Payment defaults are the greatest risk when buying on invoice — but they are calculable and avoidable. Swiss online shops have three levers: credit checks before the purchase (via credit agencies such as CRIF or Intrum), professional dunning procedures in accordance with the Debt Collection and Bankruptcy Act (SchKG) and outsourcing the risk to BNPL providers such as Klarna or CembraPay. The right mix of prevention and protection depends on the default rate, the shopping cart size and the customer profile.

This guide shows you the concrete instruments for prevention and protection — from real-time credit checks at checkout to debt collection proceedings in accordance with SchKG.

1. Why payment defaults when buying on invoice are a calculable risk — not a reason to do without it

Payment defaults when buying on invoice in Switzerland are typically between 1 and 5 %, depending on the sector, customer profile and existing protection mechanisms. This sounds like little, but can become significant with high order volumes.

Calculation example: An online shop with 1,000 orders per month at EUR 120 on invoice and a default rate of 3 % loses EUR 3,600 per month — or EUR 43,200 per year. The question is: Is this amount higher or lower than the costs for prevention (credit check) and protection (BNPL fees)?

The answer is almost always: Prevention is cheaper. A credit check via CRIF or Intrum costs a few cents per query. Outsourcing to Klarna costs 1.60–2.40 % — at EUR 120 that is EUR 2.12 to 3.18 per order, i.e. EUR 2,120–3,180 per month for 1,000 orders. This is less than the EUR 3,600 loss at 3 % default.

Not offering purchase on invoice is therefore rarely the right solution — rather, it is about managing the risk professionally.

2. Credit check before purchase: How CRIF, Intrum and Deltavista work

The credit check is the first line of defence against payment defaults. In Switzerland, there are four relevant credit agencies:

CRIF AG: The largest Swiss credit agency. CRIF assigns a numerical score (1 to 600) representing the probability of payment. Data sources are debt collection registers, commercial registers, debt collection data and positive payment behaviour.

Intrum AG: In addition to credit checks, also debt collection services. Intrum offers plugins for Shopware and Shopify that enable credit checks directly in the checkout process.

Dun & Bradstreet Schweiz AG: Focused on corporate creditworthiness (B2B). Offers the D-U-N-S score for companies.

Creditreform: Swiss association with a local network. Particularly strong in the SME sector.

In practice, the real-time credit check at checkout works like this: If a customer selects "purchase on invoice", the shop system sends an API query to the credit agency in the background. A score is returned within milliseconds. If the score is above your defined threshold, the payment method is approved. If it is below, the payment method is hidden — the customer only sees credit card, TWINT or other risk-free options.

Important: You may only query creditworthiness data in Switzerland with a legitimate interest and in compliance with the Data Protection Act (FADP). A legitimate interest exists if you deliver goods to a person on credit (i.e. on invoice).

3. Setting up dunning correctly: Payment reminder, 1st dunning letter, 2nd dunning letter — deadlines and wording

If an invoice remains unpaid despite a credit check, the dunning process begins. In Switzerland, there is no legal obligation to send a dunning letter — you could initiate debt collection proceedings directly after the deadline expires. In practice, however, a stepped process is recommended that protects the customer relationship:

Payment reminder (5–7 days after deadline): Friendly reminder that the payment is still outstanding. Often this is enough — many payment defaults are simply forgetfulness. No dunning fee.

First dunning letter (14 days after deadline): Formal tone, new payment deadline of 10 days. A dunning fee of EUR 10–20 is common in the industry — but must be anchored in the T&Cs.

Second dunning letter (24 days after deadline): Last dunning letter with threat of debt collection. New payment deadline of 10 days. Dunning fee of EUR 20–30.

Automation is crucial here: Modern e-commerce systems and accounting tools (Bexio, Abacus, Run my Accounts) can fully automate the dunning process — including sending emails with payment reminders and new QR invoices.

4. From dunning to debt collection: How the SchKG procedure works in Switzerland

If all dunning letters remain unsuccessful, debt collection proceedings in accordance with the Debt Collection and Bankruptcy Act (SchKG) are the next step. The procedure:

Debt collection request (Art. 67 SchKG): You submit a debt collection request to the debt collection office at the debtor's place of residence — in writing, verbally or online. Costs: EUR 7–400, depending on the amount of the claim. You must advance the costs.

Summons to pay (Art. 69 SchKG): The debt collection office serves a summons to pay on the debtor — with a demand to pay within 20 days and the notification that an objection to the claim can be raised within 10 days.

Objection to the claim (Art. 74 SchKG): If the debtor raises an objection, you as the creditor must enforce the claim in court. In the case of a written contract or a signed order confirmation, you can apply for provisional dismissal of the objection (Art. 82 SchKG).

Request to proceed: If no objection is raised, you can submit the request to proceed at the earliest 20 days after service of the summons to pay.

For online shops with many small claims (EUR 20–200), the debt collection procedure is often disproportionately complex. In these cases, outsourcing to a debt collection agency or using BNPL with risk assumption is more economical.

5. Risk assumption by third parties: When is a BNPL provider with payment guarantee worthwhile?

BNPL-Anbieter such as Klarna, CembraPay, POWERPAY and TWINT Pay later assume the default risk completely. You receive the amount guaranteed — regardless of whether the customer pays in the end. The question is: When is this worthwhile?

Rule of thumb: BNPL with risk assumption is worthwhile if your default rate is higher than the BNPL fee. With a default rate of 3 % and a BNPL fee of 2.40 %, you effectively save 0.60 % per transaction with BNPL — and the entire effort for dunning and debt collection.

6. DIY vs. outsourcing: Cost-benefit calculation for Swiss SMEs

The decision between own risk and outsourcing depends on three factors:

Order volume: With fewer than 50 purchase on invoice orders per month, the administrative effort for your own dunning system is manageable. From 200 orders per month, outsourcing almost always becomes more economical.

Default rate: Below 1 % default, own risk with QR invoice is cheaper. From 2–3 % default, the losses exceed the BNPL fees. From 5 % default, BNPL with risk assumption is highly recommended.

Shopping cart size: With large shopping carts (over EUR 500), every default is heavy. Even with a low default rate, individual unpaid orders can tip the monthly result. Here, securing via BNPL or a credit check is particularly important.

A pragmatic approach for Swiss SMEs: QR invoice with credit check (CRIF/Intrum) for regular customers and B2B customers, supplemented by Klarna or TWINT Pay later for new customers and high-risk segments.

7. Prevention in checkout: Order limits, address validation and fraud detection

In addition to credit checks and BNPL, there are other preventive measures that reduce payment defaults:

Order limits for new customers: Limit the maximum purchase on invoice amount for first-time buyers — for example to EUR 100. After the first successful payment, the limit can be increased.

Address validation: Check that the delivery and billing addresses match. Discrepancies are a risk signal. Swiss Post offers an API for address validation.

Velocity Checks: Detection of conspicuous order patterns — for example, multiple orders on invoice within a short time from the same address or IP.

Only verified payment methods for purchase on invoice: Make purchase on invoice available only to customers with a verified account and checked address. Guest orders only receive risk-free payment methods such as credit card or TWINT.

Limit open claims: Do not allow a new purchase on invoice order as long as a previous invoice is still open.

Checklist: Systematically minimizing payment defaults when purchasing on invoice

• Calculate your current default rate: What percentage of purchase on invoice orders are not paid?

• Compare the default costs with the BNPL fees: From when is risk assumption worthwhile?

• Implement a real-time credit check at checkout (CRIF or Intrum) to filter high-risk transactions.

• Set up an automatic dunning system: Payment reminder → 1st dunning letter → 2nd dunning letter → debt collection.

• Set order limits for new customers when purchasing on invoice.

• Check delivery and billing addresses for plausibility.

• Combine own risk (QR invoice for regular customers) with BNPL (for new customers).

• Document your T&Cs: Dunning fees, default interest and threat of debt collection must be anchored in the T&Cs.