Selling online made simple: from your first product to your first payment

Many small businesses put off selling online for months, sometimes years. “You need a website”, “you need a developer”, “you need a contract with the bank”. In reality you can start in an afternoon today and grow one step at a time. Here’s how.

First of all: what do you want to sell?

The right route depends on what you sell and how many products you have.

• A few products or services (courses, consulting, vouchers, made-to-order products): a payment link or a payment page is all you need.
• A small catalogue (10 to 50 products): an integrated online shop, ready without developers.
• A website you already have (WordPress, WooCommerce): you connect payments to your existing checkout.

Level 1: the payment link

This is the fastest way. You create a link with a price and description, send it by WhatsApp or email, or post it on social media. The customer pays with TWINT or a card in seconds.

Works for: tradespeople selling to order, teachers, photographers, course organisers, anyone selling on social media.

Level 2: the integrated online shop

When the products add up, one link per product is no longer enough. With the integrated 1pay.ch shop you create a storefront with photos, descriptions and prices, and sell products, services or subscriptions. Nothing to install: it all works in the browser.

Works for: small shops that want to sell online too, local producers, associations selling tickets or merchandise.

Level 3: payments on your own website

Already have a WooCommerce website? You connect 1pay.ch to the checkout and your customers find every Swiss payment method on a single screen. For special requirements there’s also an API and webhooks.

Which level is right for you?

Which payment methods to offer

In Switzerland, online customers expect at least:

• TWINT, the method many prefer on their phone.
• Visa and Mastercard cards.
• Apple Pay and Google Pay, to pay with a tap.
• PostFinance Pay, popular with PostFinance customers.

For larger amounts, Klarna (the customer pays later or in instalments, you get the full amount straight away, available on every plan) and payment by invoice also help. If you sell abroad, there are European methods such as SEPA and iDEAL.

With 1pay.ch all of these methods are included in a single contract. You don’t need to sign an agreement with each provider.

5 things that boost sales

• Real photos of your products, even taken on your phone, but in good light.
• Clear prices, with shipping costs shown before payment.
• Few steps at checkout: every extra field loses customers.
• The customer’s favourite method: if they look for TWINT and can’t find it, they leave.
• A quick answer to questions, by WhatsApp too.

The questions we’re asked most often

Do I need a registered company?

No. Private individuals and unregistered activities can also sign up with 1pay.ch. The verification of your details usually takes place within one working day.

When do I get the money?

Takings are grouped and paid into your bank account every week. On request, payouts can be monthly, or daily for high volumes.

Do I need technical skills?

No. You set up your products, choose your payment methods and start selling, all from the browser.

What it costs to get started

The Starter plan is free forever: no upfront costs, no monthly fee, just a fee on sales (2.9% + CHF 0.30 for most methods). As your sales grow, the Small, Medium and Large plans lower the fees. The features are identical on every plan: shop, links, invoices and integrations are always included.