✓ Independent pattern designers
✓ Existing catalogues with confusing file choices
✓ Readers comparing direct stores and marketplaces
— Guaranteed passive income
— Pattern drafting or technical certification
— Generic course launches
— A marketplace traffic guarantee
A different purchase context
An Etsy shopper may already expect to buy within Etsy; a buyer following your own catalogue may be comfortable with direct checkout. That context matters more than a generic feature winner. Record where your real enquiries originate before assuming a new store will improve discovery or conversion.
Compare the package honestly
Etsy documents up to five files of 20MB each for an instant digital listing. Payhip documents a larger per-file allowance. A generous limit can help a complex bundle, but it does not excuse an unnecessarily heavy package. Keep the buyer-facing readme and essential instructions easy to identify without opening several archives.
Support the actual device
Etsy currently directs digital buyers to a mobile browser or computer rather than its app for downloading purchases. That is a specific support fact, not a reason to describe every mobile purchase as broken. Explain the appropriate route for the store where the transaction occurred; do not substitute unrelated Payhip instructions.
Do not migrate merely to save a fee
A move affects existing links, product explanations and previous buyers. First compare the complete costs and maintenance obligations against the benefit of your own storefront. Avoid routing around another platform’s rules or implying that its customers consented to a new mailing list. Keep historical purchase support available during any authorised transition.
An original working example
A fictional example makes the distinction clearer: a designer has a small instruction PDF and one print file, so both services may accommodate the package. The main question is then where buyers discover and trust the offer, not which uploader accepts more megabytes. Another designer has a large multi-format package and needs to investigate delivery constraints before choosing. Neither example predicts traffic. Write down your own package size and current enquiry source, then compare total costs and operational consequences. Do not encourage an Etsy buyer to leave a transaction merely to avoid fees; follow the current marketplace rules for any cross-channel activity.
What this comparison can—and cannot—settle
This guide draws on Etsy digital listings, Etsy digital downloads, Adding a digital product. Merchant-controlled records describe the provider’s own capabilities, terms or standards; they do not independently validate those claims. These records do not establish independent confirmation of the product claims.
Verify any current price, plan limit, label direction, compatibility rule, or commercial term that would materially change the decision. The dated source ledger shows the underlying records so this conclusion can be checked and updated.
Sources used for this page
These records support the facts and comparisons above. Merchant-controlled records are labelled so you can separate product claims from independent evidence.
- Etsy digital listings — Merchant documentation · help.etsy.com · Merchant-controlled · checked 2026-09-27
- Etsy digital downloads — Merchant documentation · help.etsy.com · Merchant-controlled · checked 2026-09-27
- Adding a digital product — Merchant documentation · help.payhip.com · Merchant-controlled · checked 2026-09-27