sales-gumroad

What this skill does

# Gumroad Platform Help

## Step 1 — Gather context

If `references/learnings.md` exists, read it first for accumulated platform knowledge.

What do you need help with?

1. **What's your situation?**
   - A) Setting up my first Gumroad product
   - B) Already selling — want to optimize or troubleshoot
   - C) Evaluating Gumroad vs other platforms
   - D) API, webhooks, or integration question
   - E) Affiliate program setup or management
   - F) Email broadcasts or audience management

2. **Product type?**
   - A) Digital download (ebook, template, preset, audio)
   - B) Online course or video content
   - C) Software with license keys
   - D) Membership / subscription
   - E) Physical product
   - F) Bundle of multiple products

3. **Revenue level?**
   - A) Pre-launch / no sales yet
   - B) Under $1K/month
   - C) $1K–$5K/month
   - D) Over $5K/month (fee optimization matters)

Skip-ahead rule: if the user's prompt already contains enough context, skip to Step 2.

## Step 2 — Route or answer directly

| Problem domain | Route to |
|---|---|
| Digital product pricing, launch strategy, platform comparison | Run: `/sales-digital-products {your question}` |
| Checkout page optimization, order bumps, cart abandonment | Run: `/sales-checkout {your question}` |
| Membership structure, course design, retention | Run: `/sales-membership {your question}` |
| Email sequences after purchase, nurture campaigns | Run: `/sales-email-marketing {your question}` |
| Affiliate commission structure, recruitment strategy | Run: `/sales-affiliate-program {your question}` |
| Webhook/API integration with other tools | Run: `/sales-integration {your question}` |

If the question is Gumroad-specific (setup, features, pricing, API, troubleshooting), continue to Step 3.

## Step 3 — Gumroad platform reference

**Read `references/platform-guide.md`** for the full platform reference — modules, pricing, integrations, data model, workflows, API quick reference.

Answer the user's question using only the relevant section. Don't dump the full reference.

## Step 4 — Actionable guidance

You no longer need the platform guide — focus on the user's specific situation.

- For **fee optimization**: Calculate effective fee rate at their price point. At low prices ($3–$10), the $0.50 fixed fee makes Gumroad significantly more expensive than alternatives. At $50+, the 10% flat rate is the main concern.
- For **discovery**: Gumroad Discover requires at least one sale to activate. Don't rely on it — drive your own traffic via email list, social, or communities.
- For **API/webhooks**: Point to `references/gumroad-api-reference.md` for endpoint details. The Ping webhook sends POST data as `x-www-form-urlencoded`, not JSON.
- For **license keys**: Since Jan 2023, use `product_id` not `product_permalink` for verification.
- For **tax compliance**: Since Jan 2025, Gumroad is a full Merchant of Record — they handle all VAT/GST/sales tax globally.

If you discover a gotcha, workaround, or tip not covered in `references/learnings.md`, append it there.

## Gotchas

> *Best-effort from research — review these, especially items about plan-gated features and integration gotchas that may be outdated.*

1. **10% + $0.50 hits low-priced products hard** — a $5 product loses 20% to Gumroad fees before payment processing. Model your effective fee rate before committing.
2. **Discover marketplace takes 30%** — sales through Gumroad Discover (their marketplace) cost 30%, not 10%. This is a marketing fee, not a bug.
3. **PayPal removed (Oct 2024)** — Gumroad dropped PayPal support. Buyers can only pay via credit/debit card. This may lose 15–30% of potential buyers who prefer PayPal.
4. **No volume discounts** — the 10% rate is flat regardless of revenue. At $50K+/year, alternatives like Payhip (0% on Pro) or Lemon Squeezy (5%) save thousands.
5. **Payout verification delays** — international creators report payout holds and verification delays. Set up payout details early and verify before relying on revenue.
6. **Webhook payload is form-encoded** — Gumroad Ping sends `x-www-form-urlencoded`, not JSON. Many webhook handlers expect JSON and silently fail.
7. **License key API changed Jan 2023** — products created after Jan 9, 2023 require `product_id` instead of `product_permalink` for license verification.
8. **No refund fee credit** — Gumroad does not refund their 10% fee when you issue a customer refund. You eat the platform fee on refunded sales.

## Related skills

- `/sales-digital-products` — Digital product sales strategy (pricing, platform selection, launch playbooks)
- `/sales-checkout` — Checkout optimization (upsells, order bumps, payment plans, cart abandonment)
- `/sales-membership` — Membership sites and online courses (content delivery, retention, pricing)
- `/sales-email-marketing` — Email marketing (launch sequences, nurture campaigns, broadcasts)
- `/sales-affiliate-program` — Affiliate program design (commissions, recruitment, tracking)
- `/sales-integration` — Connecting tools via webhooks, Zapier, API pipelines
- `/sales-payhip` — Payhip platform help (lower fees, PayPal support, similar features)
- `/sales-lemonsqueezy` — Lemon Squeezy platform help (5% fee, MoR, license keys)
- `/sales-do` — Not sure which skill to use? The router matches any sales objective to the right skill. Install: `npx skills add sales-skills/sales --skill sales-do`

## Examples

### Example 1: "My ebooks aren't selling on Gumroad"
**Skill does**: Asks about pricing, traffic source, and product page. Discovers they're relying on Gumroad Discover for traffic (which requires a prior sale to activate). Recommends driving traffic from email list and social media. Suggests a lead magnet (free chapter) to build an email list via Gumroad's email collection. Reviews pricing — if under $10, flags the high effective fee rate and suggests bundling to increase AOV.

### Example 2: "How do I verify license keys with the Gumroad API?"
**Skill does**: Loads the API reference. Walks through `POST /licenses/verify` with `product_id` and `license_key` parameters. Notes the Jan 2023 change from `product_permalink` to `product_id`. Shows how to check `uses` count against a limit and handle `test` purchases. Points to webhook signature verification via `x-gumroad-signature`.

### Example 3: "Should I stay on Gumroad or switch to Lemon Squeezy?"
**Skill does**: Asks about current monthly revenue and product types. Calculates fee comparison: at $3K/month, Gumroad costs ~$360/month (10% + $0.50 × ~60 sales) vs Lemon Squeezy at ~$165 (5% + $0.50). Notes LS handles tax as MoR (Gumroad now does too since Jan 2025). Flags PayPal availability (LS has it, Gumroad doesn't). Routes to `/sales-digital-products` for deeper platform comparison.

## Troubleshooting

### "Payment failed" errors for buyers
**Symptom**: Customers report "there was a temporary problem" at checkout
**Cause**: Momentary gateway failure, 3D Secure friction, or card declined
**Solution**: Wait 10–15 minutes and retry. Check email and bank — the charge may have gone through. If persistent, try a different card. Gumroad has no PayPal fallback since Oct 2024.

### License key not verifying via API
**Symptom**: `POST /licenses/verify` returns 404 or error
**Cause**: Using `product_permalink` instead of `product_id` for products created after Jan 9, 2023
**Solution**: Switch to `product_id` parameter. Check `increment_uses_count` is set correctly. Test with a known-good key first.

### Webhook (Ping) not firing
**Symptom**: No POST requests hitting your endpoint after a sale
**Cause**: Ping endpoint URL not configured, endpoint returning non-2xx, or HTTPS certificate issue
**Solution**: Go to Settings → Advanced → Ping. Paste your endpoint URL. Click "Send test ping" to verify. Ensure your endpoint returns 200 and accepts `application/x-www-form-urlencoded` data. Gumroad retries up to 3 times over 15–20 minutes.