Selling Electronic Files Online?

[particle]

I know we have some web gurus on this board and I'm hoping someone here can help me out. I would like to find out more about selling electronic files online. Most importantly, I am helping a friend of a friend figure out how to sell his electronic book online. I also have something in mind for my own personal goals, but really I need to figure out how to help this distant friend sell his PDF file online. Web-based stuff is not my primary role in my 8-5, but I can do it when necessary. However, I've never sold electronic files.

What is the best, least expensive option? I did a google search, and it seems all of my search results were sites trying to sell their marketing software.

Would it be good to provide a subscription-based registration to a CMS-based website, where people have to pay first to gain access to a restricted area with a link to the electronic files?

Or perhaps put the file on a non-linked (not accessible via the navigation menu) .php page on the website, let the customer pay via PayPal and receive a link to the page via the PayPal receipt? If so, how do you prevent the search engines from finding your "protected" file?

Or is there an easier way I'm totally overlooking?

Edited April 15, 2010 by particle

[Johanna]

Take a look at http://paintingcow.com (Kate built that site) Is that what you had in mind? The CMS is open source, but she built a custom theme. How big is the pdf and is there more than one?

Johanna

[particle]

Take a look at http://paintingcow.com (Kate built that site) Is that what you had in mind? The CMS is open source, but she built a custom theme. How big is the pdf and is there more than one?

Johanna

Hmm, yes - I think that's probably the best/simplest option - using PayPal shopping carts. I'm not sure how the linking is handled between PayPal and the files, but I guess that's handled via one of the shopping carts PayPal works with at the link below?

https://cms.paypal.com/us/cgi-bin/?cmd=_render-content&content_ID=developer/solutions_dgd

Looking back over my notes, the guy wants the option to sell individual chapters, bundles of chapters, or the entire "series" (book). So, the shopping cart might be the best approach.

I'm familiar with Concrete5 and really like it - haven't looked at their e-commerce options though... Looks like they have only one $95 add-on, plus you have to buy another $45 add-on for selling electronic downloads. Although, I guess that's circumvented when using the PayPal cart...

[bullwhips]

I sell an ebook called Bullwhip Making For The Beginner, it's an ebook and some streaming videos. How I do it is they order via my site and then I email them a username and password to a page on my website where they can watch the videos and download the ebook. The password software I use is called Website Access Manager and you can learn more about it at: http://www.coffeecup.com/website-access-manager/

You do need to know how to upload things to your website to use this software, it's very easy to use!

Some people are worried about things like people sharing passwords, and here's some software that I use for another business's ebook I have where pirating is a problem: EbookPro This software is a bit more spendy, but you own it, so there are not extra charges besides the software. EbookPro will only let you set the number IP addresses that can be associated with a password. So if someone wants to read the ebook on two computers, they have to unregister it and move it to the next. So if they do share the password only one person can look at it at a time and you can configure the ebook to be printable or not printable.

I highly recommend either program.

Louie

[CitizenKate]

Hmm, yes - I think that's probably the best/simplest option - using PayPal shopping carts. I'm not sure how the linking is handled between PayPal and the files, but I guess that's handled via one of the shopping carts PayPal works with at the link below?

https://cms.paypal.com/us/cgi-bin/?cmd=_render-content&content_ID=developer/solutions_dgd

Looking back over my notes, the guy wants the option to sell individual chapters, bundles of chapters, or the entire "series" (book). So, the shopping cart might be the best approach.

I'm familiar with Concrete5 and really like it - haven't looked at their e-commerce options though... Looks like they have only one $95 add-on, plus you have to buy another $45 add-on for selling electronic downloads. Although, I guess that's circumvented when using the PayPal cart...

I don't use the C5 add-on for digital fulfillment.

I found a better solution that is less expensive and completely automated. Take a look at Digivendor, which I've used with C5 sites, and have gotten great results. It doesn't integrate with C5, but it doesn't have to.

When a customer clicks a buy now cart button, the payment is processed, then the system automatically makes their download available in a protected download area, creates a user name and password, and sends the customer the address of the download address along with their user name and password.

Kate

[particle]

Thanks for the help y'all.

Kate, DigiVendor sounds like exactly what I'm looking for! Sounds very easy to use, and it works with PayPal so my workflow doesn't have to change from what I'm already established with. Thanks for the help - it's much appreciated.

Eric

[CitizenKate]

Kate, DigiVendor sounds like exactly what I'm looking for! Sounds very easy to use, and it works with PayPal so my workflow doesn't have to change from what I'm already established with. Thanks for the help - it's much appreciated.

It's quite easy to use once it's set up. It does take some web savvy to set it up, but judging from what you've done on your own site, I'd say you have all the necessary skills.

Glad I could help...

Kate