Gumroad Makes Online Selling as Easy as Sharing a Link

Young developer and entrepreneur Sahil Lavingia didn't understand why selling online had to be such a complex process for creators. Selling through popular marketplaces meant getting only a portion of the proceeds and competing with other users, while setting up one's own website was costly and time-consuming.

But with Gumroad, selling on the Internet can now be as easy as sharing and communicating online. Launched last year by Lavingia, Gumroad lets creators sell directly to their followers. Nothing needs to be set up, and there are no upfront costs, either. Users only have to sign up for a Gumroad account, upload their digital creation (e.g. music, images, videos, code) to the website, and price their item. Gumroad then creates a secure download link to the item and takes care of the payment and delivery. Aside from being easy to use, the service is inexpensive as well; Gumroad takes just 5 percent and 25 cents per transaction.

“If Gumroad goes as well as I hope it will, I want to work on it until I die,” says Lavingia. “I think it solves a really big problem.” We sure agree.