Are you an online entrepreneur, creator, or digital artist looking for a place other than Etsy to sell your products? You’re in the right place! With so many platforms and websites out there where you can market and monetize your digital products it can be hard to know which ones offer the best features and benefits. To help make it simpler we’ve taken a close look at some of the popular sites and listed them below so that you have all the information needed to decide on where to list your creations!
Alternative Platforms to Sell Digital Products
For creators of digital content, finding the right platform to sell your products is paramount. Thankfully, the online marketplace offers several alternatives to choose from, each with its unique features. Among the top players are Creative Market, Gumroad, Envato, Design Bundles, and Design Cuts. If you’re brave, you could even set up your own e-commerce store.
Selling on Creative Market
Are you a creative individual looking to sell your designs or digital goods online? Creative Market might just be the platform for you. With its user-friendly interface and large community of users, it’s a great place to showcase and sell your work. Creative Market is catered towards creators who are looking for products to create new things with, from fonts to digital design elements. One thing that sets Creative Market apart from the other contenders is the quality of products they offer on their site. Only the best of the best are allowed to sell on Creative Market so make sure you have a shining portfolio of digital products before applying to open a shop on Creative Market. While it’s a bit hard to get started, they have a vast network of consumers and will be a great addition to your digital marketplace presence. Start earning money for your creative endeavors today!
Selling on Gumroad
Selling your creations online can be daunting, but with Gumroad, it’s easy and intuitive. Gumroad allows you to sell digital downloads for digital creators as well as end users and subscription-based content. Gumroad also offers analytics so you can track your sales and see what’s working and what’s not. With its user-friendly interface and helpful support team, Gumroad is an excellent platform for anyone looking to sell their creations online. Before you know it, you’ll be making sales and sharing your passion with the world.
Selling on Envato
Envato is a bit different in that it offers two different platforms to sell your items on. Envato Elements is subscription-based so anyone subscribed to the monthly website price can download and use your item. You would then get a small commission based on “how important your product was to the consumer.” The other, Envato Market, is similar to Etsy and most other selling sites where you sell each item individually and get a set amount of the sale price. Regardless of which platform you decided to go with (or both), with over 2 million active buyers, Envato is the perfect platform to showcase your talent and reach a larger audience.
Selling on Design Cuts
Design Cuts is similar to Creative Market in regards to product categories as well as the quality of products. It’s aimed at creators that are looking for design elements to make new end products. It also has a course category to sell courses that you’ve created to teach others how to do something. If you are ready to spread your reach, Design Cuts is another great option to get your products out there.
Selling On Your Own E-Commerce Website
If you’ve come this far, it’s worth considering starting your own online store so that you can rake in most of the commission yourself instead of lining others’ pockets. While this seems like the best option, it’s worth considering how you will drive traffic to your own site. Other selling platforms already have the traffic so it’s as simple as posting your products. With this option, you will have to do the legwork to bring your customers to you. This will be done through SEO and social media mostly. This is also a more costly option as you will have to pay for web hosting, your domain, your shop platform and your website design if you’re unable to do it yourself. The two most popular shop platform options are Shopify and WooCommerce. Shopify is a hosted e-commerce platform, meaning that you pay a monthly fee to use its software and hosting services. On the other hand, WooCommerce is a free WordPress plugin that allows you to turn your WordPress site into an e-commerce store. Setting up a store on either platform requires different steps, but both are relatively easy to follow. With Shopify, you’ll first need to create an account and select a pricing plan. From there, you’ll be prompted to customize your store’s design and add products. For WooCommerce, you’ll need to install the plugin and set up your store’s pages, product categories, and payment options. While I wouldn’t choose this as my only option, this is an option that I chose to do as it allows me to grow my website and shop while also selling on other platforms.
In conclusion, there are many different platforms out there to choose from when it comes to selling digital products. Creative Market, Gumroad, Envato, Design Bundles, and Design Cuts are all viable alternatives to Etsy with their own set of features that make them unique and attractive options. If you’re looking to take your selling game to the next level, setting up your own e-commerce site is an effective way to showcase your goods. With this option, you will have to put in the most work, but ultimately it could pay off ten-fold! Whether you’re just starting or scaling up your digital product business, it’s important to research and select the platform or platforms that are most suitable for you. Remember, you don’t have to choose just one, you can sell on all of them!
