Boxtec
Boxtec (BOXTEC AG) was a Swiss online retailer in Liestal that operated shop.boxtec.ch from 2010 to December 2021, reselling roughly 994 SKUs of microcontrollers, sensors, tools, and electronic components to DACH makers, hobbyists, educators, and professional engineers via a BlueOnyx CMS storefront.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2010
- HeadquartersLiestal, Switzerland
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Boxtec does
Boxtec, legally BOXTEC AG, was a privately held Swiss online retailer (BOXTEC Onlineshop) headquartered in Liestal, Switzerland, that operated from 14 October 2010 until its permanent closure on 27 December 2021. The shop ran on a BlueOnyx CMS storefront at shop.boxtec.ch and resold approximately 994 SKUs of electronic components, development boards, sensors, tools, and accessories distributed across six categories: E-Textiles (5), Electronics (445), Microcontroller (335), Sensors (90), Tools (70), and Diverse (49). Catalog brands included Arduino-compatible boards, SparkFun, Olimex, Seeed, Teensy, PIC/ARM/AVR microcontrollers, Qwiic and environmental sensors (e.g., BME680), LoRa/WiFi/Bluetooth wireless modules, LED and E-Textile parts, and accessories such as the SteadyHands SMT Pick and Place tool.
The business model was pure direct-to-consumer e-commerce with unit pricing in Swiss Francs, quantity-based discounts, and multiple payment methods including Visa, Mastercard, PayPal, invoice, and notably Bitcoin and Litecoin. Customer segments were primarily individual makers, hobbyists, and electronics enthusiasts building Arduino- or Raspberry Pi-based projects, with secondary exposure to educational institutions (schools, universities, STEM programs) and professional engineers requiring industrial-grade components. There was no subscription, SaaS, or recurring revenue component; revenue was generated entirely through one-time hardware sales processed through an online cart and checkout flow, with bilingual German/English site support and a community-driven forum at forum.boxtec.ch plus a documentation portal at playground.boxtec.ch. No external venture capital, private equity, or institutional funding is evidenced; ownership remained private and independent until closure.
Boxtec firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Boxtec
- Legal name
- BOXTEC AG
- Website
- https://shop.boxtec.ch
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2010
- Operating status
- Closed
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Boxtec (BOXTEC AG) was a Swiss online retailer in Liestal that operated shop.boxtec.ch from 2010 to December 2021, reselling roughly 994 SKUs of microcontrollers, sensors, tools, and electronic components to DACH makers, hobbyists, educators, and professional engineers via a BlueOnyx CMS storefront.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Boxtec industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Electronic Components Retail
- NAICS
- Furniture, Home Furnishings, Electronics, and Appliance Retailers (449)
- SIC
- Retail-Misc General Merchandise Stores (5399)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Big-Box Electronics + Computers & Peripherals Retail (CRACAAAE)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Big-Box Electronics Accessories & Consumables Retail (CRACAAAK)
Keywords
Where Boxtec is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Liestal
- HQ country
- Switzerland
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Boxtec business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Product Sales: One-time product sales of electronics components, development boards, sensors, tools, and accessories. Products sold include microcontrollers (Arduino, PIC, ARM, AVR, Teensy), sensors (temperature, humidity, motion, distance, gas), wireless modules (LoRa, WiFi, Bluetooth), displays, and electronic components. No subscription or recurring revenue model.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Standard per-unit pricing with quantity discounts |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
Boxtec product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Boxtec operated a Swiss online retail shop (shop.boxtec.ch) selling electronic components, development boards (Arduino-compatible, Teensy, ARM, AVR, PIC), sensors (temperature, humidity, motion, gas, distance), wireless modules (LoRa, WiFi, Bluetooth), displays, and maker tools sourced from manufacturers including SparkFun, Olimex, Seeed, Arduino, PJRC, Saleae, and MaxBotix. The shop was permanently closed on December 27, 2021, and the company also maintained a community forum (forum.boxtec.ch) and Playground resource platform (playground.boxtec.ch) for customers and hobbyists.
Product overview
Boxtec is a Swiss online electronics retailer offering a comprehensive catalog of electronic components, development boards, sensors, and tools. The core offering is the Boxtec Onlineshop, which has been closed since December 27, 2021. The product portfolio spans six main categories: E-Textiles (5 products), Electronics (445 products), Microcontroller (335 products), Sensors (90 products), Tools (70 products), and Diverse (49 products). The shop distributed products from manufacturers including SparkFun, Olimex, Seeed, Saleae, MaxBotix, and others, covering development boards (Arduino-compatible, Teensy, ARM, AVR, PIC), environmental sensors, motion sensors, display modules, LED products, and electronic components. The company also maintained community support through its Forum and provided additional resources via its Playground platform.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Boxtec Onlineshop Swiss online electronics retail shop selling electronic components, development boards, sensors, tools, and accessories for makers, hobbyists, educational institutions, and professional engineers. The shop was operated as a multi-brand catalog (SparkFun, Olimex, Seeed, Arduino, etc.) across six main categories and was permanently closed on December 27, 2021.
- Boxtec Forum Community support forum at forum.boxtec.ch for Boxtec customers and electronics hobbyists to discuss products and obtain technical assistance.
- Boxtec Playground Online resource platform at playground.boxtec.ch providing additional documentation, tutorials, and project ideas for Boxtec products and supported development boards.
Companies that use Boxtec
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Boxtec technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Boxtec partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators4 records
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights3 records
Boxtec competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Adafruit Industries: US-based maker-focused electronics retailer and open-source hardware designer selling microcontrollers, sensors, tools, and tutorials. Highly comparable to Boxtec's value proposition, target audience (makers/hobbyists), and curated catalog approach, though Adafruit also designs proprietary boards.
- SparkFun Electronics: US maker-electronics retailer and hardware designer offering development boards, sensors, and tutorials. Boxtec actively distributed SparkFun products, making it both a supplier and a closely comparable retailer in the maker space.
Broad incumbents
- Mouser Electronics: Global distributor of electronic components and development boards with an extensive catalog spanning semiconductors, sensors, and maker-focused products. Directly comparable to Boxtec's assortment but at vastly greater scale, offering same-day shipping worldwide.
- Arrow Electronics: Global broad-line electronics distributor serving professional engineers and industrial buyers. Comparable component and development-board offerings to Boxtec, though Arrow primarily targets enterprise customers rather than individual hobbyists.
- Farnell / element14: Global electronics distributor (part of Avnet) selling components, development kits, and test equipment to engineers and makers. Comparable assortment and audience to Boxtec, with enterprise-grade logistics and broader European reach.
- Digi-Key Electronics: Major broad-line electronic components distributor serving engineers and hobbyists globally. Overlaps directly with Boxtec's microcontroller, sensor, and tool categories, and competes for the same maker/professional buyer.
Regional players
- Conrad Electronic: Long-standing German/DACH electronics retailer selling components, development boards, tools, and measurement equipment to hobbyists and professionals. Directly comparable to Boxtec on geography and customer base, with a larger multi-channel footprint.
- BerryBase: German/Swiss online shop focused on Raspberry Pi, Arduino, microcontrollers, sensors, and accessories. Directly comparable to Boxtec on assortment, audience (makers/hobbyists), and DACH positioning.
- Pi-shop.ch: Switzerland-based online retailer specializing in Raspberry Pi-related products, development boards, and accessories. Closest direct Swiss competitor to Boxtec on geography and maker audience, with similar CHF pricing and local fulfillment.
- Reichelt Elektronik: Germany-based online retailer of electronic components, semiconductors, and tools serving the DACH region. Comparable to Boxtec in assortment and European maker/professional audience, with stronger scale and broader catalog.
Market position
Strengths3 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
Boxtec social profiles
Digital presenceBoxtec financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Boxtec leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Boxtec funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Boxtec M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Boxtec
What does Boxtec do?
Boxtec operated a Swiss online retail shop (shop.boxtec.ch) selling electronic components, development boards (Arduino-compatible, Teensy, ARM, AVR, PIC), sensors (temperature, humidity, motion, gas, distance), wireless modules (LoRa, WiFi, Bluetooth), displays, and maker tools sourced from manufacturers including SparkFun, Olimex, Seeed, Arduino, PJRC, Saleae, and MaxBotix. The shop was permanently closed on December 27, 2021, and the company also maintained a community forum (forum.boxtec.ch) and Playground resource platform (playground.boxtec.ch) for customers and hobbyists.
Is Boxtec a public or private company?
Boxtec is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently closed.
When was Boxtec founded?
Boxtec was founded in 2010. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Boxtec based?
Boxtec is headquartered in Liestal, Switzerland, in the Europe region.
How does Boxtec make money?
One revenue line is on record: product Sales.
Who are Boxtec's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Adafruit Industries and SparkFun Electronics. Broad incumbents are Mouser Electronics, Arrow Electronics, Farnell / element14 and Digi-Key Electronics. Regional players are Conrad Electronic, BerryBase, Pi-shop.ch and Reichelt Elektronik.
Does Boxtec have an API?
No public API is recorded for Boxtec.
What industry is Boxtec in?
Boxtec's product category is Electronic Components Retail. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRACAAAE, Big-Box Electronics + Computers & Peripherals Retail, with a secondary code of CRACAAAK, Big-Box Electronics Accessories & Consumables Retail. Its NAICS code is 449 and its SIC code is 5399.