WooCommerce or Ghost?

WooCommerce if you sell a file, a license, or a bundle. Ghost if the product is a paid publication. A full storefront is /replace/shopify.

Who handles sales tax?

Gumroad is a merchant of record. Self-hosting is not. Stripe Tax or your accountant covers that — do not pretend the CMS does.

Stacks / Newsletter

Easy

WooCommerce / Ghost

Sell a file or a membership you host. WooCommerce is the GPL shop for downloads; Ghost is MIT paid publications.

The problem

Gumroad takes a cut of every sale and holds the file. You wanted a checkout, a download, and a list you can export. WooCommerce (GPL) sells digital goods on WordPress. Ghost memberships cover a paid newsletter or course without a marketplace take-rate. You still pay Stripe or PayPal — that is the card network, not a storefront tax.

Replaces

Gumroad

Replace Gumroad

Estimated SaaS saved

$1,200

per year, small team, before lock-in

Start on Railway

Medusa if this is a full store, not a file or membership

Sponsor this stack Tip jar

Placeholder: WooCommerce + MySQL for downloads, or Ghost + MySQL for memberships. SMTP via Resend. Shopify-shaped stores stay on /stacks/medusa-commerce.

The stack

WooCommerce
GPL shop; digital downloads on WordPress
Ghost
MIT publishing plus paid memberships

Cost table

You stop paying	Typical / year	Self-host instead
Gumroad take-rate (small creator)	$1,200	WooCommerce or Ghost + Stripe

Agent setup prompt

Replace Gumroad with WooCommerce (digital downloads) or Ghost (paid memberships).

- WooCommerce: WordPress + MySQL + a volume for files. Ghost: MySQL, members, Resend on send.
- One product, one test purchase, one download or member login. You still use Stripe or PayPal.
- Write AGENT_PROMPT.md. Do not promise Gumroad Discover or merchant-of-record tax handling you have not rebuilt.

Also as markdown: /stacks/woocommerce-digital.md

FAQ

WooCommerce or Ghost?: WooCommerce if you sell a file, a license, or a bundle. Ghost if the product is a paid publication. A full storefront is /replace/shopify.
Who handles sales tax?: Gumroad is a merchant of record. Self-hosting is not. Stripe Tax or your accountant covers that — do not pretend the CMS does.