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March 22, 2013

Ribbon – The Go-Anywhere Selling Solution

ss-ribbon

Ribbon is an online sales platform that people can use to sell any product – digital or physical – just about anywhere on the web. By sharing a checkout link with fans and followers on social media sites, would-be entrepreneurs can sell their goods and process payments on their own terms.

The goal of Ribbon is to simplify the process of selling and buying online. To make that easier, the web-app’s creators have taken the typical process and streamlined it. Rather than creating an account and building a sales page – a time consuming process, to say the least – Ribbon lets you sell goods and services on a one-off basis. Select the type of product you’re planning to sell (physical, digital, or a service), give it a descriptive name, and set your price. If you’re selling a digital item, then you can upload the file to Ribbon for customers to download once they’ve made their purchase. When your listing is complete, you’ll be presented with a link that you can share with friends, fans, and followers on social media, along with a Buy Now button that you can add to your website or blog.

People who click your Buy Now button are prompted to enter their credit card number and mailing address to complete the transaction. What makes Ribbon unique is that buyers aren’t redirected to a separate page to enter this information. Buyers can preview and purchase products directly from your Twitter stream or Facebook page, and you can accept all major credit and debit cards without setting up any merchant accounts. Ribbon deposits your share of the sales directly into any bank account or PayPal account, or mails you the funds via check if you prefer.

Practical Uses:

  • Sell your music downloads online
  • Give blog readers a way to purchase your e-book
  • Start selling your knitted items without creating an etsy account
  • Make money off the products you promote on Twitter and Facebook

Insider Tips:

  • Embed Ribbon’s Buy Now button into your website
  • Ribbon accepts purchases from buyers worldwide
  • Sellers can accept Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express, JCB, and Diner’s Club
  • Ribbon deposits funds into users’s bank accounts, PayPal accounts, or via check

What we liked:

  • People can sell digital and physical goods, as well as services
  • Customers can make purchases directly from within Twitter or Facebook
  • Ribbon handles the file hosting and delivery of all digital sales
  • Merchants can share a checkout link on any platforms they use regularly

What we didn’t like:

  • Merchants have to wait until the end of the month to receive payouts from Ribbon

Alternatives:

Company Info:

  • Launched: November 2012
  • Privately Held
  • Headquarters: San Francisco, California
  • Founded by: Hany Rashwan and James Elkins
  • Web site: https://www.ribbon.co

Costs:

  • Ribbon charges 5% of each sale, plus 25 cents per transaction

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