Quick answer: To sell digital products on WordPress, install a plugin built for it (Easy Digital Downloads if you only sell downloads, WooCommerce if you also sell physical goods), connect a payment gateway such as PayPal or Stripe, upload your files so they are protected from direct access, and set up the emails that deliver download links. Then handle the practical details: licence keys for software, download limits, refunds and VAT rules for digital sales in the EU.
Ebooks, templates, music, photos, software, printables and recorded courses all have one thing in common: once made, they can be sold again and again without packing a box. Selling them from your own WordPress site means you keep control of pricing, customer data and branding, rather than paying a marketplace a large share of every sale.
What counts as a digital product
Digital products fall into a few groups, and each has slightly different needs:
- Single downloads such as ebooks, PDFs, audio files, stock photos and design templates.
- Software and plugins, which often need licence keys and update delivery.
- Bundles that group several files at a lower price.
- Access based products such as courses and member areas, where the buyer gets access to content on the site rather than a file.
This article focuses on the first three. Courses and memberships usually need a dedicated membership or learning plugin on top.
Choosing a plugin
Easy Digital Downloads
Easy Digital Downloads (EDD) was built specifically for selling downloads. Because it ignores shipping, stock and physical product options, the setup is lighter and the admin screens are simpler.
Strengths:
- Clean, focused checkout for digital goods.
- Built in download limits, link expiry and purchase history.
- Extensions for software licensing, recurring payments, frequently bought together and more.
- Customer accounts that show past purchases and let buyers download again.
The core plugin is free. Payment gateways beyond PayPal and many features are sold as paid extensions or bundles, so budget for those.
WooCommerce
WooCommerce, now owned by Automattic, handles digital products through its “virtual” and “downloadable” product settings. Tick both boxes on a product, attach your file and WooCommerce skips shipping and sends a download link after payment.
Choose WooCommerce if:
- You sell physical and digital products side by side.
- You want the large range of WooCommerce themes and extensions.
- You already run a WooCommerce store and want to add downloads.
It carries more weight than EDD for a digital only shop, but it is perfectly capable. If you are still deciding on a platform overall, see our comparison of WooCommerce vs Shopify.
Simple buy buttons
If you sell one or two products, a hosted service with an embeddable button may be enough. Services such as Gumroad and SendOwl handle payment and delivery on their side. You give up some control and pay a fee per sale, but there is almost nothing to maintain.
Setting up payments
Most stores start with one or both of:
- PayPal, which many buyers already trust and which needs little setup.
- Stripe, which takes card payments directly on your checkout without sending buyers away.
Both EDD and WooCommerce support them, either built in or through an extension. Use HTTPS on your checkout pages without exception; our guide to Let’s Encrypt shows how to get a free certificate.
Test the full purchase flow with sandbox or test mode before you launch. Then make a real purchase with a small price and refund it, to be sure everything works with live accounts.
Protecting and delivering your files
The worst outcome for a digital seller is a file that anyone can download without paying. A few safeguards help.
Keep files out of public folders
Both plugins store uploads in protected folders and serve them through a script rather than a direct link. On Apache servers this relies on an .htaccess file. On Nginx, you need to add a rule to the server configuration yourself, because Nginx ignores .htaccess. Check this after setup by trying to open a file’s direct URL in a private browser window.
Use expiring links and download limits
Set download links to expire after a set time, such as 24 or 48 hours, and limit the number of downloads per purchase. Buyers who need another copy can log in to their account or ask for a fresh link.
Host large files elsewhere
Video courses and large software packages can strain shared hosting. Extensions for both plugins let you store files on Amazon S3 or Dropbox and deliver them through signed, time limited links.
Licence keys for software
If you sell plugins, themes or apps, a licensing extension can generate keys, limit activations per site and deliver updates to licensed users only. This also gives you a way to sell yearly renewals.
Pricing and product options
Digital products give you room to experiment:
- Variable pricing lets you sell a personal licence and a business licence of the same product.
- Bundles raise the average order value.
- Pay what you want can work for creative products and building an audience.
- Subscriptions suit products with ongoing updates or new content. Our article on WooCommerce Subscriptions covers recurring billing.
- Discount codes help with launches and email campaigns.
Tax on digital sales
Tax is the part many digital sellers get wrong. Since January 2015, VAT on digital services sold to consumers in the EU is charged at the rate of the buyer’s country, not the seller’s. This applies even if you are based outside the EU. In practice that means:
- Collecting evidence of each buyer’s location, such as billing address and IP country.
- Charging the right rate for each EU country.
- Reporting and paying through the VAT MOSS scheme or registering in each country.
Extensions exist for both EDD and WooCommerce to help with this. Rules vary by country and change over time, so speak to an accountant about your own situation.
Emails and the buyer experience
The purchase receipt is the most important email you send. It should include:
- A clear download link, with a note on when it expires.
- How to get help if the download fails.
- Licence keys or access details where relevant.
- A link to the buyer’s account for future downloads.
Keep the checkout short. Digital buyers do not need a shipping address, so remove any fields you do not need. Every extra field is one more reason to give up.
Refunds and support
Decide your refund policy before launch and state it plainly on product pages and at checkout. Many digital sellers offer refunds within a set period if the product does not work as described. A clear policy reduces disputes and chargebacks.
Launch checklist
- Plugin installed and configured, with test products created.
- Payment gateway live and tested with a real transaction.
- Files protected from direct access.
- Download limits and link expiry set.
- Receipt emails written and tested.
- Tax settings checked for EU buyers.
- Refund policy published.
- Checkout on HTTPS with no mixed content warnings.
FAQ
Can I sell digital products without a plugin?
You could link to a payment button and email files by hand, but it does not scale and files are easy to share. A plugin automates delivery and protection.
Which is better for an ebook shop, EDD or WooCommerce?
For downloads only, EDD is lighter and simpler. If you plan to add physical products later, WooCommerce saves a migration.
Will shared hosting cope?
For small files and modest sales, yes. For large files or busy launches, store files on an external service.
Ready to start selling?
A well built digital store runs quietly in the background, taking payments and delivering files at any hour. We set up and tune WordPress stores so the checkout is quick and the files stay protected. See how we help businesses turn visitors into customers.
