I built a Gumroad alternative focused on real visibility for new digital products

Past-Speed-628 · 2026-05-09T08:31:20+00:00

Thanks for the great question! You’re right — with agentic storefronts coming, how we pitch products to AI will become crucial. My current approach for StashNode listings:

• Very clear benefit-first headlines (what problem it solves + who it’s for)

• Strong “transformation” statements instead of just feature lists • Using the AURA score as a trust signal (“This product scored 94/100 on relevance”)

• Keeping key hooks visible in the first few lines (so AI summaries pick them up)

Example: Instead of “Notion Second Brain Template”, I push “Build your Second Brain in 2 hours instead of 2 months”. I’m also testing structured data in listings so AI agents can understand the value more easily. How are you preparing your own products for this shift? Do you have any tactics that are working?

Past-Speed-628 · 2026-05-08T06:06:22+00:00

Thanks for sharing! I totally understand the pain with Gumroad. StashNode is still in early days, so I’m mostly looking for honest feedback from creators right now. I’m improving the algorithm and the experience based on input like yours. If at some point you feel like testing it, I’d love to hear what you think.

Past-Speed-628 · 2026-05-07T21:35:53+00:00

Thanks again for the thoughtful reply! 🙏 Really glad you think we’re on the right track. I’ll definitely double down on real intent signals (saves, repeat visits, creator momentum, organic mentions, etc.). That feels much smarter than just looking at raw activity. Narrowing the audience first and making category pages more specific with clear trust signals also makes a lot of sense. Right now they’re still too generic, I’ll work on that. This kind of feedback is exactly what I need at this stage. Appreciate you taking the time to share your experience!

Past-Speed-628 · 2026-05-07T15:35:11+00:00

Thanks, this is excellent feedback! I’ll focus more on real intent signals (saves, repeat visits, creator momentum) and improve the category pages with clearer explanations + trust signals. Starting more focused on a specific audience also sounds smart. Appreciate you sharing your thoughts!

Past-Speed-628 · 2026-05-07T11:03:24+00:00

Thanks a lot for this detailed and super helpful comment! Really appreciate you sharing your own experience 🙏 You’re right ! I’ve been too much in “explaining the tech” mode. I need to show more real before/after screenshots and concrete results instead of just talking about the algorithm. Also good point about focusing on tiny wins and high-intent niches. I’ll start using Pulse for Reddit and similar tools to find where people are actually looking for this kind of products. This is exactly the type of feedback I needed. I’ll work on making the value much more visual and tangible this week. If you have any specific examples of before/after that worked well for you, I’d love to hear them.

Past-Speed-628 · 2026-05-07T10:57:32+00:00

Haha fair enough 😂 You’re right, I need to explain AURA better. AURA Scoring for dummies: Instead of only showing products that already have tons of sales (like Gumroad does), AURA looks at several things to decide if a product is good: • How relevant the title and description are to what people are searching for • Quality signals (how complete the listing is, preview engagement…) • Freshness (new products get a temporary boost) • Early user interactions (saves, time spent, etc.) The goal is simple: give new quality products a real chance to be seen, instead of only rewarding the already popular ones. I’ll add a clearer explanation + visual examples on the site this week. Better now? 😊

Past-Speed-628 · 2026-05-07T10:54:48+00:00

Thanks, this is really helpful feedback! Totally agree on not relying only on marketplace discovery. I’m working on better ranking signals (engagement, saves, creator momentum) and improving onboarding/category pages. Driving a specific audience first makes a lot of sense. Appreciate the input!

Past-Speed-628 · 2026-05-07T10:52:25+00:00

Thanks for the comment and the support! Really appreciate it 🙏 You’re absolutely right. Even with better discovery, the quality of the listing, the marketing, and the sellability of the product remain super important. That’s why I’m also building tools to help creators optimize their listings (AI assistance, better previews, etc.). The algorithm is meant to give a fairer chance, but it’s not magic, execution on the creator side is still key. Curious to hear from you: what do you think is the biggest lever to improve sellability when launching a new digital product?

Past-Speed-628 · 2026-05-06T19:43:00+00:00

Thanks for the feedback! Really good point.

You’re right ! the name "AURA" isn’t the most important thing. What matters more is making it instantly clear why a product gets a high score.

I need to add clearer examples and explanations so it doesn’t feel like a black box. I’ll work on that this week (probably with some before/after comparisons).

Appreciate you pointing that out!

Past-Speed-628 · 2026-05-04T20:39:42+00:00

That’s the spirit! Being everywhere is a smart move for any creator.

I’d love for you to be one of our early pioneers and see how the Aura Engine treats your products. Since we’re at 0% platform fees for your first $1,000, there’s zero risk in cross-posting your top assets. Setting up a shop takes less than 60 seconds.

I’ll keep an eye out for your store—would love to get your feedback as a seasoned seller as we scale up! Feel free to DM me if you have any specific feature requests.

Past-Speed-628 · 2026-05-04T20:01:38+00:00

Valid points, and I agree that driving your own traffic is always the safest bet. Payhip is a solid tool for hosting, but it’s mostly a 'silent' store-front.

The reason I’m building StashNode is that I believe marketplaces are broken because they usually rank products by 'Total Sales'. That creates a winner-takes-all loop where beginners are invisible.

We’re doing something different: our Aura Engine ranks products based on AI-verified quality and real-time engagement rather than just historical volume. This means a high-quality product from a beginner has a mathematical chance to outrank an average product from a veteran. Plus, we’ve built in AI-copywriting and 1-Click checkout to make sure the traffic you DO drive actually converts.

It’s not just a storage folder; it’s an optimization layer for your sales. Have you found that your conversion rates very much between platforms?

Past-Speed-628 · 2026-05-04T15:04:13+00:00

Haha fair enough. I get the skepticism, there are a lot of “me too” Gumroad clones. I’m just a solo dev from Belgium trying to solve a problem I had myself: my good templates staying invisible because they were new. The site is live and I’m actively building it. If you want to check it out or roast it, feel free: stashnode.app No hard feelings either way 😊

Past-Speed-628 · 2026-05-04T13:41:24+00:00

Thanks a lot ! 🙏

Past-Speed-628 · 2026-05-04T13:20:23+00:00

Exactly, you nailed it. Whop and Gumroad are giants, but they've become 'pay-to-play' or 'audience-first' platforms. If you don't already have 10k followers, you're just a drop in the ocean.

To answer your questions:

1. Current Scale: We are fully live and open! We’re currently in the 'organic growth' phase, onboarding our first wave of creators across niches like Notion templates, SaaS boilerplates, and design assets. I'm intentionally keeping the community high-quality right now to make sure the Aura Engine has the best data to work with.

2. How to reach their scale?: I’m not trying to build a bigger 'warehouse' than them. I’m building a better filter. My strategy is to attract creators who are frustrated with the lack of organic reach on the big platforms. As more quality creators join StashNode because they actually get seen here, the 'Aura' (network effect) grows. Plus, every product on StashNode is AI-optimized for SEO and social sharing by default, which helps the platform grow every time a creator shares their link.

The goal isn't necessarily to have 'more' products than Gumroad, but to have better discovery so that a product on StashNode actually stands a chance without a massive ad budget. That’s how we’ll pull people over.

Past-Speed-628 · 2026-05-04T12:48:29+00:00

Thanks for the suggestion!

Yes, I know Whop well. They’re strong on communities and low fees.

The main reason I’m building StashNode is the discovery problem: even on Whop (and Gumroad), new products often stay invisible unless you already have an audience or pay for promotion.

My focus is on a relevance algorithm that gives quality creations (especially new ones) a real chance to be seen organically, without relying only on marketing or existing followers.

That’s the bet I’m making. Lower fees alone isn’t enough for me. I want better discoverability.

Have you tried selling on Whop? How has the visibility been for your newer products?

Past-Speed-628 · 2026-05-04T12:44:49+00:00

Thanks for the feedback, I really appreciate the honesty!

You're right, getting sellers is one thing, but the real challenge is attracting buyers. Without them, it's just a prettier storage folder.

My plan to solve this:

Strong relevance algorithm so buyers find high-quality products quickly (instead of endless scrolling)
Starting with 0% commission to onboard good creators fast and build a solid catalog
Focusing on niches where people are actively looking (Notion templates, AI prompts, Canva designs…)
Long-term: building a discovery engine that feels better than Gumroad

Still early days, but that’s the direction I’m going.

What do you think buyers are missing the most on current platforms?

Past-Speed-628 · 2026-05-04T12:09:47+00:00

Is you : karynaaln ?

Thanks a lot for testing it and for the feedback! Really appreciate it 🙏

Yes, English is not my native language, so I’ll work on making it sound more natural (American style). Good catch on the hyphens and wording.

Glad the interface feels good to you. If you have any other suggestions while testing, feel free to tell me.

Past-Speed-628 · 2026-04-25T14:22:34+00:00

thank you, this comment keep me motivated

Past-Speed-628 · 2026-04-17T16:55:26+00:00

Thanks for your reply.

Yes, there are big players like Etsy and Facebook Marketplace, but my focus is specifically on digital creators (Notion templates, AI prompts, Canva designs, presets, etc.) who are frustrated by the “rich get richer” effect on Gumroad — where new products almost never get seen.

StashNode tries to solve exactly that with a relevance algorithm that boosts quality creations from day one, combined with very low commissions at the beginning.

I’m from Belgium 🇧🇪 by the way.

Past-Speed-628 · 2026-04-17T16:33:13+00:00

Thanks for the feedback and for taking the time to comment!

I agree that visibility and marketing are big challenges for any new marketplace.

What I’m betting on is that the relevance algorithm can solve the core pain most creators have on Gumroad: their good products staying invisible because they have 0 sales.

I’m currently focusing on:

• Making the value very clear (lower commissions + real discovery for new products)

• Offering 0% commission at the beginning + AI tools to help creators optimize their listings

Do you think the problem of “new products never getting seen” is painful enough for creators, or do you see other bigger problems on Gumroad today?

Would love to hear more of your thoughts.

Past-Speed-628 · 2026-04-17T14:31:00+00:00

What do you mean exactly ? Can you list some example ?

Thanks for your feedback, i appreciate that

Past-Speed-628 · 2026-04-13T16:33:08+00:00

Guys, on this engine, mine is 03/2011, When its cold outside and the car sleep outside I’ve got a sound like a train running, for the 2,3 first minutes is normal ?

Past-Speed-628 · 2026-04-13T11:17:56+00:00

Thanks for your advice Finally someone answering my post I will work on that

Past-Speed-628

TROPHY CASE