Questions before you open your Telegram store
Short answers for sellers and buyers: how Telegram checkout works, what AllScale Pay charges, how USDT pricing and USDT/USDC payment work, and what happens after an order is paid.
Basics
What is AllScale Store?
AllScale Store turns a Telegram bot into a storefront. Customers open your bot, browse products with /shop or direct buy links, pay through AllScale Pay, and receive updates in Telegram.
Do I need a website or code?
No. You connect a Telegram bot, paste your AllScale API credentials, and add products from the dashboard. Your bot becomes the shop, checkout, receipt desk, and support front door.
What does it cost?
It is free to start. AllScale Pay charges 0.6% per paid order, with a minimum fee of $0.10 USD per paid order. There is no monthly fee for opening a Storefront account.
What can I sell?
Digital products, access links, license keys, courses, memberships, donations, tips, services, and Telegram-native offers. It works best when buyers already discover you in chats, groups, or channels.
Payments & custody
What currency are products priced in, and what can buyers pay with?
Store products are priced in USDT. At checkout, buyers can pay with USDT or USDC through AllScale Pay, depending on the payment options shown for that order.
Where does the money go?
After confirmation, funds settle to your AllScale self-custody account or wallet. Storefront does not keep a merchant payout balance for you, and your passkey signs sensitive actions.
How long until an order is paid and fulfilled?
Most orders confirm in minutes, depending on chain conditions. A connected webhook gives the fastest receipt; the backup poller can still update Telegram, usually within about a minute after payment is seen.
Can a payment be reversed or refunded?
On-chain payments are not card chargebacks. If you need to refund a buyer, handle it directly with them. Underpaid or expired orders show retry or recovery paths when the product is still available.
For buyers
How do I buy from an AllScale Store?
Open the store bot or direct buy link, choose the item, tap Pay now, and pay the exact amount shown by AllScale Pay. Return to Telegram and use Check status if the receipt has not updated yet.
My payment link expired or says invalid. What should I do?
Checkout links are temporary and one-time. If a link expires, says invalid, or was already used, go back to the bot and start the order again. Do not reuse old payment details.
What information does the merchant see?
The merchant can see your Telegram identity, the order, messages or information you choose to send, and on-chain transaction details when available. Storefront does not collect card or bank details.
How do I reach a person?
Use /support in the store bot or message the bot. If the merchant has set a support handle, the bot points you there; otherwise the message is visible in the merchant's chat inbox.
For merchants
What do I need to open a store?
Connect a Telegram bot token from BotFather, add your AllScale API key and secret, then create your first product. The current onboarding flow is production-first.
How does fulfillment work?
Choose notify me/manual delivery, auto-send a non-executable file up to 50 MB, collect one piece of buyer information, or auto-send unique codes. In group purchases, private files and codes are delivered by DM.
What happens if I miss webhook setup?
The store can still accept payments, but confirmations and owner alerts may rely on backup polling instead of arriving instantly. Connect the AllScale webhook for the fastest receipts.
What does the AI assistant do?
When AI is enabled and configured, it answers from your catalog, store profile, and FAQs. Stores get 100 free replies per UTC day by default, can top up paid credits, and can turn AI off.
Ready to sell from Telegram?
Open a store, connect your bot, and publish your first USDT-priced product.