Coinbase Commerce Telegram Alternative: Gating and Selling Products Directly in Chat

Conversational commerce is the fastest-growing sector of Web3 sales. With over 800 million active users, Telegram has become the default hub for crypto communities, digital creators, gaming guilds, and retail brands. Gating access to channels, selling merchandise, or distributing digital downloads directly inside a Telegram chat offers a friction-free user experience.

However, the retirement of the original Coinbase Commerce platform and its consolidation into Coinbase Business (which is custodial and restricted to US/Singapore merchants) has broken many automated Telegram store bots. Creators outside these regions need a secure, non-custodial alternative to monetize their chats without complex servers or geographic lockouts.

XRPay provides a native, zero-code Telegram integration that lets you turn any Telegram group or channel into a secure, self-custodial e-commerce shop. Settling on the XRP Ledger in 3 seconds, it is the ultimate alternative to legacy payment bots.

1. The Conversational Commerce Problem: Why Custody Kills Chat Checkout

Telegram checkouts need to be fast. If a customer has to leave their chat thread, navigate through a custodial dashboard, authorize an external wallet redirect, and wait 15 minutes for a Bitcoin or Ethereum transaction to clear, they will abandon the purchase.

Furthermore, relying on custodial payment gateways like Coinbase Business means that if a customer from a blacklisted region attempts to buy from your bot, your entire merchant account can be frozen.

XRPay routes all customer payments directly to an on-chain address you control. By utilizing the speed of the XRP Ledger, checkouts are processed in less than 3 seconds. The customer simply scans a QR code generated inside the chat, approves the transaction in their wallet (e.g., Xaman), and receives confirmation immediately—without ever leaving the Telegram interface.

2. Under the Hood: The XRPay Telegram Webhook Engine

XRPay handles conversational checkout flow using automated webhook controllers. When a user interacts with your shop bot, the backend coordinates products, rates, and confirmations programmatically:

// app/routes/api.telegram.webhook.$storeHash.tsx
import { handleTelegramMessage, sendTelegramInvoice } from "~/services/telegram.server";
import { PaymentService } from "~/services/payment.server";

export async function action({ request, params }: ActionFunctionArgs) {
  const payload = await request.json();
  const { message } = payload;

  if (!message || !message.text) {
    return new Response("OK");
  }

  const text = message.text.trim();
  const chatId = message.chat.id;

  if (text.startsWith("/buy")) {
    const productId = text.split(" ")[1];
    
    // Initialize checkout session
    const paymentSession = await PaymentService.createPayment({
      storeHash: params.storeHash,
      productId: productId,
      amount: product.price,
      currency: "XRP",
      metadata: { chatId, telegramUserId: message.from.id }
    });

    // Send payment invoice with QR link to Telegram chat
    await sendTelegramInvoice(chatId, {
      title: product.name,
      description: product.description,
      amount: product.price,
      checkoutUrl: paymentSession.checkoutUrl,
      qrImageUrl: paymentSession.qrCodeUrl
    });
  }

  return new Response("OK");
}

3. Coinbase Commerce vs. XRPay for Telegram Shops

4. How to Launch Your Telegram Store in 3 Steps

• Create Your Telegram Bot: Message @BotFather on Telegram, create a new bot, and copy your API Token.
• Connect to XRPay: In the XRPay dashboard, navigate to Channels > Telegram, paste your API token, and sync your product catalog.
• Set Up Gated Access or Digital Downloads: Configure the bot's commands. When a user buys a product, specify if they get a digital download file or an automatic invite to a private channel.

Monetize Your Community Instantly

Conversational commerce should feel as natural as messaging a friend. XRPay enables self-custodial e-commerce inside Telegram without the security risks, lockouts, or high fees of custodial gateways.