Side Hustle School Ep. 3206 - Q&A: “How do I fight piracy without hurting buyers?”
Oct 11, 2025
Chris tackles the challenge of digital piracy while keeping customers happy. He discusses low-cost deterrents like metadata stamping and re-download portals. The importance of focusing on customer satisfaction over complex tech solutions is highlighted. Practical advice includes leveraging DMCA takedowns and staying product-focused. This episode is filled with insights on balancing security and customer experience for sellers in the digital space.
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Most Pirates Aren't Your Customers
- Digital-product piracy is inevitable but most buyers are honest and won't be converted by pirates.
- Focus on serving paying customers instead of obsessing over every leak.
Seller Frustration With Rapid Preset Leaks
- Selena sells premium Lightroom presets at $39 but finds them posted on free forums within days.
- She says watermarks and strict download limits harm genuine buyers and hurt the product experience.
Use Invisible Stamps And Re-Download Portals
- Use platforms like Gumroad or Lemon Squeezy that embed buyer info in file metadata to deter pirates discreetly.
- Offer logged-in lifetime re-downloads so legitimate buyers can access files without exposing static public URLs.