Six of the best ways to sell digital downloads

Discover must-have features for selling digital downloads online. This article explains which features are required and the most popular websites to sell digital downloads.

The top platforms for selling digital downloads, that are geared towards different types of creators

When deciding where to sell digital downloads, make sure you select an app with easy accessibility and functions, as well as support marketing capabilities with minimal cost and also at reasonable priced prices.

• Shopify and Etsy were created to enable sellers to market physical items and allow for the sale of digital downloads as well. The selling of digital products might be more inclusive.
• Gumroad is a robust platform that allow users to market a wide range kinds of information without fee per month. They charge very high transaction fees on each sale.
• Easy Digital Downloads is a WordPress plugin that lets you sell products direct from your web site. It's free to use however it's likely that you'll require extensions and integrations.
• It's very easy to get it set up. It can be set up in a matter of minutes and lets you sell any type of files without any limitations. It has advanced marketing capabilities built into the platform, and our customers get great service and fast as well. At least, that's the feedback from our customers about us.

When I launched my first digital product, I was thinking that the toughest part would be turning the thoughts that I had in my head into something that could ultimately be appreciated by the customers who purchased it.

We wouldn't like that to happen to you.

There are a variety of places it is possible to sell digital downloads today, but, deciding the best application for your product could be a matter of a timesink.

What are the main reasons for offer digital downloads for sale?

Digital downloads are those files that can be purchased via the internet. If you're a writer, digital downloads could be an attractive element of the services you offer.

There are many reasons selling digital downloads could make sense for you:

You don't have to deal with shipping or inventory. If your daily trip at the postoffice sound like your nightmare digital solutions are the best option to go.

There are 6 aspects to be aware of in choosing the right site to sell digital downloads

However, some platforms take the game up with more advanced functions, and it's essential to decide the platform that best fits the goals you're hoping to attain now, as well as in the near future.

Moving items between platforms is about as fun as going to the dentist. Keep yourself from suffering by picking a tool that is easy to operate, but also provides opportunities to expand.

In order to make the process more easy, here's a couple of things to be looking for:

accessibilityFirst first, and most importantly, the site you're selling digital downloads on should be easy to work with for you as the creator.

Features:You're a multifaceted creator You might be drawn to offer a variety of digital products in the near future. Keep an eye out for websites that do not limit what kind of file you can upload.

customer supportIf you're in a similar situation to what over two-thirds of customers have looking for answers to your support questions within ten minutes of you asking. Selecting a firm that offers outstanding customer support will save you from frustration in the future.

Fees for transactions:Transaction fees are a fraction of the transaction that the platform retains. These fees usually range between 1-10% of total transaction cost. There are some platforms that add listing fee as well as credit card processing charges that may add up to every sale.

Cost:Finally, we have to look at the numbers. While it is true that a cheaper price may not be the best option, as lower-cost platforms generally have more expensive charges as well as hidden charges.

Once we've identified the features that we're looking for, let's compare some popular options to determine how they compare.

As an example, the creator Emily Conners uses her site to offer free digital downloads , as well as to sell live cohort programs or on-demand classes, along with one-on-one coaching programs.

The best part is that it's a free plan. You can create your own site and control your community's online presence, and offer the download of one digital file and one coaching plan for free.

Do you want to test it yourself? Register your free account today.

Here are the advantages to employing :

Free downloads make it possible to give you your very first digital download with minimal initial costs.

It is possible to sell any kind of digital download that has unlimited file size.

Even though we think is an amazing program, it is not the case that every one can be perfect for every person. There are several motives that might not be your ideal choice.

The world is digital and if you're looking to offer physical goods using a platform such as Shopify or Etsy might be the perfect fit.

Highlights

Easy to enter: 5 out five. The creator-facing dashboard is easy to use. Through our customizable onboarding procedure and step-by-step tutorial videos that will allow you to create your list within a few hours.

Functionality: 5 out five. It allows you to sell documents in almost any kind of format and there's no limitation on file sizes. It is possible to bundle your items, provide these as an upsell and then charge as you please.

Support Five stars out of five. Have you had a chat with our support team? If not, it's time to do so! Enter the chat box found at the bottom of the page and make yourself known. We have the most helpful swift, friendly chat room service available in the city.

Marketing 4.5 five stars. Our site was designed to function as a single-stop source to meet all of your business requirements and features for marketing constitute a crucial piece of that part of that. Prelaunch and presell products, give coupons out and create an affiliate program right from scratch.

I've taken one-half of a percent off because we do not offer a marketplace feature, but this isn't necessary for every business as we allow you to easily develop your own brand of people with our lead capture tools.

Transaction fees: 4.5 out of 5. With , there none transaction charges for the paid plans. Free plan users are charged an average of 8% on transaction charges for the sale of products.

Costs are kept at a minimum as you're beginning your journey. You'll be able to raise and eliminate charges for transactions as your company grows.

In common with all platforms, there are payment processor charges that aren't connected to . Stripe and PayPal are both charged an average transaction price of 2.9 percent plus 30C+ 30C. We also offer instant payouts to creators so you can have access to your funds in a short time.

Cost: 's free plan provides a website as well as an online community. one download, as an coaching program. Plans for paid subscriptions start with $39 and go up to $199 per month.

Are you interested in learning more about managing your company online with an online platform such as ? Come along to an interactive live demonstration and try the platform:

Shopify

Shopify is an ecommerce giant and a household name in the world of creators. The company has more than 1.7 million businesses use Shopify to manage their online stores and designers who utilize Shopify have made more than $200 billion in revenues.

The Shopify platform is known to sell physical items however, it is also feasible to offer digital products. Since it was first launched, Shopify has also added numerous international features for e-commerce.

If you're an artist who wants to offer online as well as physical goods to consumers across the globe, Shopify might be a good place to start.

These are Shopify benefits:

Shopify has powerful features for marketing and integrations with social media sites.

Shopify offers its own payment processor called Shopify Payments. It's user-friendly and comes with each plan, meaning you don't have to integrate with third-party processors if you don't need to.

Create beautiful website designs, including storefronts that can be modified and even storefronts.

They are Shopify Negatives of Shopify:

The primary focus of Shopify is physical sales of products. Shopify has top features are not required when your company is only selling digital products.

If you are not using Shopify Payments, there are additional charges in addition to your month-long subscription cost.

The fee structure generally is complicated.

Shopify offers features

Accessibility 3/5. As Shopify was originally designed as a marketplace to sell physical goods and services, you'll have to follow further steps to sell digital downloads. There are videos available on the site that show the process of adding your products via their Digital Downloads app, but it's certainly not the most user-friendly system.

Functionality: 3 out of 5. This time around, Shopify loses points because a lot of the functions were designed to allow the sale of physical goods.

If you sell digital downloads the max size of the file you can sale is 5 GB per file. The maximum number of files you can sell is one file for each version. You can however include multiple variants, such as different image resolutions or ebook formats. The product will require an ZIP file to integrate multiple files in a single product.

Support: 3 stars out of 5. Shopify has 24/7 chat support, email help, and an online support forum that allows you to get assistance from fellow customers. Many online reviews have complained about slow responses from Support.

Marketing 5/5/5. Shopify stands out for marketing. Its plans offer a great web-based builder that lets you build your online store and develop a blog.

This feature for email marketing is built-in to eCommerce templates. Additionally, you can create vouchers, coupons, gift cards and vouchers, as well as show genuine customer reviews. It also integrates with social media sites.

Charges for transactions: 2.5 out of 5. The Shopify fee structure is extremely complex. It's hard to know precisely what you'll pay for your purchase and the processing fee on credit cards is when you make the purchase.

There's no fee for transactions when you make payments using the Shopify Payments service. But if you don't use Shopify Payments, there's a transaction cost for using a third-party processor.

If you're also accepting large credit cards, you'll have to pay an additional fee on every purchase. These percentages change based upon the kind of plan you pick.

The basics of Shopify:

The processing cost for credit card transactions: 2.9% + $0.30

Fee for transactions if you do not use Shopify Payments 2 percent

Shopify:

Credit card processing fee: 2.6% + $0.30

Charge for transaction if you don't use Shopify Payments: 1%

Advanced Shopify:

Processing fee for credit cards: 2.4% + $0.30

Cost for transactions in case you do not make use of Shopify Payments: 0.5%

Price: $29 -- $299/month. Shopify offers three plans. You must pay the monthly cost in addition to the charges listed in the previous paragraphs.

Etsy

The majority of buyers make use of Etsy to buy hand-crafted and unique items. Etsy has a reputation as the place to buy custom antique, quirky, and retro-styled items made by small and independent businesses as well as creators.

Etsy has more than 400 million visits per month  this is a huge amount of attention on your items. Additionally, they have a thriving marketplace that allows you to sell your items and be discovered by new buyers.

Plus side:

Etsy is a well-known brand that will instil confidence among customers.

On your shop page You can divide your items into categories that will help you organize your products and discoverability.

Etsy offers a user-friendly seller dashboard, which is where you can read customer reviews, contact customers, design coupons and offer discount codes.

It's a great platform to offer items such as designs, templates, presets and vectors, fonts, as well as creative items.

On the flip side:

Etsy is made to help you sell physical goods alongside digital ones. It is important to make it clear on your advertisements the fact that your product is digital in order to avoid confusion.

Although being listed on Etsy's marketplace Etsy marketplaces is a desirable bonus, but there's a lot of competition. Also, products in popular categories could get hidden.

Etsy offers many functions

Accessibility This rating is 4/5. Etsy has adapted to the world of digital products very well. It is possible to set the store you want to sell within a few minutes, and adding products can be as easy as filling in an online form to describe your product by uploading images for your items and then posting them to the store and pushing the publish button.

Functionality 3.0 Out of 5. In Etsy the platform, you are able to offer various file types, but it's only possible to upload five files per product. The maximum size for files is 20 MB for each document, which could limit some artists.

Support 3 stars out of 5. One thing is that Etsy provides a fantastic user community for creators which allows you to ask queries. Sellers are also able to obtain comprehensive assistance materials as well as the seller's manual.

But, Etsy support is only available via email. As of now, you can expect an average turnaround of 1-2 days. That's not ideal in the case of urgent requests.

Marketing 5 out of 5. Etsy has some interesting marketing tools that are for sale by sellers. Although other platforms might be able to sell in a marketplace however none offer the same level of service as. Etsy.

This can be a struggle to the end, but it's possible to drive massive traffic for your business. There are third-party keyword research tools specially designed for Etsy searches. Etsy provides additional options of advertising to sellers that they can avail.

Transaction charges 5/5. There are a couple of fees you should be aware of when selling your items through Etsy. At first, you'll have to pay a $0.20 listing fee for each product you sell in your shop. Every listing will be active for four months , or until it's closed.

If you're selling products that you sell and are charged a five% transaction fee in addition to a 3 percent plus $0.25 processing fee.

The price is 10 dollars per month for no cost. The process of setting up your Etsy shop is absolutely cost-free, however it'll cost $0.20 to list products as well as any transaction charges.

Simple Digital Downloads

It's specifically designed for selling digital items, however, it needs some additional lifting to give the same features as other options on this list.

The upside is:

EDD can be a great option if you already have an already-existing WordPress website , and you want to keep your product inside WordPress. WordPress community.

It's also an excellent choice for users who need advanced customizations, but keep your eyes on the fact that you'll have be comfortable creating code and working.

On the downside:

In order to fulfill the various functions for selling digital downloads, you'll need add extensions or integrate to other software.

Additional extension and integrations may come with their own cost and technical issues.

It's easy to download Digital Downloads feature

Easy to access 3/5. If you're used to WordPress and you've previously published plugins previously making the switch to EDD will be the same as usual. If you've never used WordPress before, it's probably not the ideal tool, as you'll have to learn two new interfaces.

Functionality Qualitative: 3 out of 5. It gives EDD you can sell any kind of file that you upload onto WordPress. It gives you a broad range of options, but you should be aware of the bandwidth you use for your website when you plan to sell massive products.

As we've said, EDD is able to be integrated with different tools developed by third party companies to offer more features. EDD is extremely flexible, but managing several systems may become difficult.

This is usually the best option for people who wish to construct and run their own setup for selling. Blocks are great for building, but it's a matter of being prepared to finish the task?

Support: 2/5. EDD offers customer support via an online ticketing system. However, it doesn't have live chat. Priority support is available only for plans with higher tiers.

A different thing to think about is that, if you encounter issues with your integration, you may require support from them in addition. It can result in frustrating and heated interactions.

Marketing: 2.5 out of 5. In the box, EDD provides coupons and offers. Also, EDD has an excellent shopping cart function.

With extensions, you are in a position to expand your marketing suite by including affiliates, emails reviews stars, reviews of your emails as well as cross-selling and upselling. However, some of these options are only offered in premium plans.

First, you must begin by creating an WordPress website. This is provided with hosting and domain costs. There are also fees associated with any premium integrations you intend to utilize.

The cost is $999 annually. The base EDD plugin is free. If you'd like more tools and features, you'll need to purchase the tools separately, and then upgrade to a more expensive package in order to access all options.

Gumroad

Gumroad operates an internet-based marketplace that lets creators market digital downloads of different sizes and forms. In the last decade, Gumroad creators have cumulatively earned over 500 million dollars in sales through online-based products.

It's simple to use and has been a popular option for manufacturers. But are you sure it's the best choice for you? Let's look into the advantages and drawbacks.

That's where Gumroad is a winner:

Gumroad lets you begin your journey and it allows you to market virtually any product imaginable even physical items in the event that you decide to.

The service is completely free to anyone to use. Only fee for transactions when you know that you've succeeded in making a sale. This is nice if you're not certain about selling digital products and want to test before committing to the use of a paid service.

Creators can make use of Gumroad Discover the online market in which prospective customers can find the products that you provide.

Here are a few Gumroad cons:

There's a limited amount of customizing options for your product pages and checkout pages. It's difficult to make an average sales page if there's no website creator.

While it might be free to sign upfor, it's expensive to cover transaction costs per sale. This can be fine when you're just starting out however, as you grow your operation, it can reduce your earnings.

Gumroad also includes

Accessibility Rating 5/5. Setting up products using Gumroad is easy and intuitive. When you first publish a product in only a couple of minutes and you'll have everything you need to begin selling.

The functionality: 4.5 out of 5. With Gumroad it is possible to sell digital and physical products, memberships, files, variants, as well as rentals. You may also select the release date of your product, offer key codes to licenses if you're selling software and also make subscriptions available for sale.

For paid products There's an upper limit of 16GB. If you purchase free products, the maximum file size is 250MB. The product may contain as many files you want.

Customer Service 2.5 out of five. Gumroad has a resource library that includes helpful videos and writings. There's the absence of live chat and phone support So the best option to reach them to seek assistance with specific problems is to contact them via email.

Marketing Rating 4/5. Marketing is rated 4 out of 5. Gumroad's affiliate system shines. If you're planning to implement affiliate marketing to promote your business, Gumroad lets you set the affiliate marketing system for you at no cost with their simple process.

Gumroad provides a range of integrations, allowing you to join your marketing and email tools, and also using Zapier to connect.

Transaction charges: 2.5 out of 5. With transaction fees ranging between 9 percent to 2.9 percent up to 2.9 in this area, it is this part that Gumroad has the greatest loss of points. The cost of transactions are lower when you make more sales, but 9% remains a steep price for newer creators. Additionally, you pay the $0.30 charge for every sale.

Gumroad offers weekly cash payouts and the payout is based on when you've passed the $10 USD threshold.

Cost: Free as well as Fees. There's no recurring fee, but there are transaction charges depending on the annually generated revenue.

What are the top aspects to take into consideration when deciding which digital downloads to sell?

Each creator is different. That's why it's nice to have options when selecting the program that runs your company.

If you've got a reliable digital download program with you then you're on the way to having a more comprehensive product line and a plethora of opportunities to earn.

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