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Best way to sell digital downloads of a product?

by Zeplix
16 replies
So I have a product in works, and I'm looking at the best way to monetize it. But alas, with so many different services and options online, it quickly becomes impossible to see the forest for all the trees, so I thought I would ask here!

I'm looking for something that will allow me to create discount codes (as well as generate one-off discount codes for use in upsells and campaigns) and allow me to create a mailing list (for future products and upsells), preferably with something that integrates well (or has in itself) auto-responders and newsletter services. It would also be great if it allowed for easy upgrading of products (since I plan for the product to have several versions with different price points). Since it's a digital product, it would need (I assume most do, but just throwing it out there in case some don't) to generate unique download URLS, so the URL for the product (if I host it myself) isn't just shared around. I would prefer to do transactions through paypal. It needs to be able to integrate relatively seamlessly with my own website.

There's a lot of good stores that could integrate well with my website, but they don't have the option of creating discount codes, nor as far as I see any way of creating mailing lists.

Looking forward to hearing what people suggest!
#digital #downloads #product #sell #store
  • Profile picture of the author BamaGuy
    You'll spend way more time worrying about people sharing your stuff then you realize. The hard truth of the matter is it happens. Unless you are selling software and can produce a product key for tracking then you really can't stop people from sharing.

    If you set up different URL's then what stops someone who downloads it from putting their copy in the market for black hatters to get it? Best thing you can do is put some affiliate links or your own website in there and hope it brings you more traffic.

    I am unaware of any site that will do all of what you are requesting. Have you considered something link ClickBank with will handle the grunt work and allow you to get affiliates?

    Just a thought.

    Good Luck
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    • Profile picture of the author Zeplix
      Originally Posted by BamaGuy View Post

      You'll spend way more time worrying about people sharing your stuff then you realize.
      Oh I know! I make a side-income from selling photoshop files and tutorials at various marketplaces (Design is my day job), and after a while spending days sending out takedown notices, I gave up on combating piracy long ago.
      That said, having a direct re-usable link to your file is just beyond crazy.

      Clickbank isn't really an option. At least not as the only use. It's a professional product that I intend to market a lot myself, and ClickBank just doesn't do it for me. Though I agree that affiliates is a huge bonus, which is something else that I have had trouble finding elsewhere.

      The file is big enough (not a tiny ebook), most likely around 700mb or so, that it won't get shared too easily. Though I'm fully aware that it will eventually pop up, split into several pieces, on various download sites.
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  • Profile picture of the author rondo
    E-junkie.com, getdpd.com, jvzoo.com might be suitable.


    Andrew
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  • Profile picture of the author HarrieB
    First of all, take a cloud hosting with amazon so that your files can be stored there and people can download them whenever they want.

    Then create your website using wishlist membership and inside wishlist you have all the options to create upsell pages and put your paypal links.

    You might need to hire a programmer who can design the product in such a way that it generates a unique key when someone purchases a product.
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  • Profile picture of the author CustomDevo
    I guess you're looking for a secure way to deliver digital products to your customers.

    You will need a software or script to create some sort of secure members area to do this.

    The first thing that comes up in my mind is DL Guard, you can also look for membership script or plugin for Wordpress such as Digital Access Pass, or S2Member as a free alternative.

    Hope this helps.

    Satria
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  • Profile picture of the author Zeplix
    Thank you for all the replies

    I found that Woocommerce for Wordpress does everything I need (and then some), as long as I add a few extensions to it
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  • Profile picture of the author Joan Altz
    EJunkie will let you do coupon codes. Their UI takes a bit getting used to, but it's affordable and they never take a cut of your revenue. It's flat, monthly payments.
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    • Profile picture of the author Gonzosan
      Originally Posted by Joan Altz View Post

      EJunkie will let you do coupon codes. Their UI takes a bit getting used to, but it's affordable and they never take a cut of your revenue. It's flat, monthly payments.

      What about their affiliate system? I read through it a bit but essentially what I read was that you get a text document showing your sales and you figure out how much to pay your affiliates. Clickbank looks great but it seems like you'll be losing a decent chunk of money compared to ejunkie.
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  • Profile picture of the author dienk98
    I use jvzoo.com nowadays. And yes, you can make some nice profit when you are creating your own product.
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  • Profile picture of the author SurrealPSD
    I just PMd you mate, we got a bit to talk about
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  • Profile picture of the author Aura
    Go for EJunkie. Currently the're having a promotional offer, you can use their Shopping Cart interface service for 3 months, if you're planning to use PayPal for receiving Payments. Would also sort out that coupon codes issue.

    Use awebber or MailChimp(Free Plan available) for email marketing and auto responding needs.

    The stuff I listed is free/cheap, so you can try them out and gain a bit experience if you're just starting off.
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  • Profile picture of the author HorseStall
    Many software ecommerce sites have the functionality you are looking for. Take a look at FastSpring FastSpring - E-Commerce, Merchandising & Fulfillment Solution for Desktop Software and SaaS and Digital River.

    HTH
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  • Profile picture of the author planbpayments
    you should have a look at ibotoolbox
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  • Profile picture of the author bizoppmaster
    I would suggest you check out DAP - Digital Access Pass. It's a great all in one solution for what you are looking for.
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  • Profile picture of the author prathamsaxena
    I have a solution , i have developed a digital product selling application . Basically its a SaaS based software . If you are interested do tell me
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  • Profile picture of the author TravisO
    Hi,

    You can have or create a website for that. Maybe wordpress and create a blog about the products.
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