Can I sell physical products with Easy Digital Downloads?
Yes, you can sell physical products with Easy Digital Downloads. That said, EDD was built from the ground up for non-physical things, so selling physical things is not its main focus.
How To Sell Physical Things With Easy Digital Downloads
First you’ll want the Simple Shipping extension.
Once you’ve followed the instructions in the documentation you’re ready to go. You’ll realize that the name of the extension is quite serious, this is for VERY simple shipping.
When This Is A Good Idea
There are times when it’s a good idea to have a physical item in your digital store. Here are some example.
- Physical liner notes for a digital album
- An article of clothing for fans of your primary product
- Any time your primary product is digital, and your physical item is a minor offering
Case Studies
- A band with 65 single mp3s, 4 albums, and 1 Tshirt
- A software company with 5 plugins and a plush mascot
When This Is A Bad Idea
If your primary product is physical then a digital sales platform is a bad idea. Here are some examples of where selling physical things with EDD is a bad idea.
- You sell Flashlights and have digital documentation
- You sell CDs and offer mp3s as a free addon
- You sell video games on DVD and offer demos for download
As you can see above, the primary products are physical. EDD probably isn’t a good fit here.
The Rule Of Thumb
If the majority of your products are digital you should look carefully at EDD. If the majority of your products are physical, you should probably look at another eCommerce package.