How AnimArts Handles Payments: Whop Checkout Explained

When you pay for a VTuber commission at AnimArts, your card details never touch our servers. Here's exactly how it works, who handles your money, and what your refund rights are.

If you're about to commission a Live2D rig, 3D model, or stream overlay from us, you might be wondering: "Wait, who actually handles my payment? Is my card safe? What if I need a refund?"

Fair questions. Here's the full picture, in plain English.

The short version

We use Whop as our checkout provider. When you click Pay on your project page (or Buy Now in the shop), you land on a checkout page hosted by Whop, and your card is processed on PCI-DSS compliant payment infrastructure — the same security standard your bank is held to. Your card number is never seen by, or stored on, AnimArts servers. Ever.

Why Whop

Whop is a US-based payments platform built for creators and digital studios. We moved to it because it does the things a small studio shouldn't be improvising:

• Hosted, secure checkout — cards from almost every country, Apple Pay and Google Pay, 3D Secure whenever your bank asks for it.
• Local currency — our prices are in USD, but the checkout shows the amount in your own currency and lets you pay in either.
• Receipts — every payment triggers an order confirmation from Whop, plus our own receipt with your project reference.
• Independent buyer protection — Whop's Resolution Center handles disputes without us in the middle, on top of your card issuer's normal chargeback rights.
• Tax shown up front — where sales tax or VAT applies, it's on the checkout page before you confirm, never a surprise afterwards.

What payment methods can I use?

• Cards: Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover and most other major cards
• Apple Pay / Google Pay: For phones and laptops with them set up
• Other methods Whop offers in your country — the checkout shows what works where you are

You don't pick a method ahead of time — when you click "Pay" on your project page, Whop's checkout shows whichever methods work for your country and you choose then. Prefer Wise, Payoneer, a bank transfer or crypto? Say so in your inquiry and we'll arrange it.

How does the milestone payment system work?

VTuber commissions are NOT a "pay everything upfront" deal. We split your project into milestones:

1. 50% upfront deposit — locks your slot in the queue, we start work
2. (Optional) Mid-draft payment — once you approve the rough sketch / blocking pass
3. Balance before final delivery — paid before files ship to you

You'll see all your milestones on a private project page (e.g. animarts.studio/track/AA-2026-XXXX) with a Pay button next to each one as we request it. The first deposit gets a "Pay $X" button immediately after you submit the inquiry. Subsequent milestones appear when we hit that stage — each one names exactly what it covers.

What about refunds?

Different milestones have different refund policies — this is industry-standard for custom commission work:

• Before work begins: 100% refund of the deposit. Just message us within 48 hours of paying.
• After concept / sketch is approved: Partial refund (typically 50% of paid milestones), since labour has already been invested.
• After mid-draft is delivered: No refund on milestones already paid for — but you keep all approved work-in-progress files.
• After final delivery: Refunds only for verifiable quality issues (file corruption, missing deliverables, broken rig). Aesthetic regret is not a refund reason once you've approved revisions.

To request a refund: reply to any of our emails or message us from your project page. Refunds go back to your original payment method through Whop, typically within 5–10 business days. If you can't reach a resolution with us, Whop's Resolution Center can review the purchase independently.

What happens to my card details?

This is the most important part: AnimArts never sees your card number, CVV, or expiry. The checkout page you see when clicking "Pay" is hosted and processed by Whop on PCI-DSS compliant infrastructure — the standard the card networks require of everyone who handles card data, and the same one your bank is audited against.

What we DO see (and store on your inquiry record):

• Your name + email (which you typed in the inquiry form)
• The amount you paid
• The Whop payment ID (so we can issue refunds)
• Whether the payment succeeded, was refunded or disputed

We do NOT see, store, or have access to: card numbers, CVVs, expiry dates, billing addresses, or your bank account.

What about chargebacks and disputes?

If something goes truly wrong and you can't reach a resolution with us, you have two independent routes: Whop's Resolution Center, where you can open a dispute on the purchase, and the standard chargeback rights through your card issuer — same as any online purchase. We'd obviously prefer you reach out first; we refund honest disputes, and every project keeps a written trail (approvals, deliveries, messages) on its project page that both sides can point to.

Will my information be sold or shared?

No. Both AnimArts and Whop have strict privacy policies. Your data is used to: (1) deliver your commission, (2) send order confirmations and your project link, (3) process refunds if needed. That's it. You won't be enrolled in marketing emails. You can request your data be deleted at any time by emailing us — we'll wipe your inquiry record and ask Whop to do the same.

TL;DR

• Checkout: Whop — cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, in your local currency or USD
• Card details never touch AnimArts servers — same security standard as your bank uses
• Milestones, not lump-sum payment
• Reasonable refund policy with the deposit fully refundable before work starts
• Whop's Resolution Center + standard chargeback rights apply — but we'd much rather just resolve issues directly

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