Short answer: to sell on Telegram you need three things: a bot with your catalog that takes orders, a way to get paid (card through a payment provider for physical goods, Telegram Stars for digital ones), and a channel or group that brings buyers to the bot. With GramForge you describe your products in a few sentences and get the catalog bot; the same dashboard writes posts for your channel with a button that opens the bot.
1. Decide what you sell and how it is paid
| Product | Payment | Delivery |
|---|---|---|
| Physical goods: clothes, cosmetics, food | Card through your payment provider, or on pickup or delivery | Pickup, or delivery with a fee |
| Digital goods: courses, guides, templates | Telegram Stars (Telegram requires them for digital goods) | In the chat right after payment |
| Access to a private channel or group | Telegram Stars, one-off or monthly | An invite link after payment |
2. Set up a catalog bot
- Sign up at gramforge.io and describe your range: “Handmade candles. Lavender $12, cedar $14, gift set of three $35. Delivery in Lisbon $5, free from $40, or pickup.”
- GramForge builds categories, items with prices, a cart and delivery rules. Add photos and mark items as sold out in the dashboard at any time.
- Create the bot on your account in one tap and place a test order yourself.
- On the Pro and Studio plans the catalog also opens as a storefront inside Telegram (a mini app) with a cart.
3. Get paid
For physical goods, connect a payment provider in @BotFather and paste its token into the bot settings; the money goes to your own merchant account. Card payments are available from the Starter plan. Digital products are paid in Stars, which work on the free plan without any provider.
4. Bring buyers to the bot
- Post in your Telegram channel regularly: new items, restocks, behind the scenes. GramForge can draft a monthly plan and write the posts, each with a button that opens the bot.
- Put the bot link in your Instagram bio, on your packaging and on your website.
- Answer fast: the bot answers questions about delivery, sizes and availability from your own information and passes the rest to you.
5. Handle orders
You get every order instantly, with the items and delivery details. Mark orders as done or cancel them in the dashboard, and the customer gets an update. Orders can also go to Google Sheets or your CRM through webhooks to Zapier, Make or n8n.