Selling in multiple currencies without Shopify Payments (in Switzerland)

ArnaudB
Tourist
8 0 4

Hi there, 

I am based in Switzerland and I have been using Shopify for around 4 years.

As Shopify Payments is not available in Switzerland, I have been using stripe and paypal to accept credit card payments. This solution was "fine" with me until now, except the 4-5%! commission on each sale (stripe/paypal + shopify). However, I am now trying to capture more sales from abroad, especially from the EU. So, sales not in Swiss Francs but in Euro. 

As far as I understood, it is not possible to offer my clients a possibility to check out in more than one currency without Shopify Payments, which is not available here in Switzerland...

With some paid apps, it is possible to display different currencies on my website but at checkout the currency is revered to the local one (thus not ideal for our clients and for us).

Long story short, is there any roadmap for the implementation of Shopify Payments in Switzerland? Anything happening in 2021? Switzerland is not a big country but I see that similar-size countries (Austria, Belgium) have now Shopify Payments. 

If there is no roll-out expected in 2021, what are the alternatives for stores based in countries not covered by Shopify Payments that would like to sell in different currencies?

 

Many thanks in advance for any answers. 

Arnaud 

 

Replies 11 (11)

Trevor
Community Moderator
3391 459 977

Hi, @ArnaudB

Great question! I can understand why this would be an important question for you as you hope to explore other regions and reduce the costs you pay in fees. 

We are always exploring new regions to launch Shopify Payments, which does include Switzerland. However, I'm afraid I can not say whether or not this would be on the roadmap for 2021 as launching Shopify Payments in a new country takes time in order to work with local banking institutions and ensure we are legally allowed to launch in a specific country. While I can't say whether we will be able to launch in Switzerland, I have added your feedback to the existing feature request so our teams know there is further interesting in getting Shopify Payments launched in your country. 

In terms of selling in multiple currencies; if you hope to avoid your customers paying in your local currency, and having their banks process the conversion, then setting up additional stores would be the route to go. I think the important question here is whether you believe you'll have more of a market in Europe, or if you'll have a bigger market in Switzerland. The question is important because, if you think your primary audience will be in Europe, then you could opt to change your store currency to EUR instead. However; this route comes with its own pros and cons that you'll need to consider. 

Alternatively, you could look into opening a new store to sell specifically in EUR. You would be able to back up and import your products to your new store, along with any customer information. You can back up our theme, and import it into your new store; however, keep in mind that if you purchased the theme from our theme store, then you will need to purchase the theme again. Theme purchases are intended for one store use. 

If you go this route, you may be eligible for the multistore discount depending on your current plan. The multi-store discount works by having Store A subscribe to either our Shopify plan ($79) or our Advanced plan ($299). From there, every store after would subscribe to the plan directly beneath it (i.e If you select the $299 plan for store "A" then every store thereafter would be $79/month) while still receiving the features of the plan Store A is subscribed to. To get this setup, would require an escalation to our billing department, so if you do go this route, let us know and we'd be happy to get that looked after. 

If you'd like to explore either option in more depth, let me know! I'd be happy to work with you to find the best fit for your business needs. 

Trevor | Community Moderator @ Shopify
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Benjamin83
New Member
4 0 0

Dear @Trevor 

are they already some news regarding Shopify Payments available in Switzerland, I would also be very interested in using shopify payments cause we are selling in Switzerland, Germany and Austria. 

Thanky for an update

Benjamin

 

 

 

MrSleep
Visitor
1 0 0

Hi Peter,
Do you know if Shopify is planning on implementing Shopify payments in Norway in 2021?

 

Thank you!

Trevor
Community Moderator
3391 459 977

@MrSleep 

Norway is a region our teams are considering. However, I'm afraid I can not say whether or not this would be on the roadmap for 2021 as launching Shopify Payments in a new country takes time in order to work with local banking institutions and ensure we are legally allowed to launch in a specific country. While I can't say whether we will be able to launch in Norway, I have added your feedback to the existing feature request so our teams know there is further interesting in getting Shopify Payments launched in your country. 

Trevor | Community Moderator @ Shopify
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 - Was your question answered? Mark it as an Accepted Solution
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ArnaudB
Tourist
8 0 4

Hi @Trevor

Thank you for your message and sorry for the late answer.

Ok then I will wait a few more months to see if Shopify Payments is being implemented in Switzerland. If not, I will consider to have a second store covering the EU, as per your suggestion. Thanks again for your time.

ycann
Tourist
6 0 2

Hello we are also super interested on Shopify Payments for Switzerland for around 10 stores we run.

THX go go go  Shopify make it happen.

RayLaPa
Shopify Partner
1 0 0

Still no progress about Shopify Payments for Switzerland? We manage several customers in Switzerland waiting for a solution. It is kind of a special situation, sitting in the heart of Europe without being a member of the union... which make things complicated enough.

ArnaudB
Tourist
8 0 4

Dear @Trevor , 
I was wondering if since my initial post in January 2021, you could share any positive news regarding the implementation of Shopify Payments in Switzerland. Looking at this forum or on google, it seems to be a recurring topic, as Switzerland in surrounded by countries using Euro and it makes it hard for us to grow our business in those countries if buyers can't pay in Euro. I considered your alternative of having a second Shopify website, but in addition to having to pay more (e.g. Shopify subscription, repurchase theme, monthly subscription for same apps used on the other website), it also add complexity to the overall setup (e.g. every website modification needs to be replicated on the other website). Thank you in advance for an update and I hope that you can understand why it is so important for Swiss stores to be able to offer payments in Euro in addition to Swiss Francs. Thanks!

Trevor
Community Moderator
3391 459 977

@ArnaudB 

 

I do not have an update on Shopify Payments Switzerland at this time. Should new information become available, I will update you here in this thread. 

Trevor | Community Moderator @ Shopify
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mellow221
Visitor
2 0 1

This is honestly so bad for business - multi currency store made me move to Shopify from wix only to discover this feature is available in some countries! 
I have my business in Poland and also face similar issue.

is there some roadmap yet when you’re rolling out to the rest of European countries?

 

this really makes me consider moving to another platform (again..) 

 

thanks

aneta 

EricNP
Visitor
1 0 0

Hi Trevor,

 

Is the multistore discount still available? We are charging EUR but we want support of AUD, do we have to pay for another plan just because shopify payment is not available for us?

 

Thanks,

Eric