Gumroad
Platform for selling digital products (ebooks, templates, courses, software) that acts as merchant of record: it collects and remits VAT on your behalf. 10% + $0.50 per direct sale, 30% for sales coming from its marketplace, with no subscription.
With Stripe alone, you stay the seller: it is up to you to collect and remit VAT in every country where you sell. Gumroad takes that responsibility in exchange for a 10% + $0.50 commission. It is not software you rebuild, it is a legal and tax status. If you sell a digital product internationally without wanting to handle VAT, that is exactly what you are buying. If you sell little and mostly in France, Stripe Payment Links may be enough.
What you lose
- Merchant-of-record status that handles VAT for you
- Collection and remittance of tax in each country
- Protection against fraud and disputes
- The marketplace that brings new customers
Existing alternatives to Gumroad
- PolarOpen source
Billing and digital product sales platform (Apache-2.0 code), also a merchant of record in its hosted version, at a lower commission.
- Stripe Payment LinksSmaller vendor
Payment links with no code; you remain the seller, so you are responsible for VAT.
Frequently asked questions
- Can Gumroad be replaced by a custom-built tool?
- casevibecode verdict: Not replaceable. With Stripe alone, you stay the seller: it is up to you to collect and remit VAT in every country where you sell. Gumroad takes that responsibility in exchange for a 10% + $0.50 commission. It is not software you rebuild, it is a legal and tax status. If you sell a digital product internationally without wanting to handle VAT, that is exactly what you are buying. If you sell little and mostly in France, Stripe Payment Links may be enough.
- What is Gumroad used for?
- Platform for selling digital products (ebooks, templates, courses, software) that acts as merchant of record: it collects and remits VAT on your behalf. 10% + $0.50 per direct sale, 30% for sales coming from its marketplace, with no subscription.
- What alternatives to Gumroad already exist?
- Polar (open source), Stripe Payment Links (smaller vendor). Options to compare before committing to a custom build.
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