Automatic Download software??

[BLISSFULpatterns]

Does anyone have any suggestions/recommendations on automatic download software? I noticed a few Etsy sellers are now offering "instant/automatic download" as a feature with their PDF sewing patterns and I am wondering how it works and what it costs. I would love to be able to stop dealing with regular emails and email problems and have more time to design patterns and sew.

Any thoughts or help are very much appreciated, I've recently joined and scanned through some shops and am very impressed at the talent and variety of patterns, ideas and comments! Thank you, Shannon

[Former_Member]

Hi Shannon!

Check out crafthub.me. They email a link for the pattern to customers in 3/ 4 minutes! From there the customers can download the PDF file. I think it costs about $8 per month and they also have other payment options.

Totally worth it if you ask me! I'm definitely going to sign up once I get a little busier ;)

[TheSewingLoft]

I have never heard of the craft hub - this is going on to my look into list.

[TheSewingLoft]

I would love to hear from anyone who actually uses the service. Plus, see how you word your listing. It really looks interesting but want to learn more.

[Former_Member]

You can post patterns on Craftsy and they take care of the automatic download. There are no fees (except PayPal fees) for selling patterns on Craftsy, so it is a better deal than Etsy in that regard. I only have one pattern there and have not sold many, but I haven't made any efforts to market there, either.

[RelicPatterns]

I use Crafthub for all my downloadable patterns. The service is easy to use and affordable. They do have a limit on how big your file can be. However the limit is 50mb. You can also upload a picture to show up on the download screen for the customer. It is easy to attach more than one file to a listing or update an existing update. I really like it. If there are any problems, they have pretty good customer service. There is a way for your customer to download their file if they do not recieve an email. You can look at reports that show how many times the person has downloaded a file. You have control over how many times a file can be downloaded and from more than one computer. Very convenient. I hope this helps.

[Former_Member]

Ladies, thanks for the information. I will be checking it out. Just starting to create some patterns, so I am not right there yet. Making a supply of doll clothes to get selling on Etsy, craft shows, and custom orders. Used to just make & sell for custom orders during the holidays, so now really pursuing it.

[PieceByNumberQuilts]

I've been a Crafthub.me user for about 4-5 months now, and have been very happy with it. The cost depends on how many download orders you have - in my case, one order of 7 patterns costs me the same fee as one order of 1 pattern. The customer service is really good, and the feature has been a great time saver and stress-reliever for me - I can go on vacation, keep my shop open and not stress whether customers are getting their orders or not!

Before I signed up, I made a purchase from a shop that offered the service, so I could see how it works from the customer's perspective. It was very helpful for me in making my decision, and I could then also see how I wanted to structure my own messages and settings.

[TheSewingLoft]

WOO HOO!! Check your listings guys- Etsy seems to be offering an instant download option.

[BLISSFULpatterns]

Hi all, I was very excited to hear this but could not find it anywhere or any info about it. TheSewingLoft, you must be in the "prototype group", lucky gal. I wrote to Etsy support and this is what I heard back:

********************************************************************
Hey Shannon,

Thanks for getting in touch with us. Automated digital downloads are currently in a limited experiment phase on the site. What this means is that we are testing the feature out on a very limited prototype team, with the hope that we can fine-tune it to the point where we can make it available to all members.

Because you're referring to an experimental feature, we're not able to provide you with specific details about how it works or its purpose. Providing specific information could potentially influence the results of our test. Those results are extremely valuable to us, and we use them, along with member feedback, to determine whether or not to go through with a proposed change to the site. If the information we're using has been influenced, it makes the test harder for us to evaluate properly.

If you'd like to know more about our experiment process, Etsy CEO Chad Dickerson goes into more detail in this Etsy News post: http://www.etsy.com/blog/news/2012/notes-from-chad-7/

When we make significant changes to the site, we'll generally announce them on the Etsy News Blog, the Forums, or through other channels.
******************************************************************************

So lets hope that it passes through the experiment stage OK and we all get it soon. In the interim, I have signed up with crafthub and am finding it to be a wonderful time saver. Although, initially it was an absolute headache to set up and customer service was very slow to respond. Anything beyond absolute basics, seems to be slow then responded to by the head guy. They say its a one business day response time but that does not include weekends! Its saved me lots of time though now that its set up.

Just wanted to share what I heard back from Etsy support. Happy Etsy sales my friends :) Shannon

[PieceByNumberQuilts]

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