IndieStand makes delivering digital files of purchased products simple, fast, and secure.
Once a customer buys one of your products, we automatically generate a download page, send a confirmation email, and provide long-term access to the files they purchased — all without you having to manually send anything.
Let’s walk through how downloads work, what your customers receive, and how availability is handled behind the scenes.
1. Instant Access After Checkout
When a buyer completes their purchase, IndieStand immediately redirects them to the Checkout Success page.
On this page, they’ll see:
- A summary of their order
- The variant they purchased
- Access to a download dashboard with secure download links for each file attached to that variant
Downloads are available instantly — no waiting, no manual approval.
2. Purchase Confirmation Email & Claim Key
Right after checkout, the buyer also receives a purchase confirmation email.
This email includes:
- Their order details
- The name of your store
- A Claim Key link
The Claim Key lets customers open a private downloads page anytime in the future, even if:
- They’re on a different device
- They lost the checkout success page
- They no longer have the original files
As long as your store exists and remains within the storage limits of your plan, customers retain access to their purchased files.
IndieStand handles all link generation and download security automatically.
Link reuse and safety limits
For security reasons, each download link has:
- A time limit (it eventually expires), and
- A maximum number of uses
This helps prevent links from being shared publicly or abused, while still giving real customers enough flexibility to download their files on different devices.
If a customer ever runs into an issue because their link expired or was used too many times, they can simply get a new download link by revisiting their purchase confirmation email or you can email them a new Claim Key.
3. How Download Access Works
Each purchased variant generates its own downloadable files.
Customers can only download the files tied to the exact variant they purchased.
IndieStand ensures:
- Download links cannot be guessed or shared publicly
- Link access is limited to authorized buyers who have access to the Claim Key
- Creators don’t need to manage hosting or permissions manually
All files are securely stored and delivered through IndieStand’s storage infrastructure.
4. What Happens If You Unpublish or Archive Products/Variants
Even if you make changes to your product listings later, IndieStand protects your customers’ purchases.
Here’s how availability works:
If you archive a variant that has already been purchased
- Existing buyers still retain access
- The variant is no longer purchasable by new customers
If you unpublish an entire product that has purchased variants
- Existing buyers continue to have download access
- New customers will not see or be able to purchase that product
Creators can safely retire or reorganize products without breaking past purchases.
This ensures that customers always receive what they paid for.
5. Deleting Files (Important)
IndieStand allows you to delete files from a variant even if that variant has previous purchases — but we strongly recommend avoiding this.
Deleting files will:
- Remove access for past buyers
- Potentially cause confusion, support requests, or disputes
- Make it impossible for customers to redownload files they are entitled to
As the store owner, you are responsible for ensuring past buyers retain access to the content they purchased. IndieStand facilitates delivery, but the creator controls what is available.
If you must update or replace files, the safer approach is:
- Upload new files alongside old ones (recommended)
- Or replace files only when you’re certain no one will need the previous version
6. Best Practices for Smooth Delivery
To ensure a great customer experience:
- Avoid deleting purchased files
- Keep variants organized and clearly labeled
- Use version numbers (e.g.,
v1.2,v1.3) when updating files - Test your own checkout flow once to see exactly what customers experience (Important: We strongly recommending using a free variant to do this to avoid incurring costs)
Downloads Made Simple 🎉
With IndieStand, you never need to email files manually or worry about managing permissions.
Your customers get instant downloads, secure long-term access, and a smooth experience from purchase to delivery.
All you need to do is upload your files — we handle the rest.