If you are an independent creator like me, I could recommend Gumroad as a platform to monetize your creations. I've been using Gumroad for a year now, and I really like their features. I feel like they really put independent creators in mind while designing their platform.
I've been exploring so many different monetization platform, from Google's Adsense, Medium, Substack, and even local creator monetization platforms from Indonesia. In the end, I choose Gumroad, it suits my needs better than the others. Here is why I like Gumroad and why I'm still using it until today!
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Fair Payout System
In Gumroad, you could basically do anything you would do as a creator. One thing that I love most about this platform is there is no threshold for payouts, and they also allows you to choose how you are going to receive the payment; Paypal or Bank Transfer.
This is very important to me as an independent creator. Where other platform put a threshold for minimum USD 100, sometimes it takes too long for me to reach that threshold in the beginning. If you're just starting out, and you could only accumulate for USD 10-20---from selling products or receiving financial support---it's a no problem. You will surely receive your payment through PayPal or Bank Transfer. You could read the details here.
They took some fee, of course. For customers who purchase right through your page, they will cut the fee 10% + $0.50 of the product price. If they purchase your products through Gumroad discover page, they will charge you 30% of the product price. You could read the details here.
Their payout system is very versatile especially for creators who are just starting their business, myself included. Some platforms needs us to pay upfront for their service and sometimes we just don't have that much money to gamble. I don't want to end up with so many bills to pay before I even know if my products could sell.
The instructions are clear!
Gumroad have a good documentation and FAQ page for the users. They are well organized and the instructions are very clear. You will know whatever you need to know when you're using their platform. And I like that about Gumroad.
To compare, I used a local patreon-like plaftorm from Indonesia, and my experience with it was bad---really bad. The didn't told me upfront that they are going to take monthly fee from our balance. That pisses me off, because I kept loosing the money that my supporter gives to me through the platform.
Again, as someone who is just starting out, it could take a long time to accumulate a certain threshold, and that platform is not suitable for me, let alone their hidden fees. If I knew they would take a monthly fee out of our balance, I would not use that platform for sure.
Gumroad has none of that bullshit! They gives us a very clear information, they are very transparent about everything---about how they are going to take their fees and when we could expect the payouts---and as long as you feel that it is fair, Gumroad might be a good platform for you too.
It's easy for both you and your audience!
The last reason I love using Gumroad is they have dedicated app that makes it easier for my audience to access the product they have purchased from me. They could download the app in iOS or Android devices. They just have to log in, and a list of the items purchased are already there...on the dashboard.
It is very important to me that my audience could access their purchased products with ease. I keep their experience on top of my mind. We could also send them notification through Gumroad if there is any new product or new chapter.
I could also manage my communication with my audience through built-in Gumroad e-mailing feature. We could create a workflow to say hi to new subscriber or new customer. We could set it however we want that caters to ours and audiences' need. Gumroad give me those flexibility and I love it so much.
All being said
I think those points summarize why choosing the right platform to monetize as an independent creator is really important. I have also told you why most of their features are useful for me, and their transparency is important for a small creator like me.
In the end of the day, you have to choose what's right for you by your own consideration.
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