Software Solutions for Digital Download Sellers
A digital download has no parcel, no stock count and no courier, so everything depends on the file link and the licence behind it. Sellers need to know who bought which file under which terms, and who may fetch it again. This page covers creators, studios and libraries selling files.
Sell downloadable files with the licence, the link and the buyer on one record.
Nothing ships when a download sells. The order ends with a link, a licence and an entry in the buyer’s library, and each of the three can go wrong in its own way.
Sellers range from one illustrator with a dozen files to libraries that hold hundreds of thousands, paid for by buyers they will never meet.
Creators selling their own work
One person or a small studio sells files directly and handles support alone.
Libraries and marketplaces
A library holds work by many contributors, sells licences and reports earnings to each of them.
Publishers of paid resources
A publisher or training body sells guides, kits and datasets that are revised from time to time.
Studios with a client-asset side line
A design or photography firm turns work done for itself into files it sells to others.
The workflow for digital downloads.
- 1
Preparing the product
The files, a public preview and a plain description are prepared, with formats and sizes named.
- 2
Choosing a licence
The buyer chooses from the licences offered, and the wording shown at that moment stays attached to the order.
- 3
Paying
The buyer pays and no shipping or address is asked for. The order is confirmed only when the payment is.
- 4
Receiving the link
An expiring link arrives by email and appears in the buyer’s library, with a limit on downloads.
- 5
Getting updates
When a file is corrected, entitled buyers see the new version in the library and may be notified.
- 6
Refund or withdrawal
If the sale is refunded, the links stop and the licence record is marked as withdrawn.
The challenges, and what they cost.
What is specific to this trade.
These are requirements we would confirm in discovery. They describe what the solution may need to handle. They are not features that already exist.
- Access permissions: who may download, how many times and for how long
- Licence types and the exact wording each carries
- File formats, sizes and how large files are served
- Whether copies can be marked with the buyer’s details
- How updates, bundles and refunds treat earlier buyers
What we would build for digital downloads.
Chosen from the commerce capabilities this business needs, not a list of everything.
Who works in the system, and what each can do.
What it would connect to.
An integration is confirmed only after its API, access and scope are checked. A connection that updates on a schedule is described as scheduled, not real-time.
- A payment gateway, linked after its test mode has been exercised with your account
- File storage able to serve large downloads, with its costs and limits understood
- An email service that records delivery of the link
- The accounting package your accountant uses
How the work runs, and what we need from you.
What you provide
- Your files, formats and sizes
- The licences you sell and their wording
- How you handle updates and refunds today
Begin with the licence
What a buyer may do with a file shapes every other part, so the licence record is settled first.
Prove one product
One product is taken from upload to download, update and refund before other products follow.
Watch the first downloads
Download logs are read during the first weeks to see how links are used, and the limits are adjusted.
What you receive.
- A catalogue structure for files, formats and versions
- Licence records stored with every order
- Secure delivery rules and a buyer library
- Refund and access-withdrawal flow
- A training session for content and support staff
How progress is judged.
Measures are agreed against your own baseline. We do not promise a result in advance.
- Orders whose licence can be shown from the record
- Links reported as shared or misused
- Buyers reached when a file was corrected
Selling at home and abroad.
The kinds of digital downloads business we cover.
E-books
Sell e-books with every edition, format and sample kept on one record.
Learn moreDesign Templates
Sell templates for design tools with software versions and fonts stated clearly.
Learn moreStock Photos
Run a stock photo library with contributors, licence tiers and royalty statements.
Learn moreGraphics
Sell icons, vectors and illustrations by the asset, the pack or the download credit.
Learn moreAudio Assets
Sell music, loops and sound effects with previews, stems and use-based licences.
Learn morePrintable Products
Sell planners, worksheets and wall art that buyers print at home.
Learn moreDigital Downloads E-commerce & Secure Delivery Software
Configured implementation
Discovery selects the commerce platform for the shop, and a secure delivery and licence layer is added for your products. No existing GullySystem product sells downloads, so none is named.
Read about the softwareQuestions about digital downloads e-commerce.
Can the shop stop a buyer sharing the file?
Not on its own. It limits links, can mark copies where the file type allows it and keeps a log. It cannot prevent a buyer from passing on a file.
Do you supply the licence wording?
No. Your legal adviser writes it. The shop stores the version shown at each purchase.
Can buyers pay in their own currency?
Prices can be displayed in other currencies. Collecting those currencies depends on the payment provider, the bank and your registration.
Does it work for physical goods as well?
No. This page is for files. Physical goods need stock, shipping and returns, which other pages cover.
Talk through your commerce requirement.
Describe what you sell, where you sell it and what is slowing you down. An engineer will reply within one business day.
- No obligation
- A reply within one business day
- Your details stay private