CHOOSING WHERE TO SELL YOUR DIGITAL PRODUCTS

One of the biggest decisions when it comes to digital product creation is where to sell your digital products. The choice of where to sell your digital download comes down to primarily two location types: marketplaces and shopping carts.

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Let's explore these two options and decide which may be the best option for you.

Selling on Marketplaces

Perhaps you're wondering what is a marketplace. Essentially a marketplace is an online platform owned by a third party that hosts products from multiple sellers. Well-known examples include Etsy, Teachers Pay Teachers, Creative Market, and Creative Fabrica.

Pros and Cons of Selling Digital Downloads on Marketplaces

One of the greatest advantages of selling on a marketplace is that it offers a built-in audience and takes care of many technical aspects of online selling, such as payment processing and site maintenance, making it an appealing choice for those new to digital product sales.

While using a marketplace can be advantageous for newbies, it's not without its cons. Selling in a marketplace means operating within the constraints and rules set by the platform owner. You'll have less control over your shop's appearance and how your products are presented compared to a dedicated shopping cart. And you even have the risk of potential shop closer without a clear path for understanding what you did wrong. Just hang out in any online forum or group for digital sellers and you are bound to hear woes of unexpected shop closings.

Selling Via a Shopping Cart

Just as there are several marketplaces to choose from; there a multiple shopping cart options for digital creators as well. Shopping carts are software platforms that you purchase which allows you to sell your digital items directly from your website. Having a shopping cart gives you ownership of the full sales experience.

Potential Shopping Cart Options

When it comes to shopping carts, you have a myriad of choices including:

  • aMember – a popular choice for those selling private label rights (PLR) templates
  • Thrivecart – a newer option that is quite popular for PLR sellers as well as other digital products
  • Payhip – a newer option that allows you to sell digital products, courses, and physical products as well.
  • Woocommerce – a powerful, flexible solution designed for WordPress users
  • SendOwl – an easy-to-use solution that integrates with your website or blog
  • Teachery – an online course platform created to help you build beautifully branded online courses that look completely custom

TIP: AppSumo is a great place to find lifetime deals on software and tools for your business.

Pros and Cons of Selling Products Via Your Website

Selling from your website gives you greater flexibility in how you brand and showcase your products. One of the most significant advantages of owning your shopping cart is the direct line of communication it opens with your customers. Unlike when you sell from places like Etsy, you receive the customer emails and communicate directly with them. Which gives you a greater ability to harness the power of email marketing in your online business. Additionally, you have complete control over the pricing of your products without direct competition from other sellers.

TIP: Get started with SendOwl with 3 FREE months.

While using a shopping cart system gives you full ownership of the sales experience, it also gives you greater responsibility. The responsibility of managing technical aspects, ensuring site security, and driving traffic to your store can be daunting, especially for those new to digital entrepreneurship. However, most platforms have customer support or even customer Facebook groups, which can be a valuable resource.

Deciding Between Marketplace or Shopping Cart

As you can see there are multiple shopping cart options as well as e-commerce marketing places in which you can sell your digital products. However, you may be wondering if it's necessary to choose one over the other.

The short answer is no.

As a digital product creator, you're not limited to places where you can sell your items. In fact, making your digital creations available both on your website or Shopify store and on marketplaces like Etsy, Creative Fabrica, or Design Bundles can enlarge your potential audience.

You can get started opening your store on Creative Fabrica today.

However, it's often best to focus on getting your products up and for sale in one place first before you branch out to additional sales channels. This gives you time to gain experience in creating mockups, crafting product descriptions, and marketing without being overwhelmed with managing multiple sites.

TIP: Here's a great resource for digital product mockups you can use to showcase your goods.

It's often easier to get started on a marketplace like Etsy as a newbie because you don't have the responsibility of collecting taxes, sending customer emails, or setting up a website. There are no out-of-pocket expenses either as you can launch your shop on Etsy with 40 FREE listings.

Over to You

Embarking on the journey of creating and selling digital products is an adventure filled with opportunities and challenges. As you've explored the intricacies of choosing between a shopping cart and marketplaces, as well as the strategic advantage of utilizing both, you're now equipped with the knowledge to make informed decisions that align with your business goals and personal preferences.

As you move forward, remember that the journey of selling digital products is uniquely yours. The choices you make should reflect your vision for your business, your values, and your goals. Whether you choose to sell through your own shopping cart, marketplaces, or a combination of both, the most important factor is taking consistent action toward your objectives.

Where have you decided to sell your digital products? Stuck on what products to create? Grab this free digital product guide for inspiration.

Additional Resources:

Sell with SendOwl in 30 Minutes

Step-by-Step Guide to Setting up aMember Pro

How to Get Started Selling Printables on Etsy in a Weekend

7 Days to a High Converting Shopify Store for Digital Product Business Owners

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