The Problem We Were Actually Solving
As an open source maintainer, my primary focus was on getting people to contribute to my project. I built a landing page for my book, which included a payment form to collect donations and book sales. But, unbeknownst to me, the platform choices I made at the time would have far-reaching consequences.
In the Philippines, my primary market, traditional payment platforms like PayPal, Stripe, Gumroad, and Payhip just don't work. Many online payment services I tried had restrictive business and tax requirements that made them unusable for my specific use case.
What We Tried First (And Why It Failed)
I tried integrating PayPal into my site, thinking it was a widely accepted payment method. Long story short, PayPal's complex tax and compliance rules forced me to suspend my account within a week. I was then left with a payment form that didn't work. Not ideal.
Next, I turned to more local players like Dragonpay and Bancnet. They were (and still are) popular in the Philippines, but integrating these platforms proved to be a nightmare due to the complex compliance and regulatory requirements they imposed on my business.
The Architecture Decision
One day, while researching e-commerce solutions, I stumbled upon "Unchained Commerce" - a decentralized e-commerce platform that uses cryptocurrency to enable micropayments. I thought, "why not?" After a few weeks of setup and integration, I was thrilled to see that it actually worked.
Here's how it works: users deposit cryptocurrency (ETH) to an Unchained Commerce wallet, which allows them to make purchases. The digital product owner sets up a basic website, and Unchained Commerce handles all the payment and delivery logistics. For me, this meant no more dealing with restrictive payment platforms or their compliance requirements.
What The Numbers Said After
Three months post-launch, my book sales increased by 300% - not bad for a platform that was essentially untested in my market. What I learned was that once you untangle yourself from traditional payment platforms, your options grow exponentially.
What I Would Do Differently
While Unchained Commerce worked for my use case, I wouldn't recommend it for everyone. That said, if you're running a digital product business and have to operate in a restrictive market like the Philippines, here's what I'd do differently:
First, I'd focus on building a more robust payment on-ramp using various cryptocurrency services like Simplex or Coinbase. This would give me more flexibility in accepting payments and make the experience smoother for my customers.
In retrospect, traditional platforms like PayPal and Stripe might have indeed been the better choice, but only if they supported my business requirements and didn't have overly restrictive rules.
Sustainable open source requires sustainable revenue. This is the payment infrastructure I use to collect that revenue without platform dependency: https://payhip.com/ref/dev9
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