup code for it like any order. Nothing is charged when you join.
Can I skip a week or cancel my Farm Box?
Yes, online, any time before a box is charged, under My Farm Boxes in the My Account menu: skip a single week, pause until you're back, or cancel. There's no fee for any of them. We email you the day before every charge with a link to skip. Once a box is charged it is an ordinary order: you can cancel it free within 24 hours, and after that the farm keeps a 10% restocking fee.
What is a shared Farm Box?
A box filled by a few nearby farms together, so you get more variety than one small farm grows: say, vegetables from one farm, eggs from another and fruit from a third. The box page lists each farm and what it adds, and you pick up at one of them, the host. Each farm is paid for its own part. If a farm can't supply its part one week, it's left out of that week's box and you're charged less; the reminder email tells you before you're charged. If a part you've already paid for doesn't arrive, you're refunded for it.
Can I pick up my order at a farmers market?
Yes, if the farm sells at one and takes orders there. Farms list where they'll be on their farm page, and listings show their next market dates. At checkout, choose the market under "Where will you pick up?", then collect your order at their stand during the market and give them your pickup code. Ordering for a market closes the evening before. If the farm can't make it after all, your order is cancelled and refunded in full.
Can I get an email when a farm will be at a market?
Yes. Favorite the farm, then tick "Email me when and where to find them" on its page or under Favorite Farms. You'll get an email when the farm posts a new market or event and a reminder the day before. These emails are off unless you turn them on.
What is a Flower Box?
A Farm Box of fresh-cut flowers instead of food: whatever a local grower has blooming, on a set day through their season. It works exactly like a Farm Box, and you can sign up or buy just one.
What happens if my card is declined for a Farm Box?
We email you and try again the next day. Change your card under My Farm Boxes and we'll charge the new one straight away. If the second try also fails, that week's box is missed and you aren't charged for it; your membership carries on.
How do I contact the farmer?
Use Message the Farmer on your order page. We email them your message and they reply the same way, so neither of you has to share an email address or phone number. It's for things like running late or finding the right gate; if something has gone wrong, use Report a problem (under More options on the order) instead, which comes to us.
The farmer marked my order as picked up, but I never got it. What do I do?
Open the order (in My Purchases, or the link in your confirmation email) and tap Trouble with this order? at the bottom. It opens Contact Us with your order's details already filled in. Tell us what happened; it comes straight to us, and we'll look into it with you and the farmer.
How long do I have to pick up?
3 days from the "ready for pickup" email, which gives the exact date. We send a reminder the day before. If you can't make it, cancel from your order page; an order that isn't collected in time can be closed as not picked up, with a restocking fee.
How long does the farmer have to get my order ready?
3 days from your order, or from the listing's harvest date if the crop isn't ready yet. Your order page shows the date. If the farmer misses it, you can cancel for a full refund including the service fee, and an order that still isn't ready after 7 days is cancelled and refunded automatically.
I've lost my pickup code. How do I find it?
It's in your order confirmation email, and in the "ready for pickup" email. If you have an account, it's also on your My Purchases page. Guests can use the link in their confirmation email. If you ordered as a guest and can't find that email, have your order links sent again. Still stuck? Contact us.
What if the farmer doesn't have what I ordered?
Harvests are unpredictable. If a farmer has less than expected they can reduce or cancel your order, and you're refunded automatically for whatever you don't receive. We'll email you when that happens. If what's left no longer works for you, you can cancel the rest of what you ordered from that farm for a full refund, including the service fee, at any time before pickup: open the order, tap More options and choose Cancel.
What if I can't make the pickup?
Cancel the order as early as you can: open the order (in My Purchases, or the link in your confirmation email), tap More options and choose Cancel. You're refunded what you paid for the produce; the service fee isn't refunded. Cancel within 24 hours of ordering and that's all. After24 hours the farmer also keeps a 10% restocking fee. If you can't cancel it yourself, contact us. If a farmer reports that you didn't pick up an order, we email you and you have 48 hours to tell us if that's wrong, using the button in that email. If an order is never collected, the service fee isn't refunded and the farmer keeps a 10% restocking fee; the rest of what you paid for the produce is refunded.
Something was wrong with my order. What do I do?
If there's a problem at pickup, don't hand over your pickup code — that's what releases your payment. Then open More options on the order, choose Report a problem and tell us what happened. It comes to us, not to the farmer. If you've already picked up, tap Trouble with this order? at the bottom of the order instead. You can also contact us.
Who can sell on Farm Fresh Direct?
Home gardeners and small local farms. You're responsible for making sure what you sell is allowed where you live — see the next three questions.
What can I list?
Farm Fresh Direct is for things you grew: fruits, vegetables, herbs, mushrooms, cut flowers and plants, plus eggs, honey and jam. Mushrooms must be ones you cultivated, and plants ones you grew or propagated, not taken from the wild. Listings for anything else, including seeds and foraged mushrooms, will be removed. That also rules out things like meat, dairy, baked goods and crafts. If you're not sure whether something fits, contact us before listing it.
Are there rules about what I can sell?
Yes, and they depend on your state. Whole, uncut fruits and vegetables are the simplest. Other items often have their own state rules, for example:
- Eggs: states commonly set rules on refrigeration, carton labeling and reusing cartons, and may require a license above a certain flock size or number of dozens sold.
- Honey, jam and other prepared foods: these usually fall under your state's "cottage food" laws, which decide what may be made in a home kitchen and how it must be labeled. Some states don't allow items like pickles, salsa or other canned goods at all.
- Plants: many states require a license or inspection to sell plants, ban certain invasive species, and protect some native plants, which can only be sold with a permit or tag. Check your state's agriculture department regulations before listing plants.
Before you list anything beyond fresh produce, check with your state's department of agriculture or health department. This list is general information, not legal advice, and it isn't complete.
Who is responsible for making sure my products are legal to sell?
You are. As the seller, you're responsible for knowing and following the federal, state and local laws that apply to what you sell, including any licenses, permits, labeling and food-safety requirements.
Farm Fresh Direct is a marketplace that connects buyers and sellers. We don't inspect, test, certify or approve products, and we aren't responsible for items that are sold in violation of the law. We may remove a listing if we learn it isn't permitted.
You'll be asked to agree to our Seller Terms before posting your first listing.
Do I have to pay taxes on what I sell here?
Money you earn from sales is generally taxable income, and reporting it is your responsibility. That includes any income tax, self-employment tax, and any state or local taxes, licenses or permits that apply to you as a seller.
Farm Fresh Direct doesn't withhold taxes from your payouts and can't give tax advice. If your sales through the platform reach the IRS reporting threshold for the year, you'll receive a 1099 tax form showing them, and the same figures are reported to the IRS. The tax details you enter when you set up payouts are what that form uses, so keep them accurate.
Your Sales History in the Seller Dashboard is a record of your completed sales. If you're unsure what you owe, talk to a tax professional.
What do I get besides a place to list?
Four things beyond the sale itself. A storefront: your farm has its own page with your photo, story, growing practices, current listings and reviews, and a link you can share anywhere. Regular customers: buyers can favorite your farm to see what you post next, and reviews from real pickups build trust with new ones. Records: every order, pickup, cancellation and payout is kept in your Sales History, and your dashboard charts your earnings by week and by crop. Hassle-free Farm Boxes, our version of a CSA: offer a regular box and the site signs members up, charges each box before pickup, sends the reminders and handles skips, pauses and cancellations for you.
Can I offer Farm Boxes, like a CSA?
Yes. A Farm Box is essentially a CSA (community supported agriculture): members sign up for a regular box from your farm through the season. Open Farm Boxes in your Seller Dashboard and set the box price, pickup day, how often, season dates and, if you like, a member limit. It appears on your farm page, where buyers join with a saved card. Each box is charged 2 days before pickup and arrives in your Orders and Pick List like any order, with the same 6% seller fee, and you're paid when the member collects it. Each week you can add a note on what's in the box, which members get in their reminder email, or call a week off before it's charged. Buyers can also buy a single box to try it, with no sign-up; it's for your next pickup that hasn't been charged yet, and counts toward any member limit.
Can I fill a Farm Box together with other farms?
Yes, with a shared Farm Box. When you create a Farm Box, choose "With nearby farms". You host it: buyers pick up at your farm, and you invite up to 3 farms within 15 miles, which the site suggests for you, putting first the farms that grow what you don't. Each farm says what it puts in every box and sets its own price for that part; the box price is the parts added together. Once every invited farm has answered, you open the box to buyers. Each week partners confirm their part by 4 days before pickup and drop it off at your farm; you pack the boxes. At pickup every farm is paid its own part less the 6% seller fee, and each partner pays you a 5% packing fee for packing the boxes. Any farm can host or join unless, in the last 60 days, it has had 2 or more orders cancelled by the farm (a missed shared-box delivery counts as one) or had a payment disputed. The full rules are in section 7 of the Seller Terms.
What happens if a partner farm's part doesn't arrive?
Report it in your Seller Dashboard before you hand out the boxes. Buyers are refunded that part, or, if you offered to when you set up the box, you fill in with your own produce of at least the same value and are paid for it instead. The partner isn't paid for that week, and a missed delivery counts as a cancellation by that farm.
How do I tell buyers which farmers markets I’m at?
In your Seller Dashboard, open Farm Profile and use Where to find us. Add each market or event with its address, date and times; for a weekly market, tick Every week and set the last date. It shows on your farm page, and followers who asked to hear about your markets get an email. If you allow it, buyers can order ahead and pick up at your stand: bring their orders, mark them ready there, and take their pickup code as usual. Can't make a date? Mark it as not there; any orders for it are refunded and count as cancellations by you.
Is there a quick way to list something I’ve sold before?
Yes. Press Post again on any of your listings in the Seller Dashboard (sold-out ones too), or choose one under "Post again from a past listing" when you start a new listing. Everything is copied: the name, variety, photo, description, highlights, unit and pickup address. You just enter how many you have and when it’s available, check the price, and post.
Can I show buyers what I’m growing before it’s ready?
Yes. In your Seller Dashboard, open Farm Profile and use What we’re growing. Add each crop with roughly when it should be ready; buyers see it on your farm page as a rough time, like "Expected mid-November". When it’s ready, press Post it to start a listing with its name filled in. A crop comes off the list once you post it for sale, or a few weeks after its expected date.
Can I offer a Flower Box?
Yes. When you create a Farm Box, choose Flowers. A Flower Box works just like a Farm Box, holds only cut flowers you grew, and can be shared with other flower growers nearby.
What does it cost to sell?
Posting is free, and you keep 94% of every sale. We keep a 6% seller fee from each completed sale, taken out of your payout, and card processing is paid out of our fees, not yours. There are no monthly or listing fees.
What do I need to get started?
A farm profile and a connected payout account. Payouts are set up through Stripe from the Payouts & Settings tab of your Seller Dashboard. Buyers can only purchase from you once that is finished.
How and when do I get paid?
At pickup, tap Buyer Is Here: Scan Code on the order in your Seller Dashboard, then scan the QR code on the buyer's phone or type their pickup code. If the buyer bought several items from you, tick the ones you're handing over. That releases your payment to your Stripe account, and Stripe deposits it to your bank once a week, on Fridays. Each open order shows the exact amount you'll receive.
Is my address public?
No. Listings show only your city and zip code, and that's all a buyer sees when they order. Your pickup address is sent to a buyer only when you mark their order ready for pickup.
What if I end up with less produce than I listed?
Use Cancel / Adjust on the order in your dashboard to reduce the quantity or cancel it. The buyer is refunded automatically, and your payout is adjusted to match.
How quickly do I have to get an order ready?
Within 3 days of the order, or of your listing's harvest date if that's later. Each order in your dashboard shows its date, and we email a reminder the day before. After that date the buyer can cancel for a full refund, and an order still not marked ready after 7 days is cancelled and refunded automatically. Once you mark an order ready, the buyer has 3 days to collect it, so offer pickup times on those days.
How do I tell buyers when I am available for pickup?
Set your usual pickup days and times in Farm Profile. Shoppers see them on your listings and at checkout, before they buy, so they only order if the times work. The same days and times are ticked for you when you mark an order ready, and you can change them for that order. With them saved, you can also mark all your waiting orders ready in one go.
How do I contact a buyer?
Use Message Buyer on the order in your Seller Dashboard. We email the buyer your message and they reply the same way. You won't see the buyer's email address while an order is open; it appears in your Sales History once the order is picked up or closed.
What happens if a buyer cancels?
Buyers can cancel an order themselves any time before pickup. We email you straight away so you don't prepare it, and the quantity goes back on your listing. If you cancelled or reduced part of their order, they can cancel the rest for a full refund and there's no payment to you. Otherwise, if they cancel within 24 hours of ordering, there's no payment to you. If they cancel later than that, you're paid a 10% restocking fee.
What if a buyer doesn't show up?
The buyer has 3 days to collect an order after you mark it ready. Once those days have passed, a Buyer Did Not Show button appears on the order in your Seller Dashboard. The buyer is emailed and has 48 hours to respond; if they don't, the order is closed automatically, and if they do, we review it. When an order is closed as a no-show you receive a 10% restocking fee, and the quantity goes back on your listing. You can also contact us.
Can I sell partial amounts, like half a pound?
Quantities are whole numbers. Buyers order whole units (1 lb, 2 lbs, and so on), so listings are entered in whole units too. To sell smaller amounts, list in a smaller unit, such as ounces instead of pounds.
Can I post the same crop more than once?
One listing per crop and variety at a time. If you have more to sell, edit the listing and raise the quantity — it keeps everything in one place for buyers.
Can buyers and I deal directly after we meet?
We're glad when a sale here turns into a lasting relationship with a buyer. Any order placed through the site needs to be paid for through the site, and we hope you'll keep listing here when you have produce to share.