Payhip makes it easy to launch a digital product store with no monthly subscription. Sell ebooks, templates, sticker packs, printables, and more—all from a beginner-friendly dashboard.

Introduction

For the longest time, I thought creating an online store meant paying a monthly subscription.

When I first started exploring print-on-demand, I created a Shopify store using Printify. At the time, the plan cost me only about ₹20 per month, so it felt like a good deal to get started.

But later, I discovered something even better for beginners.

A platform where you can start selling digital products without paying any monthly store subscription at all.

That platform was Payhip.

Whether you're selling ebooks, printable planners, sticker packs, templates, digital art, software, or other downloadable products, Payhip lets you launch an online store for $0 upfront. You only pay transaction fees when you actually make a sale, making it one of the lowest-risk ways to start an online business.

Since I had already designed several digital sticker packs, I decided to give it a try.

To my surprise, setting everything up—from creating my store to uploading products and connecting payment methods—was much easier than I expected.

Here's exactly how I set up my Payhip store—from creating my account to publishing my first digital product. If I could do it without any prior experience, I'm confident you can too. Creating an online store has never been this simple.

Why I Chose Payhip
Step 1 – Store Essentials
Step 2 – Add Your First Product
Step 3 – Setup Checkout
Step 4 – Customize Store Design
Marketing Features
Payhip Marketplace
My Experience
Frequently Asked Questions
References

Why I Chose Payhip

There are dozens of e-commerce platforms available today, but I wanted something that was:

Free to start
Beginner friendly
Easy to set up
Suitable for digital downloads
No coding required
Able to accept online payments

Payhip met all those requirements, which is why I decided to give it a try.

Step 1 — Store Essentials (Getting Started)

After creating an account, Payhip first guides you through your basic store setup.

This section only takes a few minutes and includes the essential information needed before you can begin selling.

You'll typically configure:

Store name
Store URL
Store description
Default currency
Payout preferences
Basic business information

The dashboard is very clean and easy to navigate, making it suitable even for complete beginners.

Step 2 — Add Your First Product

Once the store is ready, Payhip prompts you to add your first product.

Click Create New Product.

You'll then be asked what type of product you'd like to sell.

Available product types include:

Digital Product: Sell ebooks, software, and other files
Course: Sell your course
Membership: Lock exclusive content behind a paywall
Physical Product: Sell clothes and other physical goods
Coaching Service: Sell your coaching service
Bundle: Bundle multiple products for sale

Since I wanted to sell downloadable sticker packs, I selected:

"Digital Product"

Product Information

Next, Payhip asks you to fill in some basic information.

Upload Product Files

Upload your downloadable files.

Payhip accepts almost every file format and supports uploads up to 5 GB.

Product Title

Give your product a clear, descriptive name.

Product Price

Choose your selling price and preferred currency.

The default price was set to 5 USD, but you can change both the amount and currency at any time.

Cover Images

You can upload up to 9 images for your product.

Payhip also allows you to embed:

YouTube
Vimeo
SoundCloud

which is useful if your product benefits from a demonstration.

Product Description

Add a detailed description using Payhip's built-in Beta content editor.

It supports:

Headings
Bold text
Bullet lists
Images
Basic formatting

No HTML knowledge is required.

Product Visibility

You can choose who can see the product.

Options include:

Visible: Everyone can view and purchase it.

Invisible: Only you can see it.

Unlisted: Only people with the direct link can access it.

Advanced Product Options

Payhip also provides several optional settings.

These include:

Product variations
EU/UK tax exemption
Ebook option
Product tax categories
Preview files
Sale limits
Automatic mailing list subscription
License key generation (software)
Additional product settings

You can ignore most of these initially and enable them later as your store grows.

Step 3 — Set up Checkout

Before customers can purchase your products, you'll need to connect a payment provider.

Payhip currently supports providers such as:

PayPal
Stripe

Once connected, your checkout becomes active, and customers can begin purchasing your products.

The setup process is straightforward and only takes a few minutes.

Step 4 — Customize Your Store Design

After your products and checkout are ready, you can personalize your storefront.

You can customize:

Store logo
Banner
Brand colours
Typography
Store description
Homepage appearance

Even without any design experience, it's easy to create a clean, professional-looking storefront.

Marketing Features

One area where Payhip impressed me was the number of built-in marketing tools available.

Instead of relying entirely on third-party software, many promotional features are already included.

Coupons

Create discount codes for individual products or your entire store.

Run Sales

Schedule store-wide or product-specific sales to encourage purchases.

Affiliates

Payhip allows other people to promote your products using affiliate links. If you're interested in becoming an affiliate for someone's products, you need to contact the seller directly using the contact information they've provided. Once approved, they'll send you a unique affiliate link to start promoting their products.

For more details, see the official Payhip Help Center.

As a seller, you'll need to pay affiliates yourself, but Payhip manages the tracking.

Email Marketing using Mailing Lists

You can connect services like:

MailerLite
Mailchimp
ConvertKit

Customers can automatically be subscribed after completing a purchase.

Simply edit your product, scroll to Advanced Options, and enable Automatically subscribe customers to mailing list.

Cross Selling

Recommend related products to customers during checkout.

This is useful if you sell multiple digital products.

Product Sharing

Every product receives its own shareable link.

You can promote it through:

Your website
Your blog
Facebook
Instagram
X (Twitter)
Email newsletters

Referral Program

Payhip also offers referral opportunities, allowing users to earn rewards by referring new creators to the platform.

Payhip Marketplace

One feature I found interesting is the Payhip Marketplace, where creators can showcase their digital products to customers outside their own audience.

However, new products don't automatically appear in the Payhip Marketplace. There are a few eligibility requirements before your products can appear there.

My Overall Experience

Overall, I found Payhip to be one of the easiest platforms I've used for selling digital products.

The setup process was straightforward, the interface was beginner-friendly, and I was able to create my store, upload products, configure payments, and customize everything without running into any major difficulty.

If you're just starting your creator journey and don't want to commit to monthly subscription costs, I think Payhip is an excellent platform worth considering.

Have You Used Payhip?

Have you tried Payhip, Gumroad, Shopify, Etsy, or another platform for selling digital products?
If you've discovered useful features, tips, or workflows that helped you, feel free to share them in the comments—I'd love to learn from other creators' experiences.

🛒Ready to Start Selling?

If you've been thinking about selling digital products, ebooks, templates, printables, sticker packs, or other downloads, Payhip is one of the easiest places to begin.
It takes just a few minutes to set up your store, and you can start without paying a monthly subscription.
👉 Create your free Payhip store here: https://payhip.com?fp_ref=cozyquill
Disclosure: This is my Payhip referral link. If you sign up through it, I may earn a small reward at no extra cost to you. It helps support this blog—thank you! ❤️

🎨 Curious What a Payhip Store Looks Like?

If you'd like to see how I set up my own store, feel free to have a look. It's where I sell my digital sticker packs and other downloadable products.
👉 Visit My Payhip Store: https://payhip.com/StickerMania56
If anything catches your eye, I'd really appreciate your support. 😊

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Payhip free?

Yes. You can create a store without paying a monthly subscription. Transaction fees apply depending on your chosen plan.

What can I sell?

You can sell:

Digital downloads
Ebooks
Templates
Printables
Sticker packs
Courses
Memberships
Physical products
Coaching services

Does Payhip support PayPal?

Yes. Payhip supports PayPal as well as Stripe.

Can I connect an email marketing platform?

Yes. Payhip integrates with MailerLite, Mailchimp, ConvertKit, and several other email marketing services.

Can I list my products on the Payhip Marketplace immediately?

No. Your account must first reach $10 USD in total sales before your products become eligible for marketplace listing.

References

Official Resources

📧 Enjoyed This Review?

Subscribe to I Tried This and get notified whenever I publish a new honest review of unusual foods, products, gadgets, and experiences.

How to Start a Digital Product Business with $0 Using Payhip (Beginner Guide)