where to sell digital products

Etsy.

Shopify.

Gumroad.

Payhip.

Stan.

Your own website.

Some woman on TikTok just told you the platform she uses changed her LIFE.

Cool.

You wanted to sell a planner and somehow you’ve ended up researching payment processors at 11:42pm.

😂

Here’s the good news.

You do not need to build a tiny internet empire before you sell your first digital product.

You need somewhere your customer can find the thing, pay you, and receive it without you manually emailing pdf to strangers.

The best place to sell your digital products depends on what you’re selling, whether you already have an audience, how much control you want and how much technological faffing you’re prepared to tolerate.

So instead of giving you a list of 27 platforms, let’s figure out which TYPE of platform actually makes sense for you.

What's Coming Up

First, there are basically 3 ways to sell digital products

You can sell through a marketplace, where people are already wandering around looking for stuff.

You can use a simple selling platform, which handles checkout and delivery without requiring you to build a whole ecommerce website.

Or you can sell through your own store or website, where you have much more control over the customer experience and how you grow the business.

There are plenty of variations inside those categories, but that’s the decision we’re really making.

And yes, you can eventually use more than one.

But if you’re currently trying to make your first $12 sale, I do not need you constructing an omnichannel commerce strategy.

Let’s get a product sold first.

1. Etsy: Good if you want people already looking for digital products

The big advantage of Etsy is pretty obvious.

People already go there to shop.

You don’t necessarily have to convince somebody to visit SarahsRandomPlannerShop.com before you can convince her to buy a planner.

She’s already on Etsy.
She’s searching.
She’s comparing products.
She has her credit card out.

Lovely.

That makes Etsy particularly interesting if you don’t have much of an audience yet.

Printables, planners, spreadsheets, wedding resources, business templates and other digital downloads are all products you’ll see being sold there.

But there’s a rather important distinction between:

Etsy has traffic

and

Etsy will send me traffic.

You still have to create listings people can actually find and want to click.

Your title matters. Your images matter. Your keywords matter. The product itself DEFINITELY matters.

You are also building on somebody else’s platform, which means their rules and fees come with the furniture.

Etsy currently charges a $0.20 listing fee and a 6.5% transaction fee, with payment-processing fees varying by country. Other fees can apply in certain circumstances, including Offsite Ads. (Etsy Help)

So when somebody tells you:

“Just sell it on Etsy!”

there’s a little more going on than uploading a PDF and waiting for the cha-ching noise.

One VERY important thing if you’re selling PLR

Do not assume that having a PLR license automatically means you can sell that product on Etsy.

Etsy’s current rules say digital items must be made and/or designed by the seller, and sellers are responsible for making sure their listings comply with Etsy’s policies. (Etsy Help)

Your PLR license tells you what the PLR creator allows you to do.

Etsy decides what Etsy allows on Etsy.

Those are 2 different conversations.

If you’re using resale-ready products, customize them substantially and check the current marketplace rules before listing.

Etsy makes the most sense if…

You want access to marketplace shoppers and you’re willing to learn how Etsy search and listings work.

It can be especially useful when you’re starting without much of an existing audience.

But if your long-term plan is to build your own digital-product brand, I wouldn’t make “Etsy seller” the entire business strategy.

I’d treat Etsy as a sales channel.

That’s different.

2. Payhip: Good if you want to start selling without building a whole store

Maybe you don’t particularly want an Etsy shop.

You have somewhere to get traffic from, or you’re willing to create it, and what you really need is:

Product → checkout → payment → delivery.

This is where simpler digital-selling platforms get interesting.

Payhip, for example, lets you sell digital products without paying for its higher plans immediately.

At the time I’m writing this, its Free Forever plan is $0/month with a 5% transaction fee. The Plus plan is $29/month with a 2% transaction fee, and Pro is $99/month with no Payhip transaction fee. Payment processors can still charge their own fees. (Payhip)

That means you can get started without committing to another monthly bill before you’ve made enough money to buy yourself a celebratory burrito.

I like that for beginners.

The tradeoff is you’re responsible for getting people there.

Payhip isn’t Etsy.

You can’t put a product up and assume hordes of shoppers will stumble across it while looking for a budget spreadsheet.

You need traffic.

But if you already have an email list, social following, Pinterest traffic, blog or another way of reaching potential buyers, that may be completely fine.

Payhip makes the most sense if…

You want a relatively simple way to sell and deliver digital products without building a full ecommerce operation.

It’s also appealing if your current business stage is:

Can we please see whether anybody buys this before I sign up for 14 pieces of software?

A reasonable request.

3. Gumroad: Very simple, but LOOK at the fees

Gumroad has been popular with creators for years because you can get a product online without constructing the Taj Mahal of ecommerce websites.

There isn’t a monthly platform fee.

That sounds delightful.

Then we need to look at what happens when you sell.

For direct sales through your Gumroad profile or links, Gumroad currently charges 10% + $0.50 per transaction, plus card-processing costs. Sales that come through Gumroad’s Discover marketplace are charged at a higher rate. Gumroad also acts as merchant of record and handles sales-tax collection and remittance worldwide. (Gumroad)

So Gumroad can absolutely be convenient.

But “no monthly fee” does not mean “free.”

This is why I want you to compare platforms based on how your particular business will use them, not whichever pricing-page headline looks prettiest.

If you’re making a handful of sales and simplicity matters more than squeezing every possible dollar out of fees, you might be perfectly happy.

Once sales start climbing, the math can look very different.

Gumroad makes the most sense if…

You value simplicity, want to get selling quickly and don’t mind paying more per transaction for that convenience.

Just do the math.

Remember our little pricing conversation?

Fees are invited to that party too.

4. Stan: Good if your business revolves around your audience

You’ve probably seen Stan sitting in approximately 4 billion Instagram and TikTok bios.

There’s a reason for that.

It’s built around creators who already have people following them and need somewhere simple to send those people to buy products, book services or join offers.

Stan currently charges a subscription rather than taking a platform percentage from transactions. Its help center lists Creator at $29/month and Creator Pro at $99/month, with payment-processing fees from Stripe or PayPal still applying. (Stan Store Help Center)

That model can make sense when you already have traffic coming from social media.

But again, ask yourself what problem you’re actually trying to solve.

If you have 23 Instagram followers, 7 of whom are cousins, paying monthly for a creator storefront isn’t going to create an audience for you.

The checkout isn’t the problem.

Nobody being there is the problem.

Stan makes the most sense if…

You already create content and have an audience you can send directly to your offers.

It’s particularly suited to an audience-first creator business.

If you’re planning to build a larger searchable digital-product shop with lots of products, categories and SEO content, I’d look harder at your own website or a fuller ecommerce platform.

5. Shopify: Good when you’re building an actual store

Then there’s Shopify.

Shopify gives you a proper ecommerce store.

You get much more room to build your brand, organize a growing catalog and create a shopping experience that belongs to your business.

Shopify supports digital-only stores, and its current Digital Products app can automatically deliver files or links after checkout. Shopify says there are no additional digital-product fees beyond your normal plan and payment processing. (Shopify)

The Basic plan is currently $29/month when billed yearly, or $39 month-to-month, before payment-processing costs and any additional paid apps you choose to add. (Shopify)

And there is the bit I want beginners to think about.

Shopify is powerful.

Do you NEED powerful yet?

If you’ve got 30 products, regular sales and plans to build a proper ecommerce brand, maybe you do.

If you have one $9 workbook and no idea where your first customer is coming from…

Girl.

You can build NASA later.

I don’t want you spending the next week choosing themes, installing apps and nudging your logo 3 pixels to the left because you’ve decided this is apparently the urgent business problem.

Get the product in front of somebody.

Shopify makes the most sense if…

You’re building a larger ecommerce business and want the flexibility that comes with a dedicated store.

For somebody testing her very first digital product?

It may be more store than you need right now.

6. Your own website: My favorite LONG-TERM option

Now we’re getting into the option I particularly like if your goal is to build a business rather than simply list a few files somewhere.

Your website.

And before you panic, I am not saying:

Before you sell your $17 workbook, please spend $8,000 commissioning a custom website.

Absolutely not.

You can sell from a relatively simple website.

The reason I like owning your site is control.

You decide how products are presented.

You can publish useful content that brings people in through search.

You can build your email list.

You can create bundles, upsells and sales pages around your products.

Most importantly, your business has somewhere to live that isn’t entirely dependent on the rules of a marketplace or social platform.

That’s the model I’m much more interested in long term.

Content → website → email list → products.

Now you’ve got assets working together.

A blog post can bring someone in through Google.

She uses your free tool.
She joins your email list.
Three weeks later she buys something.

Six months after that she comes back for something else.

THAT starts looking like a business ecosystem instead of:

Please, algorithm. May I have another customer?

But your own website does NOT come with people

This is the tradeoff.

Opening your own website is a bit like opening a gorgeous little shop in the middle of a field.

Congratulations.

It’s yours.

You can paint it whatever color you want.

Nobody knows it’s there.

😂

Owning your platform means taking responsibility for traffic.

That could come from SEO, Pinterest, email, social media, paid ads, collaborations, referrals or some combination of those.

This is why I don’t particularly care whether you use the fanciest platform.

I care whether you’ve thought about:

Where are my customers coming from?

Because every selling platform becomes considerably less exciting when the answer is:

I assumed the internet would send some.

So…where should YOU sell digital products?

Okay.

Let’s make this ridiculously simple.

✔️ You have no audience and want access to existing shoppers

Look at Etsy.

You’re getting access to a marketplace where people already search for digital products.

Just remember that marketplace traffic comes with competition, fees and platform rules.

✔️ You want the quickest simple setup

Look at Payhip or Gumroad.

You can get your product online without building a large ecommerce site.

Compare their current fees based on your price and expected sales rather than choosing based on whichever one somebody on Threads likes this week.

✔️ You already have a social audience

A creator storefront such as Stan may make sense.

Your audience is doing the heavy lifting.

You need somewhere convenient to send them.

✔️ You want to build a larger ecommerce shop

Look at Shopify.

You’ll have much more room to build a full store as your catalog and sales grow.

✔️ You want to build a long-term digital-product brand

Build around your own website.

That doesn’t mean you can’t ALSO sell on Etsy or use another checkout platform.

It means your website becomes home base.

That’s the distinction I care about.

Can You Sell Digital Products in More Than One Place?

Absolutely.

In fact, eventually I think that can be smart.

You might use Etsy to reach marketplace shoppers while building your own website and email list.

Perhaps your website becomes your main brand hub while another platform handles checkout or product delivery.

You could also test products on one platform before investing more heavily in them elsewhere.

What I would NOT do is open accounts everywhere on Tuesday because somebody told you “multiple income streams” are important.

Now you’ve got 6 storefronts to update and still haven’t figured out how customers are finding any of them.

That mofo is infinite.

Start somewhere.

Learn what works.

Expand because you have a reason.

What Should You Look For in a Digital Product Selling Platform?

Before signing up, I’d check a few things.

Fees. What are you paying monthly, per transaction and through payment processing?

Delivery. Can customers automatically receive their files after purchase?

Traffic. Does the platform have marketplace discovery, or are you bringing every customer yourself?

Customer access. Can you build an email list or maintain a direct relationship with buyers within the platform’s rules?

Product types. Does it support what you’re actually selling?

Taxes. Who is responsible for calculating, collecting and remitting applicable sales taxes or VAT?

Rules. Does the platform allow your particular product and business model?

And finally:

Will you still want to use this thing if your business gets bigger?

You don’t need a platform that can support your imaginary $14 million company on day one.

But you also don’t want to rebuild everything in 6 weeks because you chose something purely because it was free.

Don’t Choose Your Platform Before You Know How You’ll Get Traffic

THIS is the bit I’d write on a Post-it and slap somewhere near your computer.

The platform is not the marketing plan.

Etsy has shoppers, but you still need listings that compete in search.

Your own website gives you control, but you need to bring people to it.

Creator storefronts work beautifully when there’s a creator with an audience standing in front of them.

There is no platform where you upload cute-budget-planner.pdf, close your laptop and wake up to passive-income confetti.

Rude, I know.

Before you spend hours comparing checkout buttons, decide how you’re planning to get your first 100 people in front of the product.

That answer may make the platform decision considerably easier.

Still Getting Your Digital Product Business Set Up?

If choosing where to sell is currently item #38 on the list of things bouncing around your head, I’ve got something for you.

My FREE Digital Product Business Launch Checklist walks you through the stuff you actually need to get sorted, from choosing your product and getting the business ready to building your audience and launching.

And yes, you can save your progress.

Because relying on your brain to remember everything seemed unnecessarily optimistic.

[GET THE FREE DIGITAL PRODUCT BUSINESS LAUNCH CHECKLIST]

What if You Don’t Want to Create the Product From Scratch Either?

Also fair.

If the platform isn’t the part slowing you down and you’re actually stuck at:

But I still need something to SELL…

Go read my guide to Digital Products to Resell Without Creating Everything From Scratch.

And if you want ready-made digital products you can customize, brand and sell according to the included license, take a look at the [Digital Products Vault].

Because starting from scratch is an option.

It does not need to become your entire personality.

Where Should You Start?

If you’ve never sold a digital product before, choose the simplest platform that does what you need right now.

Get one product properly listed.

Set up payment and automatic delivery.

Pick one realistic way to get people there.

Then sell the damn thing.

Once you’ve got customers and actual data, you can decide whether you need another platform, a bigger store or more sophisticated systems.

You will make considerably better decisions with 50 sales behind you than you will after reading your 47th platform-comparison article.

At some point, you’ve got to stop researching the checkout.

And give somebody something to check out.

FAQs About Where to Sell Digital Products

Where is the best place to sell digital products?

There isn’t one best platform for everybody. Etsy can make sense if you want marketplace shoppers, while simple selling platforms are useful when you want an easy checkout and delivery setup. Your own website or a fuller ecommerce platform gives you more control when you’re building a larger brand.

Where can I sell digital products for free?

Some platforms let you start without a monthly subscription, but that doesn’t necessarily mean selling is completely free. For example, Payhip currently has a $0/month plan with a 5% transaction fee, while Gumroad has no monthly fee but charges per sale. Payment-processing fees can also apply. (Payhip)

Always check current pricing before choosing a platform because fees change.

Is Etsy good for selling digital products?

It can be, particularly if access to marketplace shoppers appeals to you. You’ll still need competitive products and strong listings, and your digital items need to comply with Etsy’s current seller and Creativity Standards. (Etsy Help)

Do I need a website to sell digital products?

No.

You can start with a marketplace or digital-selling platform and build your website later. A website becomes particularly useful when you want more control over your brand, content, email funnel and customer journey.

Can I sell the same digital product on Etsy and my own website?

Potentially, yes, provided you own or have the appropriate rights to the product and both your license and the platforms’ rules permit how you’re selling it.

If you’re using PLR or other licensed content, check the specific license AND the rules of every marketplace you’re using.

What’s the easiest platform for beginners?

I’d prioritize whichever option lets you handle payment and automatic delivery without giving you 47 other things to configure.

For some sellers that’s Etsy because they want marketplace traffic. For others, a simple digital-selling platform such as Payhip is more appropriate.

Your goal isn’t to win Best Checkout System.

It’s to make the first sale.