This article may contain links from our partners.
This is my Gumroad review. If you’re wondering, “what is Gumroad,” or “how does Gumroad work,” I’m going to break it all down for you. I have personal experience using Gumroad and I’ve used the platform to make over $10,000 selling digital products. Here’s the proof…
In this Gumroad review, I’m tackling it all. Read about:
- What is Gumroad
- How does Gumroad work
- Gumroad pricing
- How can you make money on Gumroad and,
- My personal experience with Gumroad
Let’s get into it!
What is Gumroad?
Gumroad is an online platform that allows creators to sell digital products directly to consumers. The platform was founded in 2011 by Sahil Lavingia and is based in San Francisco, California.
Gumroad provides tools for creators to create and sell digital products such as ebooks, music, videos, software, and other digital goods, as well as physical products like merchandise and subscriptions.
Creators can set their own prices and choose how they want to distribute their products, such as via a download link or through a membership site. Gumroad takes a small fee for each sale made on the platform, and creators receive the remainder of the revenue.
What is Gumroad used for?
Gumroad is a marketplace where you can buy and sell products. It’s mostly geared toward digital products but, physical products can be sold on Gumroad as well.
What is Gumroad used for? It’s a marketplace that brings together buyers and sellers online. Buyers can peruse through the products to purchase goods that meet their needs. I’ve bought e-guides, lists, ebooks, and courses from Gumroad as a buyer. I’ve sold ebooks and services like social media management.
Examples of Gumroad products to sell:
- Books
- Ebooks
- Courses
- Software
Gumroad products
If you navigate to their Discover page, you can see examples of products.
For example, go to Entrepreneurship and check out the best-selling products available:
Other than Gumroad books, ebooks, courses, and software, you can also sell subscriptions on Gumroad, like monetizing a paid newsletter, for example.
I sell ebooks on Gumroad and I’ve sold services like social media management on the platform as well. I see Gumroad sellers offering templates, e-guides, cheat sheets, spreadsheets, and other materials on Gumroad, too.
How does Gumroad work
This is how to use Gumroad as a buyer and as a seller.
First, as a Gumroad buyer, you can either join the site and browse the Discover page to go through the various products available and make your purchases.
How to use Gumroad Discover page
Visit Discover on Gumroad to sort through the various product categories available to buy, like:
- Business & Money
- Education
- Self Improvement
- Films
- Writing & Publishing
Or, you may have come across a Gumroad product off the site, like by accessing a product link on YouTube, Tik Tok, reading a Medium story or blog post. When you click the purchase link, it’ll direct you to the product sales page on Gumroad where you can buy. After buying, you’ll get the goods sent to you.
Gumroad is free to join as a buyer and seller. I’ve bought many products from the platform.
As a Gumroad seller, you will join the site and set up your account, then, upload your products to the platform to sell or give away.
There are a few steps you will go through in the product setup phase, doing things like:
- Writing sales copy
- Uploading a product thumbnail
- Setting the price
Once you’re done, you hit Publish and your product page is live!
Gumroad Features
Gumroad is a home for your products and services. You can create subscription-based products like memberships. I’m subscribed to a paid newsletter that’s managed by Gumroad!
- Gumroad collects VAT
- Discounts and coupons are available
- Different currencies
- Generate license keys
- Sell multiple versions of your products
- DRM to protect your work
- Gumroad affiliate
This platform can be a one-stop shop for all the products you’re selling online.
Gumroad pricing
Is Gumroad free? Gumroad fees How much does Gumroad take?
The good news is, Gumroad is free to start. That means you can signup as a Gumroad seller and pay no out-of-pocket fees. They do take fees on your sales, however. So, if you sell a $10 ebook, they take $1, or 10%.
A lot of people like this pay structure because you only pay if you make a sale. So, if you have low sales or no sales in one month, your Gumroad fees match.
The 10% fee they collect doesn’t include PayPal fees or credit card fees.
You can read more about how much Gumroad costs and Gumroad fees here.
Is Gumroad safe?
Yes, Gumroad is safe. You might be asking yourself, is Gumroad legit? Or, Is Gumroad safe to buy from? I have personal experience buying multiple Gumroad products and I can attest to the safety of the platform. I’ve had a good experience purchasing and I haven’t had any issue using Gumroad to buy or to sell from.
Gumroad Revenue
The sky’s the limit, literally. There have been sellers that have made a lot on the platform, including this seller who made over $20,000 in 8 days and more than $60,000 on Gumroad in total.
By the way, this seller offers a Done for You Gumroad service, you should consider if you want a profitable Gumroad account that you don’t want to set up yourself.
I shared above that I’ve made over $10K from Gumroad. This is from selling a mix of products and services. I’ve had 3 ebooks I’ve sold on the platform along with a few services.
If you are obsessed with income reports like me, you might be super curious to learn how much Gumroad sellers are making. I went to Google and typed “Gumroad revenue” and “Gumroad income reports” to spy on these numbers myself. This is what I found.
- $574.89 in July 2022 from this creator
- $384.96 from April 2022 from this Gumroad seller
- Over $65,000 in sales
So, money can be made from the platform.
How do sellers get paid?
As a seller, you get paid through Gumroad Paypal or direct deposit. Paypal payments are instant and when buyers use this gateway to purchase, you get the money sent to your Paypal account right away. Direct deposit happens every two weeks, sent to the bank account you set up for direct deposit.
You can go to your Gumroad account and look at your payout schedule to determine what your sales are and when you’re you’ll get paid.
What I like about Gumroad
Let me break down what I’m a fan of and what I don’t like about Gumroad.
First, my likes:
- Easy to use
- Free to join
- Customizable sales page
- Coupon and discount options
- The ability to add affiliates
In all, the platform is incredibly easy to use. It will take you minutes to set up your product and publish it. The dashboard is well-organized and you can find everything you need from checking Gumroad affiliates to seeing how much you earned for the month, what products have the top sales, and more.
I think what a lot of people like is the simplicity and ease of using Gumroad. Anybody can get set up using it and be up and running with their products or services for sale on the internet, in no time.
I’ve used competitors like E-Junkie and Sendowl. Honestly, my experience was not the same, and I really struggled with sales.
What I dislike about Gumroad
The lack of reporting features is a problem for me. I really like to break everything down and honestly, they just don’t have Reports available like I’d like to see them.
So, if I want to filter my sales my state or get more detailed information about where sales came from, it’s just not there. There may be workarounds for this, like using UTM or tracking links, etc. but, it’d be great if these features were just built into the platform.
What is Gumroad University
Gumroad University is a free resource to help you get more sales as a Gumroad seller. Learn while you earn. That’s their tagline. It’s for creators, by creators.
It has a super clean setup and easy to navigate…
You can gain access to free guides to help you be a better seller. Learn how to be a better seller, how to make money in a specific niche, read success stories, etc.
If you’re a Gumroad seller, you’ll want to check out Gumroad University. It’s free education to help you do better.
What is the Gumroad blog
The Gumroad blog is yet another free resource with the latest resources and information to help you succeed on the platform. It’s directed at Gumroad sellers and filled with helpful info and content like:
- How to use Gumroad’s free email marketing
- Announcements about new features like the redesign of their site
- Sharing Lightroom presets to use
- Teaching you how to create and sell ebooks
My personal experience with Gumroad
I heard about Gumroad a long while ago. At the time, I was with Sendowl and although I wasn’t in love with their platform, I could use it to sell digital products and services.
Sendowl vs Gumroad
With Sendowl, I liked them over Gumroad because I got paid on the spot, which was important to me.
At the time, I knew Gumroad paid you every two weeks (the direct deposit) but, I’m not sure if they had instant PayPal payments then or not. I didn’t think instant payments were available, which is what kept me at Sendowl.
Sendowl wasn’t a good fit for me because they didn’t have a built-in sales page you could customize like you can with Gumroad. They also charged a monthly fee to use the platform which is something Gumroad does not have, which is great.
I was on Medium and I started noticing more writers using Gumroad. I checked it out and joined the platform. I created and uploaded my first book and it was a hit. Then, my second and third books. I also sold services for a time, too.
I’ve made the most money from ebooks using Gumroad and although they are not a perfect platform, they definitely serve my needs and I see myself being a longtime customer there.
My Gumroad books
These are the Gumroad books I’m currently selling…
Flipping It
This ebook teaches you website flipping. It’s a beginner-friendly e-guide which shows you the ropes of website flipping. No coding needed. No experience needed and newbie-friendly. You’ll learn how to create and sell starter micro websites for profit.
I’ve had students make $30,000+ from website flipping!
How to build a Faceless Business on TikTok
Learn how to make money as a TikTok creator without showing your face. I’ve created many faceless TikTok accounts that earn me money every month. Learn my strategy for building a profitable TikTok account including a case study of one of my top performing accounts.
Mastering Part Time Content Creation
Learn how to become a content creator part time, on the side. Whether you want to be a writer, social media influencer, content creator, do UGC, you can learn how to do it part-time with this ebook.
How to sell ebooks online with PayPal
With Gumroad, obviously, right? Haha. You can actually read this blog post which gives you step-by-step instructions how to create and sell an ebook.
I can create ebooks super fast now. I went from creating an ebook in a weekend to creating one in a matter of hours!
But, if you want an ebook empire, like one that can make you $50K/month, creating and selling e-guides, I’d recommend this ebook in a box done for your business. You get an ebook created for you from a creator who has earned six figures in e-guide sales:
- Six 10,000-word ebooks
- Custom-designed ebook cover
- 6-week turnaround time
- Tailored timeline for the year
- Marketing and book management
So, you get an entire ebook business handed over to you. Click here to learn more.
Bottom line
Whether you are wanting to sell Gumroad courses, Gumroad books or other products or services, Gumroad is a platform you can use for your content creation business.
Visit Gumroad to learn more.
