Gumroad Fee Calculator
Gumroad is a merchant of record, so it handles sales tax for you. That convenience is priced into the fee.
Two very different fees
A sale through your own profile or a direct link costs 10% plus $0.50. A sale where a new customer found you through Gumroad Discover costs 30%. The same product at the same price returns very different amounts depending on how the buyer arrived.
On a $40 sale the direct fee is $4.50, an effective rate of 11.3%. Through Discover the fee is $12.00, or 30%. That is a $7.50 difference on one sale, which is usually more than the margin on a digital product.
Why the fixed 50 cents matters
On a $5 product the direct fee is $1.00, which is 20% of the sale. On a $200 product the same fee is $20.50, or 10.3%. Gumroad's fee is regressive: it hurts cheap products far more than expensive ones.
If you sell low-priced items, bundling them raises the average order and dilutes the fixed component.
What the fee buys
Gumroad acts as merchant of record. Since January 2025 it handles sales tax collection and remittance worldwide, which is a genuine operational burden for a solo seller. Whether that is worth 10% depends on where your buyers are and whether you would otherwise register for VAT or sales tax.
The fee also covers hosting, delivery, and the checkout itself. There is no monthly charge, so the cost scales only when you actually sell something.
When Discover is worth 30%
Discover is a marketplace of existing Gumroad buyers. A 30% cut is steep, but a sale at 70% of price is worth more than no sale at all, provided your product cost is near zero.
The test is simple: if your margin after the 30% fee is positive, the Discover sale added profit. If it is negative, you are paying to give the product away. Run both channels in the calculator before deciding.
FAQ
- Is there a monthly fee?
- No. Gumroad takes a percentage of each sale and nothing else.
- Does Gumroad handle sales tax?
- Yes. Since January 2025 Gumroad is the merchant of record and manages sales tax collection and remittance.
- Why is Discover 30%?
- It is a customer acquisition fee. Gumroad brings the buyer rather than you.
- Can I turn Discover off?
- Yes, Discover participation can be disabled in your product settings.