As more designers are chosing to explore platforms other than Ravelry you might have noticed Payhip being mentioned more and more. It is certainly a popular platform among those designers taking part in this years FastenOff Yarnalong. It’s become my top choice for selling digital downloads as it’s so quick and easy to set up - plus it takes care of the EU VAT issue which is an absolute must for me. The platform is extremely user friendly but as with anything new, it can seem a little unfamiliar at first so I thought I would jot down a few helpful pointers to help you find your way around.
What is Payhip anyway?
First and foremost, it's a place you can buy digital products (also physical ones, should I ever have any).
It works exactly the same as Ravelry from the purchasing perspective. You add a pattern to your cart, you enter your email address and then pay using PayPal with either a credit/debit card or a PayPal account. A download link to the pattern is then emailed to you.
A few things to note:
1. Payhip is not a marketplace like, say Etsy. You can't search it for knitting patterns. You'll need to know the URL for the designer you want to buy from - or search Google for the designer name plus Payhip.
2. Check out yarndatabase.com for an A to Z listing of designers who are selling using Payhip (and other non Rav platforms)
3. Payhip doesn't require you to sign in and doesn't hold your details. If you want to follow a particular designer tap the blue follow button in their profile. Then, when they upload a new pattern you'll get a notification. This single feature is probably my favourite - and is a distinct advantage over Ravelry.
4. As with Ravelry, you don't need a PayPal account to buy a pattern. You can use your credit or debit card through the PayPal site.
5. Payhip doesn't have a library function. The PDF is sent to you to store as you wish, which is generally good practice with any digital download. Even before the Ravelry issue I always donwloaded the file to my own storage rather than relying on the library function of another platform. I use Evernote to store mine as it's search function will find text even in images or PDFs so I don't need to worry about tagging
6. If you do want a copy of a pattern for your Ravelry library, please email me at the support address on the bottom of your pattern and I'll gift you a copy
I hope this helps answer your Payhip questions but please let me know if there's anything I've missed
