The best 6 options and features to make digital downloads available online

Discover the top characteristics to make digital downloads available for sale on the internet. This article explains what features you need to be looking for, as well as the top websites that offer digital downloads for sale.

Most effective methods to market digital downloads is to offer them to various types of creators

When deciding where to sell digital downloads, you need to select tools that provide ease of entry, functionality, support, marketing features as well as low fees and cost-effective costs.

• Shopify as well as Etsy were created to enable sellers to market physical products However, they permit selling digital downloads, too. The selling options for digital products are more restricted.
• Gumroad offers a broad range of features, and it allows to sell a vast variety of documents with no annual charges. But the catch is that Gumroad has high transaction fees per sale.
• Easy Digital Downloads is a WordPress plugin that allows you to offer products on your site. While it's totally free to use it, you'll probably require additional extensions and integrations.
• It's easy to set-up it's easy to establish and allows you sell any type of document without restrictions. It has advanced features for marketing built into the platform, and we offer excellent customer support - or that's what our clients say about us.

When I launched my very first digital download, I thought that the most difficult aspect was to turn the thoughts from my head into a product of high quality which would be actually desired by people who bought it.

We wouldn't like that for you.

There are many places where that allow you to sell digital downloads today, but the decision of which program will best suit your goods is a matter of a time-sink.

Why would you want to market digital downloads?

Digital downloads comprise files that can be downloaded from the internet. If you're a designer, digital downloads can be a profitable component to your collection.

There are a few reasons selling digital downloads might be beneficial for you:

You don't have to worry with inventory or shipping. If making daily visits for the post office sound like the nightmare you have, digital goods can be the answer.          AePvQamTNgAPQPswFRKK

There are six aspects you should consider when you are deciding where to market digital downloads on the internet

However, some software platforms can take things up a notch with sophisticated capabilities, and it's important to determine which one best matches the objectives you're hoping to create as of now, as well as within the next few years.

Moving your equipment from one to another is similar to visiting the dentist. The best way to prevent suffering from toothache by picking the device that you believe is the most manageable and gives you room to grow.

To make this decision less difficult to make, here are some points to consider:

Easy of EntryFirst foremost, the website that you're selling digital downloads should be easy to access for you , as the person who created it.

functions:You're a multifaceted creator Therefore, you might want to provide a variety of different digital goods later. Keep an eye out for websites that do not limit the type of files you can upload.

Customer SupportIf your scenario is similar to the majority of consumers  who have a need for support, you should expect to receive response to any support query within ten minutes after having asked the question. The choice of a company with excellent customer support could save your from costly delays later on.

Charges for transactions:Transaction fees are a portion of any purchase the platform makes. The typical amount is 1-10% of the total amount of the transaction. Some platforms also add costs for listing and processing charges for credit card transactions that can increase as each transaction is completed.

Cost:Finally, we have to calculate the figures. But, being cheaper does not indicate better, as platforms that cost less generally have higher costs as well as additional costs.

After we've identified the features to look at, let's take a look at the most well-known alternatives and compare what they have in common.

For instance, the creator Emily Conners makes use of her site to provide free digital downloads and offer live cohorts online courses, as well as one-on-one coaching courses.

Best of all, has the possibility of a free plan. Create your website and control your online community as well as make a purchase for one digital download and one coaching program for free.

Do you want to experience it for yourself? Sign up to get a no-cost account now.

There are many benefits of using :

The free plan allows you to sell the first download with out an enormous upfront cost.

You can sell any kind of digital download with unlimited file size.

Although we believe it is an amazing program, it is not necessarily the case that each software is suitable for everyone. Here are some reasons why may not be the right choice for you.

Digital is the norm in the market, therefore if you're looking to market physical items, an online platform like Shopify or Etsy could be the best option.

Highlights

Accessibility: 5 out five. The creator-facing dashboard to the right is straightforward and clear to navigate. Through our customizable onboarding procedure as well as step-by step instruction videos you'll be able list the items you need in a matter of minutes.

The function is 5 out of 5. You can offer documents in nearly any kind of format, and there's no restriction on size for files. It's possible to bundle products or offer them additional items, and you can set the price according to your preferences.

Support Five stars out of five. Have you met our team of support yet? If not, you should! Visit the chatbox located at the lower left of the page and make yourself known. Our chat support is the most efficient, friendly, and speedy chat support you can find.

Marketing 4.5 from 5. We set out to make an all-in-one solution for requirements for your business and features for marketing are a crucial piece of that puzzle. You can prelaunch and sell items, offer coupons or even create your own affiliate programs out of the box.

I've taken a half point off because we do not offer an option to sell your products, however it's not a necessity for every company as we allow you to create your own fan base with our lead-capturing tools.

Fees for transactions: 4.5 out of 5. With , there are no transaction charges for paid plans. People who have a free plan pay an average of 8 percent in transaction costs on transactions.

The cost is kept low for beginning your business, but you'll have the ability to increase your options and eliminate the transaction fee when your company grows.

As with most platforms, there are payment processor fees that don't have anything to do with . Stripe or PayPal charges a basic transaction fee of 2.9 30% + 30Cor. Additionally, we provide instant payments to creators so you can get your cash quick.

Price: 's free plan offers a web site as well as an online community. one download digital and an coaching program. The paid plans start at $39.90 to $199.99/month.

Are you curious to learn more about how to run your business on the internet using an online platform such as ? Join us for an interactive live demo to try the platform.

Shopify

Shopify is an online retailer and a well-known name in the world of creators. The company has more than 1.7 million businesses make use of Shopify for their online shops and the creators of Shopify have made over $200 billion in revenue.

Shopify is a Shopify platform is well-known in the world of selling physical items, however it's also possible sell digital items. Recently, Shopify has also added many international functions to its e-commerce platform.

If you're a creative who wants to sell physical or physical items to buyers across the globe, Shopify might be a excellent place to start.

Below are a few Shopify advantages:

Shopify is a powerful platform for marketing tools and integrates seamlessly with numerous social media sites.

Shopify uses their own processing for payments, Shopify Payments. It's easy to use and comes with every plan, meaning there's no need to join with third-party processors if you don't want to.

You can create beautiful web pages, storefronts that can be customized and gorgeous.

Here are the Shopify pros:

Shopify's focus is on selling physical products. You can get premium features that will not require if your business is only offering digital products.

If you don't use Shopify Payments, there are other charges that will be added to the cost of your monthly subscription.

The structure of fees can be described as complex.

Shopify is offering

Easy to use: 3 out of 5. As Shopify was originally designed to be a platform to sell physical goods You'll have to follow additional steps in order to promote digital downloads. There are videos on their site that guide you through how to add your items to using the Digital Downloads app, but this isn't the most straightforward method.

Functionality 3/5. Another time, Shopify loses points because most of its functionality is intended to help you sell physical items.

In order to sell digital downloads, the maximum size of the file can be 5GB for each download. The only way to sell a file per product variant However, you can incorporate many variations such as different image resolutions and ebook formats. It is necessary to utilize the ZIP file when you wish to incorporate multiple files into a single product.

Support: 3 out of five. Shopify has 24/7 support via chat online, as well as help via email, as well as the support community where you can seek assistance from fellow users. There are many reviews on the internet that have complained about the slow response time for Support.

Marketing 5/5/5. Shopify is a standout when it comes to marketing. Their plans come with a fantastic web-based builder which lets you create your online storefront as well as make a blog.

There's built-in email marketing with eCommerce templates. In addition, you can design vouchers, create gift cards and show real-life feedback from customers. It also integrates with social media sites.

Fees for transactions: 2.5 out of 5. The Shopify fee structure is complex. It's difficult to determine exactly the amount of your transaction and the charges associated with processing credit cards will be on purchases.

There's no transaction fee for transactions that are made through Shopify Payments. Shopify Payments platform. But if you don't use Shopify Payments, there's a charge for transactions made through another payment processor.

If you're also accepting large credit cards, then you'll have to pay an additional fee for credit cards per purchase. The amount of these percentages will change depending on which plans you pick.

Basic Shopify:

The cost of processing credit card transactions: 2.9 percent plus $0.30

Cost for transactions if you don't use Shopify Payments 2.2%

Shopify:

Processing fees for credit cards: 2.6% + $0.30

Fee for transactions if you do not use Shopify Payments: 1%

Advanced Shopify:

Processing cost of credit card transactionsis 2.4 percent + $0.30

Cost for transactions if you don't use Shopify Payments: 0.5%

Price: $29 -- $299/month. Shopify provides three different plans. You'll pay the monthly rate plus the costs mentioned below.

Etsy

A huge number of customers turn to Etsy for exclusive and unique products. Etsy is known as the spot to purchase customized antique, quirky, and vintage items created by creative people along with small-scale business.

Etsy is home to nearly 400 million daily visitors , which is a huge amount of attention on your products. They also have a robust marketplace, which allows you to advertise your items and to be recognized by customers who are looking for you.

On the plus side:

Etsy is an established brand that has helped build trust with consumers.

Your shop's page is where you'll be able to categorize your products in categories to facilitate organization and discoverability.

Etsy offers a user-friendly seller dashboard, which lets you review customers, send messages to them to create coupons and give discount coupons.

It's an excellent place to sell items like designs, templates, presets and vectors, fonts, and creative pieces.

On the other hand, there is

Etsy was designed to permit sellers to sell physical items in addition to digital ones. It's important to state in your ads that your merchandise is digital, to avoid confusion.

While listing your product on the Etsy marketplace Etsy marketplace can be a fantastic benefit, it's free of competition, and products that are popular could be lost.

Etsy has many features

Accessibility Rating: 4/5. Etsy has adapted to the digital world of products very well. The process of setting up your store in a couple of hours and adding items can be simple as simply filling in the description form and uploading pictures for your products by dragging the images onto the website, then pressing the"publish" button.

Functionality 3/5. 3. On Etsy it is possible to sell a wide range of files, however it is only possible to upload maximum five files per sale. The limit is 20 MB for each item, which could limit some artists.

Support 3.0 five stars. It is a good thing that Etsy has a wonderful users' community which allows you to ask for help with issues. Sellers are also able to access an the extensive documentation on help and a manual for sellers.

However, Etsy support is only available via email. The current average time for response is of 1-2 days however, this doesn't work for orders which are urgent.

Marketing Rating: 4/5. Etsy has some impressive marketing options for sellers. While some platforms could provide a marketplace but none of them have the reach of Etsy.

There is a lot of competition, but it's feasible to attract buyers who are serious about your product. Actually, there are third-party keyword research tools specially made to be adapted to Etsy searches. Etsy provides a variety of advertising to sellers.

Transaction charges 2.5. There are a couple of fees you should be aware of when you sell your goods through Etsy. First, there is a $0.20 listing fee per item you list in your shop. Every listing will be active for 4 months or until it's removed from the market.

If you're selling products that is a product, you'll be charged 5 percent in transaction charges in addition to a% plus $0.25 payment processing charge.

Price of 10 dollars per month no cost. The process of setting up an Etsy shop is absolutely no cost, but it'll cost $0.20 to display the item as well as transaction charges.

Simple Digital Downloads

It's specifically designed to market digital items, but it will require some work to perform the same tasks like some alternative options listed here.

The upside is:

EDD can be a good option for those who already have an already-running WordPress website , and would like to continue to operate your business in the WordPress environment.

It's also an excellent choice for users who need sophisticated customization. However, keep in mind that you'll need a good understanding of writing codes and using.

To the negative:

For all the capabilities you need for selling digital downloads, it is necessary to take advantage of extensions as well as the integration of other applications.

Other enhancements and integrations could have their own costs as well as technical problems.

Simple Digital Downloads feature

Easy entry 3.5% of ease of entry. If you're familiar using WordPress and have already uploaded plugins in the past the setup process for EDD is similar to regular. If you've never worked with WordPress then this isn't the best tool since it requires you to understand two new interfaces.

Functionality: 3 out of five. It gives EDD it is possible to sell any file you can upload onto WordPress. This gives you a wide option, however, you must be aware of the bandwidth that you are using for your site in case you plan to sell big-scale goods.

Like we've said, EDD is able to be integrated with other tools from third parties to provide more capabilities. EDD is highly customizable, however managing multiple systems is difficult.

It is the most suitable choice for anyone who wishes to build and manage the sales operation themselves. The building blocks are good however , the real question is: what do you think about building your own building?

Support: 2 5. EDD provides customer service via an online ticketing system. There's however no live chat feature. Priority support can only be found for plans with higher tiers.

A different thing to consider is should you have problems with your integration you might need to contact their support also. This could lead to long back-and-forth conversations.

Marketing: 2.5 out of 5. The box EDD offers coupons and discounts. EDD also has option to buy on the internet.

By utilizing extensions, you'll be able to increase your marketing options with affiliates, email review, star review cross-selling, and upselling However there are some features that are only accessible to plans at higher tiers.

First, you need to establish an existing WordPress site, which is offered with hosting and domain fees. You'll also have fees for all integrations using prices that you would like to utilize.

Price of $999 annually. The base EDD plugin is completely free. If you'd prefer to add extra features, you'll need to purchase them separately or upgrade to the premium version for all options.

Gumroad

Gumroad is a platform where creators are able to sell digital downloads in any size and shape. Since its inception Gumroad's creators have achieved more than $500 million in revenues from online-based products.

It's user-friendly and an option that is favored by creators But is it the right option for you? Let's look at its advantages and disadvantages.

It is an area in which Gumroad excels:

Gumroad allows you to start selling nearly anything that you could imagine, including physical goods if you choose.

The service is completely free for everyone to use; you'll only be charged transaction charges if you make a sale. It's a great option if you're not sure of selling digital items and would like to experiment before you commit to using the premium tools.

Creators can access Gumroad Discover an online marketplace that allows potential buyers to be capable of finding your products.

Here are a few Gumroad pros and cons:

The options for customization aren't as extensive for your page for checkout and product pages. It's difficult to make a traditional sales page, and you don't have a website builder.

Although it may be completely cost-free to join the service, you'll end up being paid a significant amount for each transaction. This is fine when you're first starting out but once you get bigger and more frequent, it can seriously decrease your earnings.

Gumroad offers

Simple to use Four stars out of five. The process of setting up your products using Gumroad is straightforward and quick. You can publish your first product in a matter of seconds, and you'll then be prepared to start selling.

The function: 4.5 out of 5. Gumroad is a great platform for selling products. Gumroad allows you to market physical and digital items, in addition to memberships, different versions of items rental , and variants. Additionally, you can choose an expiration date for the items you sell, and provide the keys to licenses when selling software, or even sell subscriptions.

When purchasing paid items the file size limit of 16GB. If you purchase free versions the limit for file size is 250MB. The product may contain the number of files you wish to.

Help: 2.5 out of 5. Gumroad's library is filled with helpful video and articles. The company has lost points because of the absence of live chat or telephone support. One of the best ways to get in touch with specific questions is to use the contact form.

Marketing Four out of five. When it comes to marketing, Gumroad's affiliate marketing system is a glimmer. If you're considering implementing affiliate marketing to promote your business, Gumroad lets you set the affiliate marketing process free of charge with their simple process.

Gumroad is also a host of integrations which let you connect your email marketing tools along with an integration with Zapier.

Transaction charges: 2.5 out of 5. With transaction fees ranging between 9% and 2.9 percent and higher in this area, it is this part that Gumroad loses the most points. The fees for transactions lowers as you earn greater sales, however 9 percent is a high rate for creators who are younger. You also have to pay a $0.30 charge for every purchase.

Gumroad provides weekly cash payments after you've reached the minimum of $10 USD.

Cost: No plus charges. There's no recurring cost per month. However, the transaction fees depend on the amount of transactions per year.

What to look for when deciding where to sell digital downloads

Each creator is different. This is why it's important for you to know the software that will run your company.

With a reliable and secure digital download solution at your disposal and you'll have access to an extensive product selection along with endless income possibilities.

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