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Platform · Digital products & storefronts

Sell digital products what founders report, what it costs, how to start

Sell digital products (templates, guides, prompts, mini-courses)

Package what you know into a file people pay for; choose a merchant-of-record storefront so EU VAT is handled for you.

Step 4 of 5 · Build an asset Open
Checked3 days ago14 OCT 2026 · every 180 days

Grade C: Self-reported. The grade says how well-sourced this page is, not how good Sell digital products is. How well-sourced a page or fact is. Not a rating of the company. More in the glossary

Updated Checked Checked: we looked again and it was still right. Updated: something changed. More in the glossary

Package what you know into templates, guides, prompt packs or mini-courses and sell them through a storefront. For EU sellers, merchant-of-record platforms handle VAT. Fees range from ~3% plus processing (Whop) to ~13% (Gumroad direct), or 30% through Gumroad Discover.

How Sell digital products works

  1. Pick a problem you've solved repeatedly
  2. Build the smallest useful product
  3. Sell through a merchant-of-record storefront
  4. Launch to an audience and iterate on feedback

What founders report earning

Monthly potential $0–3,000/mo after ramp-up, part-time
Ceiling High
Founder case studies 1 0 showed a revenue dashboard

Pay figures are what platforms advertise or what workers report, each with its date. They are not typical or guaranteed earnings: yours depend on your skills, hours, location and how much work is available.

Revenue figures are the founders' own statements in interviews and aren't verified by us unless marked. These are success stories, not typical results: most attempts earn far less.

  1. $500k over 6 years I Made $500K From 8 Different Income Streams Course, SaaS, YouTube, freelancing, ebooks · mixed 1 Feb 2026 · self reported · Rosetta

What it costs to start

Startup cost $0–200
Fees Gumroad 10% + $0.50 + card/PayPal processing (~13% effective), Discover 30%; Lemon Squeezy 5% + $0.50 incl. processing (+1.5% intl, +1.5% PayPal, +0.5% subscriptions; MoR); Whop 3% + processing (third-party figure)
Hours no minimum async
  • Storefront fees (official): Gumroad: 10% + $0.50 per direct sale (card/PayPal processing not included), 30% via Discover, merchant of record. Lemon Squeezy: 5% + $0.50 incl. processing, +1.5% international, +1.5% PayPal, +0.5% subscriptions; covers taxes 345 From the company · grade A (official source) · 14 Oct 2026
  • Whop fees and effective Gumroad cost (third party): Whop 3% + processing (2.7% + $0.30); Gumroad ~13% effective once processing is added 1 Press & research · grade D (unconfirmed) · 30 Apr 2026

How to start

  1. Validate with a pre-sale or waitlist
  2. Price for the outcome, not the page count

Tips

  • EU sellers: a merchant of record (Gumroad, Lemon Squeezy, Paddle) files VAT on your behalf
  • Distribution beats product: launch to an existing audience or community

Is it still working in 2026?

Evidence: Thin One founder case study in the last 12 months. How many founders reported success with this model in the last 12 months. More in the glossary

Cases in the last 12 months 1
Latest case 1 Feb 2026

What to watch

  • Hard to sell without an audience
  • Easy to copy

Lawsuits and complaints are allegations unless a court has ruled. We report their status with dates and sources and update it when it changes.

Where people come from

  • Contra Step 2 · Your skill Uses the same skills: design, no code.
  • italki Step 2 · Your skill Natural next step Turn the lessons you repeat into a course or workbook.
The proof · #digital_products Grade C · checked 14 Oct 2026

The proof

Every fact on this page with its type, grade, date and source. Report an error

Sourced facts 2 facts · type · grade · as of

  • From the company Storefront fees (official)

    Gumroad: 10% + $0.50 per direct sale (card/PayPal processing not included), 30% via Discover, merchant of record. Lemon Squeezy: 5% + $0.50 incl. processing, +1.5% international, +1.5% PayPal, +0.5% subscriptions; covers taxes 345

  • Press & research Whop fees and effective Gumroad cost (third party)

    Whop 3% + processing (2.7% + $0.30); Gumroad ~13% effective once processing is added 1

    Published by a competing platform

Sources 5 sources · type

  1. Whop vs Gumroad vs Lemon Squeezy (2026) Vendor Fungies (competitor) · vendor content · accessed 13 Oct 2026 · published 30 Apr 2026
  2. Starter Story 2026 video index (34 case studies with revenue claims) Community Rosetta (index of Starter Story YouTube) · dataset / aggregator · accessed 13 Oct 2026
  3. Gumroad pricing: 10% + 50¢ direct, 30% via Discover Official Gumroad · official page · accessed 13 Oct 2026 Watched weekly, last check , changed 14 Oct 2026
  4. Gumroad's fees (Help Center) Official Gumroad · official page · accessed 13 Oct 2026 Watched weekly, last check , changed 14 Oct 2026
  5. Lemon Squeezy docs: Fees Official Lemon Squeezy · official page · accessed 13 Oct 2026 Watched weekly, last check , changed 14 Oct 2026

Grade C (self-reported) · checked 14 Oct 2026 · re-checked every 180 days · how grades work · report an error

Changelog

Every change to this page, newest first. In the full changelog

  1. re-checked, still correct last_verified

    Every A/B fact was found unchanged on its official page.

    J1 page watcher (code only, no model) · reviewer: automatic (low risk) · grade C ·

  2. grade raised facts.Storefront fees (official)

    Gumroad (10% + $0.50 direct, processing not included; 30% Discover; MoR) and Lemon Squeezy (5% + $0.50 incl. processing + surcharges) confirmed on official pages.

    verification pass: primary-source spot-check (Claude) · reviewer: owner review pending · grade A ·

  3. added all

    manual research (Claude) + sources listed · reviewer: owner review pending · grade C ·

Keep exploring

On the ladder

  1. 1 Paid tasks 25
  2. 2 Sell your skill 16
  3. 3 Run a service 12
  4. 4 Build an asset 20
  5. 5 Own a business 3

Step 4 of 5 · Build an asset. A product or audience that earns without your hours. Slow start, no ceiling.

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