Suggestions for delivery of online products?

[OnTheRoad]

Hi,
I am currently working on some digital products I want to put up for sale on a website (eBook, MP3s).

Does anybody have any advice on the delivery of these products? Are there shop systems out there that provide access to a download space after payment?

Or do you simply send a link to your website in the confirmation e-mail, through which anybody who had that link could download the product?

Any advice is very welcome! Thanks in advance!

[JoeMack]

Hi...

I have been selling digital products for about two years now. I sell on ebay as well as my own websites.

The program I use to deliver ALL of my digital products is DLGuard (http://www.dlguard.com/info/?a=bmoevabmgl&p=1).

You don't want to just send someone a link to your website to download the item. It would be too easy for that link to get passed around.

Using DLGuard (http://www.dlguard.com/info/?a=bmoevabmgl&p=1) allows you to put an expiration time on your download link. SO if you set it for 24 hours, after that time, the link expires and no one can download from it anymore.

Also, you can set the maximum number of downloads. So if you set it a 2, only two download attempts can be made before the link expires (this prevents the buyer from passing on your link before the time expires).

You can learn more about DLGuard by clicking here. (http://www.dlguard.com/info/?a=bmoevabmgl&p=1)

Hope this helps,

Joe

[FrozenCanuck]

Joe,

Good advice so thanks. I notice you used your affiliate link above, and I want to say that I think that is smart, I have no problem with people getting paid for recommending a product.

As a quick aside here (and I don't wish to pull this thread off-topic), I recently joined ClickBank to become an affiliate so that I could learn a bit about adwords without having a product to sell yet.

I have put up a couple of PPC ads in adwords for other people's products. It's a good way to learn about adwords campaigns for cheap. I've spent a grand total of $0.24 in my first day (so I'm learning ...)

Now back to download software:

1) Joe, can you tell us how this software is installed, give us the newbie explanation. Assume we have just got ourselves a web hosting account and now we wish to setup a basic web page to offer the download.

2) Why would ClickBank not be good enough as a digital download offering? Does clickbank only deal with the payments and affiliate payments, and then the vendor is responsible for sending out their own download instructions? I would have thought ClickBank handled the digital download also. If not, then I understand the need for a separate product.

3) Are there any people on this site who offer product in PHYSICAL copy as well as the same thing in download? ie, ebook in PDF and same book in physical copy, or audio program in both MP3 and physical CD? If so can you post your store links so we can take a look at your store and see how you've done it?

FC

[JoeMack]

FC,

I did use an affiliate link. If that goes against message baord rules, I apologize. I will say that I do personally use DLGuard every single day. I wasn't recommending something that I have never tried before.

If you want to go to the official website, go here: http://www.dlguard.com

Its still a great product.

DLGuard is a script that you upload to your own server. I think they give you a bi-domain license with your purchase (meaning that you can download it onto two different domain names/servers - I have only used it on one, but am looking to install it onto a potential membership site.

Basically, you are going to need a domain name and a web host. You then install DLgaurd to it. You will still need to create the salespages you are going to use. You'll enter all the details of a particular product, and DLGuard will spit out a certain code to use for your order button.

DLGuard will provide the download page for Paypal payments and a couple of other payment processors.

I have a few minor glitches, but the owner of DLGuard (Sam Stephens) is very accessible and has solved any issue/question within 24 hours.

You could use Clickbank. Actually, I both promote affiliate products and sell my own product through Clickbank. I still use DLGuard to deliver my digital products sold on Clickbank. You see, a lot of marketers think that its very easy to steal the download links from Clickbank. So they use a program like DLGuard to ensure that doesn't happen.

I offer buyers the option to get some of my digital products on CD and mailed to them. But only about 5-10 percent of people go that route. And that's fine with me. Its like Tim talking about 80/20. Those 5-10% of people who want it on CD take up a total of 25% of my time (you talking about instant download vs. burning info onto CD, printing up a CD label, inserting the CD into a protective sleeve, printing out purchase receipt, inserting CD and receipt into bubble-protected envelope, filling out shipping label, and bringing it to the post office, you get the picture).

Instant delivery always wins out. Well, in my case it does. I guess if I had a physical, high priced backend product, maybe I could justify taking the time and effort to ship physical versions of my product.

Did I answer all of your questions?

Joe