When you’re just getting started in business, there are dozens of pressing tasks to take care of before you can earn so much as a cent. This is particularly true when you’re launching an online store. Before your virtual cash register has uttered its first “cha-ching,” you’ve got to connect to payment rails, undergo credit checks, and pay significant fees for the privilege.

Most e-commerce stores will accept payment in Visa, MasterCard, PayPal and similar e-money services. Each of these comes with its own integration and setup requirements. Given its low adoption in comparison to credit card, cryptocurrency acceptance may not be top of your to-do list. That’s a decision you may wish to reconsider, however, after discovering the ease and benefits of 8Pay. Not only are there no upfront costs, but incorporating 8Pay into your e-commerce business allows you to transact instantly, with no waiting for credit lines or approval.

If one of the reasons for starting your own business was to be your own boss, then cryptocurrency should be a natural fit. As permissionless money, it aligns perfectly with the ethos of entrepreneurs and free thinkers. If that’s you, read on to learn how to add 8Pay to your online store and why.

First steps

8Pay operates on the Ethereum network. Thus, you’ll need a non-custodial Ethereum wallet (i.e. one that you control the keys for) to get started. If you don’t already have an Ethereum wallet, you can create one using a service like MetaMask, MyCrypto, or MyEtherWallet. Next, visit the 8Pay web app, which you can connect to using an Ethereum web interface — MetaMask is ideal for this purpose. This will connect your chosen Ethereum wallet to the 8Pay protocol, whereupon you can start using 8Pay.

8Pay provides all of the HTML code you require to integrate crypto payments into your checkout. The user will be directed to an 8Pay checkout page where they will be prompted to confirm their identity by signing a message using MetaMask. At this point, multiple checks are made to verify the transaction, to ensure the balance is sufficient and that the user has given 8Pay the permission to take tokens from their wallet. After that, the payment will be made, and the tokens sent to your wallet.

Configuring your merchant settings

8Pay allows for a range of payment types including subscriptions and on-demand. If you’re operating an e-commerce store, however, it’s likely that you’ll only require single payment functionality. As a merchant, you have several means of interacting with the 8Pay protocol. You can do so via the 8Pay web app or, should you require access to developer tools, you can do so via API or through the JavaScript library. The JavaScript library is used to interact with the smart contracts governing the protocol, while the API enables broader system access. For one-off payments, the 8Pay web app will likely be all you’ll require to get started.

After visiting the 8Pay web app, you’ll be presented with a range of options including the ability to:

Check the balance of all supported tokens stored in your wallet

Send and receive tokens

View transaction history

Create an off-chain payment request, such as a QR code or link to share

Create a custom payment button to be embedded on your website

Receive real-time notifications pertaining to payments

Access a detailed overview of your earnings

There is a range of crypto tokens you can accept with your online store using 8Pay. The 8Pay payment protocol is compatible with ETH, various ERC20 tokens, stablecoins, and the 8PAY token.

Adding an 8Pay button to your site

Generating a payment button is extremely simple using the GUI provided in the 8Pay web app. This is ideal for items that have a fixed price, as you can enter the price into the GUI and a payment button will be created for the corresponding amount. Decide which parameters you wish to include, such as a success and failure return URL. These can be assigned to control user flow and redirect customers to specific pages, depending on the payment process outcome. Additional parameters like tracking can be assigned as well if desired. Once you’re done, you’ll be provided with an HTML code that you can paste into your webpage.

8Pay’s documentation contains the HTML code to create and embed generic payment buttons, complete with instructions on how to set different amounts and parameters for each payment. Merchants aren’t limited to creating payment buttons for a fixed amount, either, it should be noted: you can create a button whose parameters will automatically adjust depending on the value of goods in the customer’s cart.

Here’s an example of how the payment process works when a customer elects to checkout with 8Pay:

Bob is shopping online at Cool Couture, an e-commerce store that specializes in jeans. After finding a pair he likes, he adds them to his cart and hits the checkout button. Here, he’s shown a variety of payment options, including the ability to pay with cryptocurrency. As a regular cryptocurrency user, Bob already has tokens loaded in his wallet including ETH. He clicks the “cryptocurrency” button and is taken to a dedicated page where the price is displayed in ethereum. After pressing the 8Pay payment button, a MetaMask pop-up prompts Bob to check the total and click to confirm. A few seconds later, the transaction will be marked as sent (though it will typically take a couple of minutes to confirm on the Ethereum network) and Bob is redirected to a “Success” page on the website, confirming that his payment has gone through.

And that’s it: the funds will show up in the merchant’s wallet straight away. As a fully decentralized and non-custodial solution, 8Pay never retains customer or vendor funds — they pass directly from buyer to seller.

The benefits of using 8Pay

8Pay allows you to start earning instantly, from the moment your online store goes live. It’s a payment solution that enables you to control your money, and which doesn’t restrict the nature of your business. With 8Pay, there’s no censorship, freezing of funds or account suspension. What’s more, 8Pay charges no fees for one-off payments, which means that all of the money you receive from the customer is yours to keep. There are no credit checks required — an ethereum wallet is all it takes to get started. If you’d like to start an e-commerce business without placing your fate and fortune in the hands of the payment giants, take a look at 8Pay.