Disclosure: We sell our own digital products on Gumroad and make free tools for sellers. We have no partnership with Payhip, Etsy, Lemon Squeezy, Sellfy, PayPal or Stripe and aren’t paid for any link.

Fees get all the attention, but for a new seller the bigger surprise is often timing. Some platforms hold your money for a week or two and pay out on a fixed day. Others never hold it at all, because the sale goes straight into your own PayPal or Stripe account. If you’re counting on the first $100 to pay a bill, that difference matters.

We read each company’s own help pages on October 20, 2026. Schedules change, so check the linked pages before you rely on a date.

The short version

  • Fastest: Payhip and Sellfy don’t hold your money. A PayPal sale lands in your PayPal balance right away, and a card sale goes to your Stripe account and then to your bank on Stripe’s schedule.
  • Gumroad: sales sit in your Gumroad balance, then get paid weekly (or monthly, quarterly, or daily for some US sellers) once you have at least $100. A US bank payout goes out on Thursday and covers sales through the previous Friday.
  • Etsy: new sellers usually wait 14 days before a sale can be deposited; established shops can get funds the next business day. Deposits go out daily, weekly, every two weeks or monthly.
  • Lemon Squeezy: twice a month. Sales are held 13 days and paid on the 14th and 28th, with a $50 minimum.

Payout rules side by side

  Who holds the money Hold before payout Schedule Minimum Payout fee
Gumroad Gumroad sales through the previous Friday (UTC); at least 7 days on weekly, monthly and quarterly weekly by default; also monthly, quarterly, or daily (US bank, after 4 payouts and 60 days) $100 (instant payouts from $1) bank: none listed; PayPal 2%; instant 3%
Payhip your PayPal or Stripe none from Payhip PayPal: right away; Stripe: daily by default none from Payhip none from Payhip
Sellfy your PayPal or Stripe none from Sellfy PayPal: right away; Stripe: on your Stripe schedule none from Sellfy none from Sellfy
Etsy Etsy new sellers usually 14 days; established shops can be next business day daily, weekly, every two weeks or monthly (weekly on Mondays by default) daily deposits need $25 (USD) none for US bank deposits in Etsy’s fee table
Lemon Squeezy Lemon Squeezy 13 days created on the 1st and 15th, paid on the 14th and 28th $50 US bank free; non-US bank 1%; US PayPal $0.50; non-US PayPal 3% (max $30)

When the money sits in your own PayPal or Stripe account (Payhip, Sellfy), you still have one more step: getting it to your bank. In the US, a standard PayPal transfer to your bank is free and usually takes 1 to 3 business days, while an Instant Transfer costs 1.75% (minimum $0.25, maximum $25). Stripe usually pays a US account’s first payout 7 to 14 days after the first live payment, and after that settles card payments in 2 business days and pays out daily by default.

One sale, traced to the bank

Say you sell a $30 template on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, you’re in the US, and your balance is already over each platform’s minimum. Here’s when the money is sent to you:

Platform and payout method Money sent to you Days after the sale
Payhip or Sellfy, buyer pays with PayPal Oct 6, into your PayPal balance 0 (plus 1–3 business days to move it to your bank for free)
Payhip or Sellfy, buyer pays by card through Stripe (account past its first payout) about Oct 8, Stripe pays out to your bank about 2 business days
Gumroad, weekly, US bank Thursday, Oct 15 (covers sales through Friday, Oct 9) 9, then a few business days at the bank
Gumroad, weekly, PayPal (only offered where Gumroad can’t pay to a bank, so not for US sellers) Friday, Oct 16, minus the 2% PayPal payout fee 10, then usually 1–3 business days
Etsy, established shop, weekly Monday, Oct 12 6, then up to 5 business days at the bank
Etsy, new seller, weekly Monday, Oct 26 (funds eligible Oct 20) 20, then up to 5 business days
Lemon Squeezy, US bank Wednesday, Oct 28 (payout created Oct 15) 22, then 1–5 days at the bank

A sale one weekday later can shift the dates a lot. On Gumroad, a sale on Saturday, October 10 misses the Friday cutoff and goes out a week later, on Thursday, October 22. On Lemon Squeezy, a sale on October 16 waits for the payout created on November 1.

What slows a first payout down

  • Gumroad: a new account goes through a review that “can take 1–3 weeks”, and Stripe identity checks (photo ID, proof of address, and an SSN for US sellers) must be complete. Payouts wait until your balance reaches $100.
  • Payhip and Sellfy: your very first PayPal payment may be held while PayPal approves it, and your first Stripe payments stay pending for a few days while Stripe reviews the account.
  • Etsy: adding or changing your bank account starts a 5-day hold, and Etsy may place a reserve on a new shop. Etsy says reserves apply to physical items, so a digital-only shop is less exposed.
  • Lemon Squeezy: a payout under $50 stays pending and rolls into the next cycle.

Which one to choose if timing matters

  1. You need money within days of the first sale: Payhip or Sellfy with PayPal connected, since the platform never holds it.
  2. You’re already on Gumroad: get past the $100 minimum and the account review first. Gumroad pays to a bank account wherever it can; PayPal payouts, with their 2% fee, are only offered in countries without bank payouts. If you connect your own PayPal at checkout, Gumroad says PayPal-paid sales are credited to that account at the time of sale.
  3. You sell on Etsy: plan on about two weeks of waiting until your shop is established.
  4. You use Lemon Squeezy: plan around two paydays a month and up to about 3 weeks for a single sale.

Whatever you use, track sales by the day they happened, not the day the deposit arrives. A deposit is net of fees and often covers many sales, so it can’t tell you what you sold or what you’ll owe in tax.

Tools and kits for sellers

Sources

All checked 2026-10-20 on each company’s official site.

  • Gumroad, Getting paid (bank payouts take 2–7 business days to process depending on country; PayPal payouts in USD, usually 1–3 business days, 2% payout fee; $100 minimum; daily, weekly, monthly or quarterly; daily for US bank accounts with 4 prior payouts and 60 days; sales through the previous Friday (UTC), 7-day minimum hold on weekly, monthly and quarterly; payout day Thursday for US banks, Friday for PayPal; instant payouts for US creators, 3% fee, up to $10K, from $1; account review 1–3 weeks; connected PayPal sales credited at the time of sale): https://gumroad.com/help/article/13-getting-paid
  • Gumroad, payouts dashboard and payout delays: https://gumroad.com/help/article/269-balance-page and https://gumroad.com/help/article/281-payout-delays
  • Payhip, payment issues and processor articles (funds credited to your connected processor at purchase; PayPal payments instant after first-transaction approval; Stripe pays to your bank daily by default, first payments pending a few days): https://help.payhip.com/article/396-resolve-payment-issues-as-a-seller, https://help.payhip.com/article/64-connecting-your-paypal-account, https://help.payhip.com/article/65-connecting-your-stripe-account
  • Sellfy, receiving payments (paid straight to your PayPal or Stripe account, Sellfy holds no funds; a brand-new PayPal account may slow the first deposits): https://docs.sellfy.com/article/42-how-to-receive-payments-from-customers
  • Etsy, deposits (weekly Monday default; daily, weekly, biweekly or monthly; USD 25 daily minimum; 5-day hold after bank changes): https://help.etsy.com/hc/en-us/articles/360046998234-How-to-Receive-Your-Etsy-Payments-Deposit ; deposit timing (new sellers generally 14 days, established shops next business day): https://help.etsy.com/hc/en-us/articles/360002080688-Why-Hasn-t-My-Money-Been-Deposited-Yet ; reserves (physical items): https://help.etsy.com/hc/en-us/articles/360058722214-What-is-a-Payment-Account-Reserve ; Etsy Payments Policy (deposits generally credited within 5 business days): https://www.etsy.com/legal/etsy-payments/
  • Lemon Squeezy, Getting paid (created on the 1st and 15th, 13-day hold, paid the 14th and 28th, 1–5 days to the bank, $50 threshold) and Fees (payout fees): https://docs.lemonsqueezy.com/help/getting-started/getting-paid and https://docs.lemonsqueezy.com/help/getting-started/fees
  • PayPal US consumer fees (standard transfer to bank free; Instant Transfer 1.75%, $0.25 minimum, $25 maximum): https://www.paypal.com/us/digital-wallet/paypal-consumer-fees
  • Stripe, Receive payouts (first payout typically 7–14 days; US settlement 2 business days; daily payouts every business day): https://docs.stripe.com/payouts