---
title: How to Sell PDFs and Ebooks Online (2026 Guide): Platforms, Fees, Protection | HelpRange
url: https://www.helprange.com/sell-pdfs
---

Selling PDFs and e-books

# How to sell PDFs and e-books online (2026 guide)

**Short answer:** upload your PDF to a platform that takes payment and delivers it – a marketplace such as Etsy when you need buyers to find you, or a store such as Gumroad, Payhip or Lemon Squeezy when you bring your own audience – and decide whether buyers get a file or protected access. This page collects all our guides, the 2026 fees, free tools and comparisons in one place.

Last updated 14 November 2026. Fees as of November 2026 (US), with the source and read date of each figure. Full platform comparison: [PDF selling websites 2026: 11 platforms and their fees](https://www.helprange.com/post/selling-pdfs/top-10-platforms-for-selling-pdfs). Disclosure: HelpRange is our product.

## How to sell a PDF online in 5 steps

1. **Pick a PDF people already pay for.** Templates, planners, workbooks, guides and research reports sell when they solve one specific problem. Ideas with prices: [PDF ideas to sell in 2026](https://www.helprange.com/insight/2026/11/07/pdf-ideas-to-sell/).
2. **Choose where to sell.** A marketplace ([Etsy](https://www.helprange.com/post/selling-e-books/selling-ebooks-on-etsy-a-guide-for-authors-and-publishers)) brings buyers who search; a store ([Gumroad](https://www.helprange.com/post/selling-pdfs/how-to-sell-your-pdfs-on-gumroad), Payhip, Lemon Squeezy) keeps more of each sale when you bring your own audience. Amazon sells Kindle e-books, not PDFs ([what KDP does with a PDF](https://www.helprange.com/post/selling-pdfs/how-to-sell-your-pdfs-on-amazon)), and eBay allows downloads only for approved sellers ([eBay rules](https://www.helprange.com/post/selling-pdfs/selling-pdfs-on-ebay-a-complete-guide)).
3. **Check what you keep.** Use the table below or the [fee calculator](https://www.helprange.com/tools/ebook-fee-calculator) with your own price: fixed fees per sale hurt cheap PDFs most, monthly plans pay off only above a certain volume.
4. **Decide how buyers receive it.** A download is simple but can be forwarded. Stamp each copy with the [per-buyer watermark](https://www.helprange.com/tools/personalized-pdf-watermark), or sell access in a protected viewer with the [HelpRange Store](https://www.helprange.com/sell-pdf-documents-securely).
5. **Launch and market it.** Your e-mail list, Pinterest for printables, short videos showing the inside pages – see the marketing guides below.

## 2026 fees by platform (as of November 2026)

| Platform | Monthly fee | Fee per sale | You keep of a $10 sale* | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Etsy | $0 | $0.20 per listing + 6.5% transaction fee + 3% + $0.25 payment processing | $8.60 | help.etsy.com, read 7 Nov 2026 |
| Gumroad | $0 | 10% + $0.50 per direct sale, plus 2.9% + $0.30 card processing; 30% on sales through Discover | about $7.91 | gumroad.com pricing and help center, read 9 and 14 Nov 2026 |
| Payhip | $0 / $29 / $99 | 5% (Free) / 2% (Plus) / 0% (Pro), plus PayPal or Stripe fees | $9.50 on Free, before processing | payhip.com/pricing, read 14 Nov 2026 |
| Lemon Squeezy | $0 | 5% + $0.50, payment processing included | $9.00 | lemonsqueezy.com/pricing, read 7 Nov 2026 |
| Sellfy | $29 ($22 billed yearly) | 0% + Stripe or PayPal fees; yearly sales cap ($10,000 on Starter) | $10 minus processing | sellfy.com/pricing, read 14 Nov 2026 |
| Amazon KDP | $0 | Kindle e-book, not a PDF: 35% or 70% royalty (70% only for $2.99–$12.99), minus $0.15 per MB at 70% | $6.79 at 70% (2 MB file) | kdp.amazon.com help, read 7 Nov 2026 |
| eBay | $0 | No PDF downloads unless eBay-approved; a printed copy pays 15.3% (Books & Magazines) + $0.30 per order up to $10 | about $8.17 of a $10 printed-copy order, before printing and postage | ebay.com policy read 9 Nov 2026; fees via taxomate.com, verified 14 Oct 2026 |
| [HelpRange Store](https://www.helprange.com/sell-pdf-documents-securely) | Pro $39 / Max $87 / Unlimited $174 per team | 2% on Pro, 0% on Max and Unlimited, plus Stripe’s fee | $9.80 on Pro, before Stripe | helprange.com/pricing |

*US figures as of November 2026, before income tax, VAT and sales tax. "Minus processing" means the payment processor (Stripe or PayPal) charges its fee on top. Fees change – check the platform before you choose; compare your own price and volume with the free [e-book fee calculator](https://www.helprange.com/tools/ebook-fee-calculator).

## Protect your PDF from sharing

Every marketplace and download store hands the buyer a file, and a file can be forwarded. Three steps, from free to fully protected:

- **Stamp each buyer’s copy (free).** The [per-buyer watermark tool](https://www.helprange.com/tools/personalized-pdf-watermark) puts the buyer’s name, e-mail and order ID on every page – up to 50 buyers at a time from your shop’s CSV export – and hides an invisible fingerprint in each copy.
- **Find the source of a leak (free).** If a copy turns up online, the [PDF leak tracer](https://www.helprange.com/tools/pdf-leak-tracer) reads that fingerprint back and tells you whose copy it was.
- **Sell access instead of a file.** With the [HelpRange Store](https://www.helprange.com/sell-pdf-documents-securely) buyers read in a protected viewer with their e-mail on every page, downloads and printing stay off unless you allow them, and you can end access after a refund. Already selling on Gumroad, Kajabi, Whop, Shopify or WooCommerce? Keep the checkout and connect [buyer access](https://www.helprange.com/gumroad-pdf-protection).

A stamped PDF can still be forwarded – the stamp shows whose copy it was. Only access in a viewer can be taken back.

## All guides, comparisons and tools

### Where to sell: platform guides

- [PDF selling websites 2026: 11 platforms and their fees](https://www.helprange.com/post/selling-pdfs/top-10-platforms-for-selling-pdfs)
- [How to sell a PDF online for free (no monthly fee)](https://www.helprange.com/post/selling-pdfs/top-10-platforms-for-selling-pdfs#free)
- [How to sell e-books on Etsy: fees, listing steps, rules](https://www.helprange.com/post/selling-e-books/selling-ebooks-on-etsy-a-guide-for-authors-and-publishers)
- [The pros and cons of selling PDFs on Etsy](https://www.helprange.com/post/selling-pdfs/the-pros-and-cons-of-selling-pdfs-on-etsy)
- [Can you sell a PDF on Amazon? KDP rules and royalties](https://www.helprange.com/post/selling-pdfs/how-to-sell-your-pdfs-on-amazon)
- [How to sell PDFs on Gumroad: fees, setup, what you keep](https://www.helprange.com/post/selling-pdfs/how-to-sell-your-pdfs-on-gumroad)
- [Selling e-books on Gumroad](https://www.helprange.com/post/selling-e-books/selling-ebooks-on-gumroad-a-comprehensive-guide)
- [Can you sell PDFs on eBay? Rules, fees and alternatives](https://www.helprange.com/post/selling-pdfs/selling-pdfs-on-ebay-a-complete-guide)
- [How to sell PDFs on Shopify](https://www.helprange.com/post/selling-pdfs/how-to-sell-your-pdfs-on-shopify)
- [How to sell PDFs on WooCommerce](https://www.helprange.com/post/selling-pdfs/how-to-sell-your-pdfs-on-woocommerce)
- [How to sell e-books on WooCommerce](https://www.helprange.com/post/selling-e-books/how-to-sell-ebooks-on-woocommerce)
- [How to sell e-books on Apple Books](https://www.helprange.com/post/selling-e-books/how-to-sell-ebooks-on-apple-books-a-quick-guide)
- [Selling e-books on Kobo](https://www.helprange.com/post/selling-e-books/selling-ebooks-on-kobo-a-comprehensive-guide)

### What to sell and how to price it

- [PDF ideas to sell in 2026, with prices](https://www.helprange.com/insight/2026/11/07/pdf-ideas-to-sell/)
- [Pricing strategies for selling PDFs](https://www.helprange.com/post/selling-pdfs/the-best-pricing-strategies-for-selling-pdfs)
- [A landing page that sells your PDF](https://www.helprange.com/post/selling-pdfs/how-to-create-a-killer-landing-page-for-your-pdfs)

### Marketing your PDF or e-book

- [Sell e-books with Pinterest](https://www.helprange.com/post/selling-e-books/how-to-use-pinterest-to-sell-your-ebooks)
- [Sell e-books with TikTok](https://www.helprange.com/post/selling-e-books/how-to-use-tiktok-to-sell-your-ebooks)
- [Sell e-books with YouTube](https://www.helprange.com/post/selling-e-books/using-youtube-to-sell-ebooks-tips-and-tricks)
- [Sell e-books with Facebook ads](https://www.helprange.com/post/selling-e-books/how-to-use-facebook-ads-to-sell-ebooks)
- [Social media for e-book sales](https://www.helprange.com/post/selling-e-books/using-social-media-to-sell-ebooks-tips-and-strategies)
- [Social media for PDF sales](https://www.helprange.com/post/selling-pdfs/how-to-use-social-media-to-sell-your-pdfs)
- [E-mail marketing for e-books](https://www.helprange.com/post/selling-e-books/how-to-use-email-marketing-to-sell-your-ebooks)

### Compare platforms with HelpRange

- [Gumroad vs HelpRange for selling PDFs](https://www.helprange.com/gumroad-vs-helprange)
- [Payhip vs HelpRange for selling PDFs](https://www.helprange.com/payhip-vs-helprange)
- [Sellfy vs HelpRange for selling PDFs](https://www.helprange.com/sellfy-vs-helprange)
- [Etsy vs HelpRange for selling PDFs and e-books](https://www.helprange.com/etsy-vs-helprange)
- [SendOwl alternative](https://www.helprange.com/sendowl-alternative)

### Free tools

- [E-book and PDF selling fee calculator](https://www.helprange.com/tools/ebook-fee-calculator)
- [Per-buyer PDF watermark (name, e-mail, order ID)](https://www.helprange.com/tools/personalized-pdf-watermark)
- [PDF leak tracer: whose copy leaked?](https://www.helprange.com/tools/pdf-leak-tracer)
- [Watermark a PDF for each recipient](https://www.helprange.com/tools/pdf-watermark)

### Protect what you sell

- [HelpRange Store: sell PDFs that buyers cannot share](https://www.helprange.com/sell-pdf-documents-securely)
- [Sell a PDF without letting buyers download it](https://www.helprange.com/insight/2026/11/07/sell-pdf-without-download/)
- [Make PDF access expire](https://www.helprange.com/insight/2026/11/07/expire-pdf-access/)
- [Protect e-books from piracy](https://www.helprange.com/protect-ebooks-magazines-from-piracy)
- [Deliver PDFs to paying members](https://www.helprange.com/deliver-pdfs-to-paying-members)

### Keep your checkout: integrations

- [Gumroad](https://www.helprange.com/gumroad-pdf-protection)
- [Kajabi](https://www.helprange.com/kajabi-pdf-protection)
- [Whop](https://www.helprange.com/whop-pdf-protection)
- [Shopify](https://www.helprange.com/shopify-pdf-protection)
- [WooCommerce](https://www.helprange.com/woocommerce-pdf-protection)
- [Teachable and Thinkific](https://www.helprange.com/teachable-thinkific-pdf-protection)

### Sell by format

- [Sell e-books online](https://www.helprange.com/sell-ebooks)
- [Sell online courses](https://www.helprange.com/sell-online-courses)
- [Sell research reports](https://www.helprange.com/sell-research-reports)

FAQ

## Selling PDFs and e-books – questions

How do I sell PDFs online?

Finish the PDF, choose a platform – a marketplace such as Etsy for reach, or a store such as Gumroad, Payhip, Lemon Squeezy or HelpRange for lower fees – upload the file, set a price, connect payouts and share the product link. Decide before launch whether buyers get a download or protected online access.

Where can I sell PDFs for free?

Etsy, Gumroad, Payhip (Free plan) and Lemon Squeezy have no monthly fee; you pay per sale instead. As of November 2026 (US): Etsy $0.20 per listing + 6.5% + 3% + $0.25 processing, Gumroad 10% + $0.50 plus card processing, Payhip Free 5% plus processing, Lemon Squeezy 5% + $0.50.

Which platform lets me keep the most of a $10 PDF?

Among platforms without a monthly fee, Payhip Free ($9.50 before processing) and Lemon Squeezy ($9.00) keep the most; Etsy leaves about $8.60 and Gumroad about $7.91 of a direct sale. Plans with a 0% fee (Payhip Pro, Sellfy, HelpRange Max) pay off once your sales are large enough to cover the monthly price.

Can I sell a PDF on Amazon or eBay?

Not as a PDF download for most sellers. Amazon KDP turns your manuscript into a Kindle e-book or a printed book, and eBay lets only approved sellers list electronically delivered items. Sell the PDF itself on Etsy, Gumroad, Payhip, Lemon Squeezy or your own store.

How do I stop buyers from sharing my PDF?

With a download you cannot stop it, only trace it: the free per-buyer watermark tool puts each buyer’s name and e-mail on every page with an invisible fingerprint, and the leak tracer reads it back from a leaked copy. To prevent sharing, sell access in a protected viewer instead – the HelpRange Store keeps downloads off and lets you end access.