Best Place to Sell Digital Downloads You've Never Heard Of
Looking for a lesser-known platform to sell your digital downloads? Here's a quick comparison of Shopify, Gumroad, and Sellfy:
| Platform | Best For | Pricing | Transaction Fees | Ease of Use | Marketing Tools |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shopify | Versatile online stores | $29-$299/month | 0-2% | Moderate | Extensive |
| Gumroad | Simple setup for creators | Free or $10/month | 2.9-9% + $0.30 | Very easy | Basic |
| Sellfy | Digital product focus | $22-$129/month | None | Easy | Good |
Sellfy stands out as an easy-to-use platform with no transaction fees, making it ideal for digital product sellers. It offers a balance between Shopify's feature-rich environment and Gumroad's simplicity.
Key takeaways:
- Shopify: Powerful but complex, better for larger stores
- Gumroad: Quick start, low cost, limited customization
- Sellfy: Digital-focused, no extra fees, yearly commitment
Choose based on your needs, budget, and growth plans. Sellfy is worth considering if you're focused on digital downloads and want a user-friendly platform without transaction fees.
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1. Shopify
Shopify is a platform where you can sell digital and physical products online. It's known for its many features, especially for physical goods, but it also works well for digital products.
File Delivery
To sell digital items on Shopify, you need to add an app from the Shopify App Store. Popular choices are:
- Digital Downloads app (free, made by Shopify)
- Easy Digital Products (EDP)
- SendOwl
These apps send files to buyers after they purchase. The Digital Downloads app lets you:
- Add multiple files to one product
- Control how many times a file can be downloaded
- Change the emails that contain download links
Marketing Tools
Shopify has tools to help you sell more:
- Features to improve search engine rankings
- Ways to connect with social media
- Tools for email marketing
- Options to create discounts and promotions
These tools can help you reach more customers and sell more digital products.
Pricing
Shopify has different plans:
| Plan | Monthly Cost | What You Get |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | $29 | Main features for new shops |
| Shopify | $79 | More reports, lower fees |
| Advanced | $299 | Best reports, lowest fees |
There's also a $9/month Shopify Lite plan for adding buy buttons to websites or social media.
Transaction Fees
Shopify charges extra fees unless you use Shopify Payments:
| Plan | Shopify Payments | Other Payment Methods |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | 0% | 2.0% |
| Shopify | 0% | 1.0% |
| Advanced | 0% | 0.5% |
These fees are important to think about when choosing where to sell your digital products, as they can affect how much money you make.
2. Gumroad
Gumroad is a platform for selling digital products. It's easy to use, making it good for new sellers.
Pricing
Gumroad has two plans:
| Plan | Cost | Transaction Fees |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0/month | Higher |
| Premium | $10/month | Lower |
This lets sellers start for free and pay more as they grow.
Transaction Fees
Fees go down as you sell more:
| Total Sales | Fee |
|---|---|
| $0 - $1,000 | 9% + $0.30 |
| $1,000 - $10,000 | 7% + $0.30 |
| $10,000 - $100,000 | 5% + $0.30 |
| $100,000 - $1,000,000 | 3% + $0.30 |
| Over $1,000,000 | 2.9% + $0.30 |
File Delivery
Gumroad handles digital product delivery well:
- Works with many file types
- Sends products to buyers right away
- Allows up to 16GB for paid items
- Lets you add many files to one product
Marketing Tools
Gumroad offers tools to help sell:
- Make your own product pages
- Manage email lists
- See sales data
- Run an affiliate program
- Work with email marketing tools
These help sellers reach more buyers and keep them coming back.
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3. Lesser-Known Platform
Sellfy is a good option for selling digital downloads that many people don't know about. It's easy to use and has features made for people who create digital products.
Pricing
Sellfy offers these pricing plans:
| Plan | Cost | What You Get |
|---|---|---|
| Starter | $22/month | Basic tools, up to $10k in sales |
| Business | $59/month | More tools, up to $50k in sales |
| Premium | $129/month | All tools, no sales limit |
You pay for a year at a time. You can try it free for 14 days.
Transaction Fees
Sellfy doesn't charge extra fees on sales. This can save you money if you sell a lot.
File Delivery
Sellfy is good at sending digital products:
- Works with many file types
- Sends products to buyers right away
- No limits on how much you can send
- Safe links for downloads
Marketing Tools
Sellfy has tools to help you sell more:
- Email marketing
- Ways to offer more products to buyers
- Discount codes
- Reminders for people who didn't finish buying
- Let buyers choose how much to pay
These tools, plus how easy Sellfy is to use, make it a good choice for people selling digital products.
Good and Bad Points
Let's look at the main pros and cons of Shopify, Gumroad, and Sellfy for selling digital downloads:
| Platform | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|
| Shopify | - Many eCommerce features - No limit on products - Strong marketing tools - Lots of apps |
- Costs more per month - Extra fees (unless using Shopify Payments) - Takes time to set up - Better for physical products |
| Gumroad | - Quick to set up - Free plan option - Low fees - Good for digital products |
- Less room to change how it looks - Fewer ways to market - Hard to grow big businesses |
| Sellfy | - Easy to use - No extra fees - Made for digital products - Good marketing tools |
- Can't change much about how it looks - Fewer connections to other tools than Shopify - Must pay for a full year |
Shopify is good if you want to sell many types of products and need lots of tools. But it costs more and can be hard to learn at first. It's not the best choice if you only sell digital items.
Gumroad is simple and cheap, making it great for people just starting to sell digital products. But it might not have enough features for big businesses.
Sellfy is in the middle. It's easy to use and good for digital products. It doesn't charge extra fees, which is nice. But you can't change how it looks much, and you have to pay for a whole year at once.
When picking a platform, think about:
- What you need
- How much money you can spend
- What you want your business to be like in the future
If you're mostly selling digital products and want something easy, try Gumroad or Sellfy. If you want to build a bigger online store that can grow, Shopify might be better, even though it costs more.
Wrap-up
Picking the right place to sell your digital downloads is key for your online business. Here's a quick look at what to think about:
| Factor | Description |
|---|---|
| Features | Check what each platform offers (e.g., ways to change how it looks, tools to help sell, payment options) |
| Costs | Look at monthly fees, sale costs, and how much the platform takes from each sale |
| Room to grow | Think about your future plans. Some platforms are better for big businesses, others for small ones |
| Focus | Some platforms are made for specific types of products. See if any match what you sell |
| Control | Some give you more say over your brand and customer info, others less |
Here's how the main platforms compare:
| Platform | Good for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Shopify | Big stores, lots of tools | Higher monthly cost, takes time to set up |
| Gumroad | Easy start, low cost | Less room to change looks, fewer tools |
| Sellfy | Digital products, no extra fees | Must pay for full year, fewer connections to other tools |
FAQs
Can I resell digital downloads?
Yes, you can resell digital downloads. Many platforms let you sell your digital products in different ways. For example:
| Platform | How You Can Sell |
|---|---|
| Sellfy | - Use your own website domain - Add their shopping cart to your site |
This gives you options to sell your digital downloads in a way that works best for your business.
What is the best platform for selling digital products?
The best platform for selling digital products depends on what you need and want. Here are some options:
| Type | Examples | Good Points |
|---|---|---|
| Marketplaces | Gumroad, Etsy, RedBubble, Udemy | - Many customers already use them - Ready-to-use platform |
| Your Own Store | Shopify, Podia, Sellfy | - Make your store look how you want - Work directly with customers |
Marketplaces help you reach many people quickly. Making your own store gives you more control over how things look and work. When picking a platform, think about:
- Who you want to sell to
- What you're selling
- How much you want to change how your store looks
This will help you choose the best place to sell your digital products.
