Monetizing your creativity isn’t hard. Here’s how I did it using Gumroad.
Make a living by doing what you enjoy the most by using an easy-to-use platform.
The Internet is a place that is full of talented people who provide valuable content to different kinds of users. While most of them can be used for free and are generally funded using ads or crowdfunding services like Patreon, there is a niche of creators that decided to provide fully paid products to their audience. Needless to say, I am one of them.
How I learned about Gumroad.
My journey with Gumroad started around the end of June 2020. During the COVID-19 crisis, I had lots of free time, and I learned a new skill: creating Spark Instagram effects using Spark AR.
This platform, which was made available for everyone in August 2019, allows people to create Augmented Reality effects that users can then freely use on Facebook’s social platforms — most commonly Instagram and Facebook.
Monetizing them is fairly easy since companies generally use Augmented Reality on Instagram for advertising purposes. Unfortunately, this would mean that I had to make myself available for hire by external figures, which wasn’t the kind of job I wanted.
Instead, I wanted to just sell the resources I made to other people who wanted to get into this business. And, after a brief Google search, I read about a platform that let me do just this with minimal effort: Gumroad.
What is Gumroad?
Gumroad is an e-commerce platform that allows creators and businesses from all over the world to sell their products online with almost non-existent effort. It launched in 2011 and today is used by over ninety-thousand creators.
Even if you didn’t know about its existence, chances are that you already used their platform to purchase a product provided by an online creator. And creators like me love the platform because it helps them deal with issues that their businesses eventually incur like chargebacks, refunds, and more.
Why selling products on Gumroad is a good idea.
The platform makes it simple for anyone to sell their products. You don’t need to have any experience in the field, and it also provides lots of tools to help you expand your audience.
Gumroad helps its Creators.
From newsletters and analytics to discounts codes, Gumroad has lots of tools that can help you sell products to your customers. They also have a suggestion algorithm based on a tagging system called “Gumroad Discover” that suggests products to purchase to potential customers. Many of my sales came from this algorithm and, while they do earn a higher cut from sales that happen this way, I didn’t mind because most of those customers would not have known my store without it.
Gumroad’s fees.
Talking about the cuts Gumroad takes from sales, they are low. They earn from a minimum of 8.5% of the sale’s price to a maximum of 18.5%, where you have to add thirty cents in both cases. You are free to set your prices, with the only limitation being that it has to cost a minimum of one dollar. If you want to go any lower than that, your product must be free.
Using the platform is easy.
Selling a product on the platform is not a hassle. Create a new listing, provide the files you are going to offer to your customers, and wait for them to purchase it. That is all you need to do.
Build your audience with Gumroad.
Gumroad provides useful tools that will help you build your newsletter. Launch discounts, products, and more with Gumroad’s email system. Then track how your marketing campaign performed with their analytics service.
Embed Gumroad on your personal website.
Gumroad makes it easy to introduce new customers to your store if you already have a following. Copy and paste a few lines of code into your website’s source code, and customers will be able to purchase your products without ever leaving the site.
More information on the topic can be found here.
Gumroad has downsides too.
Even if these last two paragraphs made this article sound like a sponsorship, I can assure you the platform has its downsides.
Dealing with Chargebacks.
Since Gumroad does not provide any kind of Digital Rights Management service for most file types, be prepared to deal with people that like to gain products without spending a penny. These people issue chargebacks to their credit card providers without any way for the creator to check whether they kept the files they downloaded or not. It doesn’t happen frequently, but when it happens it’s not a good thing since it may put your account at risk.
Luckily, Gumroad provides support when a similar situation happens and, personally speaking, I won all the controversies I was involved in thanks to their support team. They always make sure that both creators and customers are having a great experience with the service, and they deserve to be credited for this.
No limited-time discounts.
At the time of writing, Gumroad does not offer support for discounts that are available for every user and extend to a limited time frame. Instead, the service requires you to give discount codes to your customers and expects them to use them to get their discount.
Customer Support is available only via Email.
Not a big deal since their support team is really efficient, but it is worth noting that Gumroad assists customers only via email. No live chat, no phone calls. Only emails.
Getting paid for your work.
After you sign up on Gumroad and begin to make your first sales, you’ll have another reason to love Fridays. Gumroad pays you weekly that day on your PayPal or bank account, depending on where you live and your account’s settings.
However do note that, on your first payout, you’ll have to go through a verification process that helps Gumroad prevent fraud and enforce moderation against all sellers. Once your account is verified, you are free to earn from your products without any interruption from the platform.
More information on the topic is available on the Gumroad website.
Beginning your journey on Gumroad.
Now that you know everything about the basics of the platform, it is time to earn some money while doing what you do best. Open your store, create a product, and then sell it. Quite simple, isn’t it?
Once you make your first sales, come back here and share your experiences in the comments. I am looking forward to knowing what you do on Gumroad and how, hopefully, you started making a living by selling your products on the platform. See you then!
Useful resources for Gumroad Sellers.
Here you can find some resources that are worth reading to increase your knowledge of the platform.
