Where to Sell Digital Products: 7 Platforms to Start Selling Online
Digital products are one of the most accessible income streams available to women building something online.
No inventory. No shipping. No manufacturing costs. You create the product once and sell it repeatedly. The same ebook, the same Canva template pack, the same budget planner can be purchased by ten people or ten thousand people from the same file.
The question most people get stuck on is not what to create. It is where to sell it.
This guide covers the main platforms, what each one is best for, and how to choose the right starting point for your specific situation.
Why Digital Products Are Worth Exploring
The appeal is straightforward. You package knowledge, skills, or creativity into a downloadable product and sell it without the operational complexity of physical products.
Popular digital products worth creating:
- Printables and planners
- Journals and journal prompt packs
- Canva templates for bloggers, businesses, or social media
- Notion templates
- Ebooks and guides
- Budget trackers and financial planners
- Travel planners and packing lists
- Worksheets and workbooks
- Checklists
- Course materials and mini-courses
The product that sells well is the one that solves a specific problem for a specific person. The more specific the better. A general productivity planner competes with thousands of others. A monthly budget tracker specifically designed for single mothers in their 30s building an online income competes with significantly fewer.
What to Consider Before Choosing a Platform
Before comparing platforms, know what matters most for your specific situation.
Fees. Every platform takes a percentage of your sales, charges a listing fee, or both. Understand the fee structure before committing because it directly affects your profit per sale.
Ease of setup. Some platforms allow you to be selling within thirty minutes. Others require more technical setup. Match the complexity of the platform to the time and technical confidence you actually have.
Payment options. Does the platform support PayPal, Stripe, and the payment methods your buyers use? Check this before you build your product listing.
Marketplace traffic versus your own traffic. Some platforms bring their own audience. Others require you to drive all your own traffic. Both models work but they suit different starting points.
Branding. Some platforms give you a clean branded storefront. Others put your products inside a larger marketplace where the platform brand is more prominent than yours.
Customer data and email collection. Owning your customer list is a long-term asset. Check whether the platform allows you to collect email addresses from buyers or whether the customer relationship stays with the platform.
Product type compatibility. Not every platform accepts every type of digital product. Check that the platform supports what you plan to sell.
Where to Sell Digital Products: 7 Platforms
1. Gumroad
Best for: Creators who want a simple storefront and sell primarily to their own audience.
Gumroad is one of the most creator-friendly platforms available. Setup is fast, the interface is clean, and you can be selling within a day of creating your account.
How it works: You create a product listing, upload your digital file, set your price, and share the link. Buyers pay, receive the download, and Gumroad handles the transaction. You receive the payment to your connected bank account or PayPal.
What you can sell: Ebooks, PDF guides, templates, Canva files, courses, memberships, and almost any downloadable digital product.
Fees: Gumroad charges a flat 10 percent transaction fee on sales. There are no monthly subscription fees on the free plan. If you want more features, a paid plan is available.
Pros: Simple to set up. No monthly fees on the free plan. Clean product pages. Supports pay-what-you-want pricing. Allows you to build a following on the platform itself.
Limitations: Gumroad does not bring significant marketplace traffic. You are responsible for driving buyers to your products through your blog, Pinterest, email list, or social media. Gumroad works best when you already have an audience or a traffic source.
2. Etsy
Best for: Sellers who want access to an established marketplace with existing buyer traffic.
Etsy is a large online marketplace with millions of active buyers searching for products every day. Digital downloads are one of Etsy’s strongest categories. Buyers search directly on Etsy for printables, planners, templates, and digital art without you needing to send them there.
How it works: You create an Etsy shop, list your products with photos and descriptions optimised for Etsy search, and buyers discover your products through the marketplace. The transaction is handled through Etsy checkout.
What you can sell: Printables, planners, templates, digital art, party printables, resume templates, Canva templates, and most downloadable digital products.
Fees: Etsy charges a listing fee of $0.20 per item, a transaction fee of 6.5 percent of the sale price, and payment processing fees. These accumulate across multiple sales and are worth factoring into your pricing.
Pros: Built-in marketplace traffic. Buyers are already looking for digital products. Established trust and payment infrastructure. Good for printables and planners specifically.
Limitations: Competition is significant. Standing out requires strong product photos, SEO-optimised titles and descriptions, and competitive pricing. Etsy owns the customer relationship, which limits your ability to build your own email list from buyers.
3. Payhip
Best for: Creators who want their own storefront with more control than Gumroad and no marketplace environment.
Payhip allows you to create a standalone store for your digital products with a clean, professional appearance. It supports digital downloads, courses, memberships, and coaching products.
How it works: Create your store, add your products, and share your store link or embed buy buttons on your website. Buyers purchase directly through Payhip checkout.
Fees: The free plan charges a 5 percent transaction fee. Paid plans reduce this to 2 percent or zero with a monthly subscription fee.
Pros: Clean storefront. Supports multiple product types. Email list building integrated. Affiliate marketing support included. More control over branding than Etsy.
Limitations: No marketplace traffic. You drive all your own buyers.
4. Your Own Website
Best for: Long-term brand building and full ownership of the customer relationship.
Selling through your own website using WooCommerce on WordPress or a dedicated plugin is the highest-control option. You set the fees, you own the customer data, you control the brand experience entirely.
Pros: No platform transaction fees beyond payment processing. Full ownership of customer email addresses. Complete branding control. Products live within your own content ecosystem where your blog drives organic traffic to your shop.
Limitations: More technical setup required. You are entirely responsible for driving traffic. Payment processing and delivery infrastructure need to be configured.
This is the long-term goal for HerDailySpace. Start on Gumroad or Etsy to validate products and build income. Move to your own store when volume justifies the setup investment.
5. Teachable
Best for: Creators selling online courses and structured educational content.
Teachable is designed specifically for courses with video, written lessons, and quizzes. If your digital product is educational and multi-module, Teachable provides the infrastructure for it.
Fees: Paid plans from approximately $39 per month with reduced transaction fees.
6. Stan Store
Best for: Creators who primarily drive traffic through social media and want a simple link-in-bio store.
Stan Store is designed for social media creators who want to sell directly from their Instagram or TikTok bio link. Simple setup, clean interface, supports digital products and coaching.
Fees: Monthly subscription starting at approximately $29.
7. Creative Market
Best for: Designers selling Canva templates, fonts, graphics, and design assets.
Creative Market is a marketplace specifically for design assets. If your digital products are design-focused, Canva templates, Procreate brushes, fonts, or brand kits, Creative Market brings a relevant existing audience.
Fees: Commission-based model. Creative Market takes a percentage of each sale.
Gumroad vs Etsy: Which Is Better for Digital Products?
Neither is universally better. The right choice depends on how you plan to drive buyers to your products.
| Criteria | Gumroad | Etsy |
|---|---|---|
| Setup | Simple creator storefront | Marketplace shop |
| Traffic | You drive your own | Marketplace search provides discovery |
| Fees | 10% transaction, no monthly fee | Listing fee plus 6.5% transaction |
| Branding | Creator-focused clean pages | Etsy marketplace environment |
| Customer emails | Accessible | Limited access |
| Best for | Audience-first creators | Marketplace discovery seekers |
Choose Gumroad if: You have a blog, Pinterest presence, or email list that can send buyers directly to your products.
Choose Etsy if: You are starting without an existing audience and want marketplace discovery to find your first buyers.
Consider both: Many successful digital product sellers list on Etsy for discovery and use Gumroad for their existing audience. The two are not mutually exclusive.
What Digital Products Can You Actually Sell?
The digital products that sell consistently solve a specific problem that a specific person has.
High-performing digital product categories:
Journaling templates and prompt packs for healing, manifesting, and personal growth. Budget planners and money tracking spreadsheets. Travel planners and packing guides. Canva templates for Pinterest pins, Instagram posts, or business branding. Notion templates for productivity, content planning, or life organisation. Ebooks and guides on topics where you have genuine expertise. Checklists for processes that take time to figure out from scratch. Worksheets for goal setting, habit tracking, or self-reflection.
The products that perform best on Pinterest and Etsy are the ones with a clear, immediate practical value. The buyer knows exactly what problem the product solves before they purchase.
How to Choose the Right Platform for Your Situation
Want marketplace traffic without your own audience? Start with Etsy. The discovery potential is real for well-optimised listings in the right categories.
Have a blog, Pinterest, or email list already? Start with Gumroad. The setup is fast and your existing traffic becomes your customer pipeline immediately.
Want complete control over the customer relationship? Build toward your own website store. Start on a simpler platform to validate your products first.
Selling design-heavy assets like Canva templates? Etsy and Creative Market both have established audiences for this category.
Selling courses or educational content? Teachable or Gumroad both handle this well depending on the complexity of your course.
How to Start Selling Your First Digital Product
Step 1: Choose one specific problem to solve. Not a broad topic. A specific pain point for a specific person.
Step 2: Create one simple product that solves it. A PDF, a Canva template, a spreadsheet, a guide. Do not wait until you have twenty products.
Step 3: Choose your platform. Based on the framework above.
Step 4: Create your product listing. Write a clear title that describes what the product does. Write a description that speaks directly to the problem it solves.
Step 5: Add clean mockup images. Your product images determine whether someone clicks. Use Canva to create professional mockups even if you have no design background.
Step 6: Set your price. Research what similar products sell for. Price based on the value of the problem solved rather than the time it took to create.
Step 7: Publish and start driving traffic. Pinterest, your blog, your email list, or Etsy search. Pick one traffic source and use it consistently.
Do Not Wait Until You Have 20 Products
This is the mistake that delays most people for months.
Waiting until the shop is complete. Until there are enough products to look professional. Until everything is perfect.
Start with one product. Learn what people respond to. Get one sale. Then one more. Then build the second product based on what you have learned from the first.
The digital product business that earns is the one that started imperfectly and kept going. Not the one that planned perfectly and never launched.
With love,
Nia
FAQ
Where can I sell digital products?
The main platforms for selling digital products are Gumroad, Etsy, Payhip, your own website, Teachable for courses, Stan Store for social media creators, and Creative Market for design assets. The right platform depends on whether you have an existing audience or want marketplace discovery.
What is the best platform to sell digital products?
There is no single best platform. Etsy works well for creators without an existing audience who want marketplace discovery. Gumroad works well for creators who already have blog, Pinterest, or email list traffic. Your own website is the best long-term option for full control.
Can I sell digital products on Gumroad?
Yes. Gumroad is designed specifically for digital product creators. You can sell ebooks, PDF guides, templates, Canva files, courses, and most downloadable digital products. The free plan charges a 10 percent transaction fee with no monthly subscription.
How do I sell digital products on Gumroad?
Create a free Gumroad account, add your product, upload the digital file, write your product description, set your price, and publish. Share the product link through your blog, Pinterest, email list, or social media to drive buyers to the listing.
Can I sell digital products on Etsy?
Yes. Etsy has a large and active category for digital downloads including printables, planners, templates, and digital art. You create a shop, list your products with optimised titles and descriptions, and Etsy’s marketplace search can bring buyers to your listings.
What digital products can I sell?
Printables, planners, journals, budget trackers, Canva templates, Notion templates, ebooks, guides, worksheets, checklists, travel planners, and course materials. The most successful products solve a specific problem for a specific person.
Can I sell digital products without a website?
Yes. Gumroad, Etsy, and Payhip all allow you to sell without your own website. You can start selling today using only one of these platforms.
Can I sell digital products without social media?
Yes. A blog with SEO traffic or a Pinterest presence can drive consistent buyers to your digital products without relying on social media. Many successful digital product sellers use Pinterest and Google as their primary traffic sources.