can I trust gumroad?

I want to buy this https://gumroad.com/l/sustainabletextiles

But I don't recognize the platform.  How do I tell if I can trust them?

I know, I know, I'm showing my age.  That's just it, I came of age when the internet was still new and scary.  Giving the internet anything valuable like your name or money was risking certain si-fi-horror film reference

Gumroad is small by internet ecommerce standards but very reputable. I wouldn’t think twice about doing business there using any card (credit or PayPal, not bank debit, bank debit cards and ecommerce mix badly) that has basic chargeback protections or other ecommerce buyer protection features.

Link with Gumroad info:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gumroad

Thanks.

Next question: is there any way to figure out which currency they are selling in?  It just has a dollar sign.  I think there are almost a dozen currencies that use that sign.  If it was Canadian or NZ, I could afford it now, but if it's US, I would have to wait two weeks (which I admit is longer than my attention span so I would probably not buy it).  

edit: I sent them a note asking for details.  

According to this FAQ, a naked dollar sign means US dollar signs (because imperialism, I guess) while Canadian dollars would be displayed as "CAD$" and Australian dollars as "A$" and so forth.

Dan Boone wrote:According to this FAQ, a naked dollar sign means US dollar signs (because of imperialism, I guess) while Canadian dollars would be displayed as "CAD$" and Australian dollars as "A$" and so forth.

I think that would make sense if you were in the USA.  If it's trying to attract international customers, that kind of assumption appears arrogant.  

It may be a great platform but I've decided I don't want to give it my money.  It is too US-centric and my experience in the past is that this kind of attitude means poor customer service for non-US customers.  Pitty, it looks like a good book.  Her other ebook is on Kindle, so if I wait long enough, she might publish it on amazon.  

It's classic "Silicon valley is the center of the universe" thinking.  I don't blame you a bit for steering clear of it.  I noticed looking at their list that they aren't even consistent; in some cases their abbreviations included the "D" for dollar redundantly with the dollar sign (CAD$) and in other cases not (A$).  It suggests that no real effort or thought went into taking care of international customers.  (There might be some quirk of conventional international currency notation that explains this, but if that's their fallback, the symbol for US currency would almost certainly be either "US$" or "USD$".)

It would be ideal if the platform would determine your location and set the currency to what's local to you, or maybe display US$/"your local currency"... (say $10.00/CAD$13.46) R, I recall Kickstarter doing this with your own book... flipping from your CAD$ to my US$.

Given that Gumroad is a US based company, it seems excusable for them to deal in their own local currency? When I am looking at UK based sites I expect to see GBP (or maybe Euros?)... not US$

Most shops that sell internationally have an unobtrusive footer saying something like, "all prices are in US dollars unless otherwise stated". This would be enough for me.  This would say "yes, we are American and we want you to know that we think in US dollars, however, we know that not everyone has this as their primary currency so we are telling you that we use US dollars so you can check your exchange rate before buying"



It's a matter of trust.  I've been fucked over enough in the past that I won't give my money to an American website that doesn't make it easy for international customers.  I've bought so many things from American shops that are incomplete or broken and they don't offer customer service outside the USA.  I've learned to recognize the signs and assuming someone knows which dollar a naked dollar sign refers to is the biggest sign of them all.

Given that Gumroad is a US based company

This was not stated on the listing page.  Nor could I find it on their site.  I had to go outside their site to discover this.  

I am sorry that you have had such bad experiences that you are left so jaded.
I find the irony of the situation to be quite epic. I hope that I can restore some faith?

The author seems to be quite concerned about both social and environmental justice, and vocal about using ones personal actions and purchasing decisions to affect change, and leading by example, despite the perceived futility of doing so. She has (presuambly) put her work out on Gumroad to reach a broader audience, while not simultaneously feeding a corporate consumerist juggernaut such as Amazon. (otherwise, why not use Amazon again?)

You are, in fact, already a fan of her work and want more of it, have sought it out and found it at Gumroad. You have chosen not to purchase it through Gumroad, without a poor personal experience with them, nor any  recommendation from a trusted source... except, maybe, the considered decision of the author you are buying from to use the service to sell their work.
I am reminded of your deep consideration of book size, papers, and shipping materials and methods for your book. I was pleased when it arrived, especially knowing the thought that went into it.

(otherwise, why not use Amazon again?)

probably because creating a PDF is easier than a kindle file.  That's what I'm doing with my ebooks, publishing as a PDF first, then when/if the book makes enough money, I'll upgrade to offer different formats.  

Looking deeper into this site, the cut they take seems quite high compared to something like etsy.  I do like their clean look and the customer service was quick to respond to my questions.  Good customer service increases my trust - but I hate that I have to go and take the time to ask such an obvious question like "what currency is this listed in"

I know $12 is probably nothing to most people here.  But it's actually closer to $16.25 my currency, which (after expences like food, tax, and transport) would mean I have to work two extra hours to pay for it.  That's two hours I'm not spending in my garden growing food, which means I'll have to work an extra half to full hour to buy the food I didn't grow.  That is if I'm healthy enough to work that week - which isn't always the case.  

Because time is the most limiting factor, I am very careful with my money.  When I spend money, I like to choose companies that share the same values I do.  Be that ecological values or people values.  I tend to choose companies that say "you matter.  we value you as an individual.  thank you so much for choosing us".  This situation says "we only value americans, we do not value other nationalities"