Ways to earn / Digital products

Short guides, checklists and spreadsheets: is it worth it? (2026)

Worth a try checked 2026-10-08

Write a short practical guide, checklist pack or simple spreadsheet about something you know, and sell it from a small storefront on Gumroad, Payhip or Ko-fi.

At a glance

What you are selling

A short PDF, spreadsheet or checklist for a specific small problem (for example a moving checklist or a household budget sheet). Money comes only from people you bring to the page yourself, because these sites do not send you many buyers.

What the evidence says about money

No income distribution for Gumroad, Payhip or Ko-fi sellers was found, so no monthly range is given. Direct-link sales on Gumroad cost 10% plus 0.50 USD and marketplace sales 30%, so a cheap product loses a noticeable share to fees. The first buyers usually come from people the seller already reaches (friends, a small social account, a community they belong to). Without an audience, expect no sales.

How sure are we: Our own assumption, not verified.

What only you can do, once

• Create the storefront account and connect a payout method (PayPal or Stripe, or Gumroad's own payout setup) with identity details
• Add real knowledge or experience to the guide: the person must check every claim the AI wrote
• Share the link themselves with people they know

A first week

The rules where it happens

• Gumroad: You press publish yourself. Gumroad bans reselling private label rights (PLR) products, unauthorized copies of books and media, selling access to AI tools or chatbots, and deceptive marketing. It acts as merchant of record and handles sales tax since Jan 1, 2025. Terms: users must be at least 13; if refunds exceed 15% Gumroad may hold 25% of funds for 90 days; scraping and robots are barred. Source
• Payhip: You press publish yourself. Buyers pay the seller directly through the seller's own PayPal or Stripe account, which the seller must have. Copyright infringement is prohibited. The page does not state an age rule and does not mention AI-generated content. Source
• Ko-fi: You press publish yourself. Ko-fi does not process payments: the seller connects PayPal or Stripe and earnings go straight to that account. The free plan charges a 5% service fee on shop sales; Gold costs 12 USD a month for 0% fee. Source

The hard part: where people quit

The moment: Telling people the product exists. Why: A store with no audience gets no sales, and you have to point people to it. What helps: Your AI helper drafts three posts in your voice for places where your buyers already are.

When to stop

If after 8 weeks the product page has been shown to at least 100 relevant people and nobody has bought, stop or switch path. Do not buy ads or paid courses to rescue it.

What can go wrong

• No built-in audience: without your own traffic the product page is seen by almost nobody
• AI-written guides can contain wrong facts, which damages trust and causes refunds
• Reselling PLR or someone else's content is banned on Gumroad and risks copyright claims
• Gumroad may hold funds if refunds exceed 15% and can change its settlement schedule at its discretion
• Do not promise buyers that the guide will make them money: Gumroad bans guaranteed-outcome claims and the FTC has acted against inflated earnings claims in coaching programs

Age, region and other limits

Minimum age 18. Stripe lists the countries supported for new accounts, so check yours. A third-party mirror of Gumroad's docs lists the Stripe Connect payout countries, but Gumroad's own payout page could not be read, so confirm in Gumroad's payout settings.

Sources

• Gumroad pricing page: direct sales 10% + $0.50 per transaction with no monthly fee, Discover marketplace sales 30%; Gumroad is merchant of record since Jan 1, 2025 and handles sales tax worldwide; payout by direct deposit or PayPal, method 'varies by country'. [P]
• Gumroad prohibited products list: bans reselling PLR products, unauthorized copies of books, selling access to AI tools or chatbots, deceptive marketing, and guaranteed-outcome claims. [P]
• Gumroad Terms (first 100,000 characters read): users at least 13; refund rate above 15% allows a 25% reserve for 90 days; risk holds with no maximum period; settlement schedule changeable at Gumroad's discretion; scraping and robots barred. [P]
• Payhip pricing page: Free plan 0 USD/month + 5% transaction fee, Plus 29 USD + 2%, Pro 99 USD + 0%; PayPal and Stripe still charge their own rates; Payhip collects and remits EU and UK VAT automatically; sales deposited immediately. [P]
• Payhip terms: sellers must have an active PayPal or Stripe account, buyers pay sellers directly, copyright infringement prohibited; page states no minimum age and does not mention AI-generated content or PLR. [P]
• Ko-fi pricing: 5% service fee on shop sales on the free plan, Gold 12 USD per month with 0% fee, no payout fees, payments go straight to the seller's connected PayPal or Stripe. [P]
• Stripe global availability page lists the countries where a Stripe account can be opened. [P]
• Third-party (Mintlify) documentation of Gumroad's open-source code lists Stripe Connect as available to sellers in all 27 EU countries. Gumroad's own help article on payouts loaded without its body text, so this was not confirmed on Gumroad's site. [S]

Platform rules and fees: gumroad.com · gumroad.com · gumroad.com

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