[Hidden-tech] selling digital media files online

[Robert Heller]

At Tue, 15 May 2012 17:05:08 -0400 Stacy Kontrabecki <swampdancer at comcast.net> wrote:

> 
> MIME-Version: 1.0
> 
>    ** Be sure to fill out the survey/skills inventory in the member's area.
>    ** If you did, we all thank you.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> What services do you advise looking at for selling digital files PDFs, 
> Excel & Word documents, zip files (not e-books).
> 
> I'm considering a straight Paypal solution 
> <https://merchant.paypal.com/cgi-bin/marketingweb?cmd=_render-content&content_ID=merchant/digital_goods> 
> or some extension for Joomla 
> <http://extensions.joomla.org/extensions/e-commerce/paid-downloads>. I'm 
> looking for the easiest most reliable solution since I am only going to 
> sell a handful of documents/files for now (so I don't need a full 
> $30/month shopping cart) and I am not an ultra-savvy web designer - just 
> someone who has learned Joomla, Wordpress as needed 
> (www.swampdancer.com). As Swampdancer Resources I do not currently 
> subscribe to a shopping cart like Shopify or  Volusion 
> (http://store.BucklandMassHistory.org), which I DO run for the 
> historical society. Google Cart integration looks too complicated for me 
> to code into Joomla right now.

If your 'inventory' is small, using Paypal (and *their* shopping cart)
would be the simpliest way to go, possibly using a simple WordPress *or*
Joomla site -- eg one page (or something) for each item, with a Paypal
'Buy Now' button and a Paypal 'Show Cart' button as part of a navigation
feature (menu item, in a Joomla sidebar module, or a WordPress widget). 
I'm not sure how to handle the delivery of digital goods.  How much DRM
do you want to mess with (or even bother with)?  WordPress does have a
nice Download Manager plugin, but I only use it for free downloads and I
am not sure if it would work for paid downloads.

> 
> Thanks.
> 
> Stacy Kontrabecki
> 
> MIME-Version: 1.0
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Hidden-discuss mailing list - home page: http://www.hidden-tech.net
> Hidden-discuss at lists.hidden-tech.net
> 
> You are receiving this because you are on the Hidden-Tech Discussion list.
> If you would like to change your list preferences, Go to the Members   
> page on the Hidden Tech Web site.
> http://www.hidden-tech.net/members
> 
>                                                                                                                          

-- 
Robert Heller             -- 978-544-6933 / heller at deepsoft.com
Deepwoods Software        -- http://www.deepsoft.com/
()  ascii ribbon campaign -- against html e-mail
/\  www.asciiribbon.org   -- against proprietary attachments