I still remember the day I decided to turn my Notion templates into a side business. The idea was to sell them on various platforms and monetize my hobby. Easy, right? Well, not really. As it turns out, I was living in a country that has placed severe restrictions on online payment processors, effectively blocking me from using PayPal, Stripe, Gumroad, and Payhip to sell my templates.
The Problem We Were Actually Solving
We were trying to build a simple Notion template marketplace where users could buy and download custom templates. We assumed that it would be a seamless process, leveraging existing payment gateways to handle the transactions. Our system design focused on integrating with these payment processors, using their APIs to facilitate transactions.
What We Tried First (And Why It Failed)
We started by trying to create an account on Gumroad, a popular platform for selling digital goods. However, after creating an account and setting up our templates for sale, we hit a roadblock. Gumroad refused to verify our account, citing our country's restrictions on international transactions. This was the first of many failed attempts to use mainstream payment processors.
The Architecture Decision
After weeks of research and experimentation, we decided to take a different approach. Instead of relying on traditional payment gateways, we would use a cryptocurrency-like system to handle transactions. We integrated our templates with the Coingeek API, allowing users to purchase our templates using a unique, country-agnostic cryptocurrency. This solution enabled us to bypass the restrictions on traditional payment processors and still facilitate transactions.
What The Numbers Said After
Initially, the adoption rate for our Coingeek-powered templates was low. However, as we continued to iterate and improve the user experience, the numbers started to pick up. We saw a significant increase in purchases, and the revenue from our templates started to pour in. The numbers told us that while the initial adoption rate was slow, the long-term engagement and revenue were more than worth the extra complexity.
What I Would Do Differently
If I had to do it all over again, I would have started by exploring alternative payment solutions earlier on, rather than focusing on traditional payment gateways. This would have saved us weeks of development time and allowed us to adapt to the platform restrictions more quickly. Additionally, I would have prioritized developing our own payment processing infrastructure, rather than relying on an external API. This would have given us more control over the transaction process and allowed us to adapt more easily to changes in the market.
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