So yeh. In January 2023, I joined Lauren Dowling (Lead Product at Coinbase Commerce) on Do the Woo to talk about cryptocurrency payments in WooCommerce. This was shortly after Coinbase Commerce officially integrated with the WooCommerce Marketplace, and we wanted to walk through what this actually means for merchants.
It’s a 51-minute conversation hosted by Kathy Zant and Brad Williams, and it’s one of the most practical, merchant-focused discussions I’ve had about crypto. No speculation about moon shots or price predictions—just the nuts and bolts of accepting crypto payments and why it matters for ecommerce.
Why Cryptocurrency Payments for WooCommerce?
The headline feature is simple: global, permissionless payments with lower fees than traditional processors.
If you’re a WooCommerce merchant, you’re familiar with the friction of traditional payment systems. Credit card fees eat into margins (typically 2-3% plus fixed fees). Chargebacks are a constant threat. International payments come with currency conversion costs and regional restrictions.
Cryptocurrency sidesteps most of this. With Coinbase Commerce integrated into WooCommerce, merchants can accept Bitcoin, Ethereum, Dogecoin, and other cryptocurrencies with:
- Lower transaction fees compared to credit cards
- No chargebacks (crypto transactions are irreversible)
- Global accessibility (anyone with a wallet can pay, no bank account required)
- Fast settlement (funds hit your Coinbase account without multi-day holds)
Lauren emphasized this point in the conversation: Coinbase Commerce isn’t just for crypto enthusiasts. It’s for merchants who want better economics and broader reach.
Lauren’s Story: Venezuelan Market and Global Access
One of the most compelling moments in the episode was Lauren sharing a story about a Venezuelan market owner who started accepting cryptocurrency through Coinbase Commerce.
The merchant sent what Lauren described as “effusive customer emails” detailing how crypto payments enabled participation in the global economy during Venezuela’s economic instability. When your local currency is hyperinflating and traditional banking infrastructure is unreliable, cryptocurrency becomes practical infrastructure, not speculative investment.
That’s the use case that gets lost in a lot of crypto hype. For people in stable economies with reliable banking, crypto is optional. For people facing currency collapse, capital controls, or banking exclusion, it’s empowering.
And WooCommerce + Coinbase Commerce makes it accessible without needing to be a blockchain engineer.
Mainstream Awareness Has Shifted
Brad Williams made an interesting observation during the conversation: just a few years ago, when you mentioned “cryptocurrency” to merchants, you’d get blank stares. By early 2023, that had completely changed.
People might not understand the technical details—how proof-of-work consensus works, what a private key is, how smart contracts execute—but they’ve heard the term. They know crypto exists. Some have bought Bitcoin on Coinbase or own Dogecoin because of Elon Musk tweets.
That awareness shift matters for adoption. Merchants don’t need to be crypto experts to add it as a payment option. They just need to trust the rails (Coinbase) and understand the value prop (lower fees, global reach, no chargebacks).
The conversation reinforced something I’ve believed for a while: payments are the killer app for mainstream crypto adoption. Not NFTs, not DAOs, not DeFi yield farming—basic commerce. Buy something, pay for it, seller receives value. That’s the wedge.
How Coinbase Commerce + WooCommerce Works
The technical integration is straightforward, which is exactly how it should be.
1. Install the Coinbase Commerce plugin from the WooCommerce Marketplace
2. Connect your Coinbase Commerce account (free to set up)
3. Enable crypto payment options at checkout
4. Customers pay with their wallet (Coinbase Wallet, MetaMask, or any Web3 wallet)
5. Funds settle to your Coinbase account where you can convert to fiat or hold crypto
From the customer’s perspective, they see “Pay with Crypto” at checkout, scan a QR code or connect their wallet, confirm the transaction, and they’re done. No credit card details, no billing address complexity.
From the merchant’s perspective, you receive a notification, the funds appear in your Coinbase Commerce dashboard, and you can withdraw to your bank account whenever you want.
Lauren walked through the security model in the episode—transactions are verified on-chain, so there’s cryptographic proof of payment. No “I sent the money, where’s my product?” disputes. The blockchain is the receipt.
The No Chargebacks Question
One topic we discussed: what about consumer protection?
With credit cards, chargebacks exist to protect consumers from fraud. With crypto, transactions are irreversible. If you send Bitcoin to the wrong address or pay a scammer, there’s no reversal mechanism.
Lauren acknowledged this trade-off. Coinbase Commerce assumes good faith commerce—legitimate merchants selling real products to real customers. The lack of chargebacks is a feature for merchants (no fraud risk) but requires trust from buyers.
For many merchants, especially digital goods sellers dealing with high chargeback rates, this trade-off is worth it. Cryptocurrency buyers tend to be more tech-savvy and understand the irreversibility. They’re consciously choosing crypto over credit cards.
It’s not for every merchant or every transaction, but it’s a powerful option to have in your WooCommerce payment stack.
Coinbase Commerce Evolution
Lauren talked about Coinbase’s journey from a Bitcoin exchange to a comprehensive crypto platform. Coinbase Commerce emerged as the merchant-facing product—separate from consumer products like Coinbase Wallet or Coinbase Prime.
The thesis: merchants need simple tools to accept crypto without deep technical knowledge. They shouldn’t need to run their own Bitcoin node, manage private keys, or monitor gas fees. Coinbase Commerce abstracts all of that.
The WooCommerce integration was a natural fit. WordPress powers ~43% of the web, WooCommerce runs millions of online stores, and Automattic (my employer) has been exploring Web3 integrations. Both companies share values around open commerce, flexibility, and empowering small merchants against big platform monopolies.
Looking Back from Late 2025
This conversation happened in January 2023, during what some called “crypto winter” after the 2022 market crash and FTX collapse. Prices were down, sentiment was skeptical, but builders kept building.
Two and a half years later, the cryptocurrency payment use case has proven durable. Merchants continue adopting it—not because they’re speculating on Bitcoin’s price, but because the economics work. Lower fees, global reach, no chargebacks.
The hype cycles come and go. The practical use cases compound quietly.
Why This Episode Matters
If you’re a WooCommerce merchant curious about accepting cryptocurrency, this is the episode to listen to. Lauren Dowling explains Coinbase Commerce clearly and practically. We cover real merchant questions: How does settlement work? What about taxes? How do customers feel about it?
It’s also a useful snapshot of early 2023 thinking—post-FTX, mid-bear-market, but still optimistic about infrastructure and adoption.
The full episode is available on Open Channels FM, Apple Podcasts, and other podcast platforms. 51 minutes that might change how you think about payments.
—
Related Content:
Sources:
- Open Channels FM: Accepting Cryptocurrency in a WooCommerce Store
- Coinbase Blog: Announcing Coinbase Commerce + WooCommerce
- WooCommerce: How Your Customers Can Pay You with Crypto