Whilst we wait for the new website to be finished - and I know, it’s been a long wait as I explain in another post - I’ve used the Payhip shopping cart on this website. It’s quite possible that once the new website is finished I’ll keep my Payhip store open, I’m not sure yet.

But in the meantime I’ve been slowly building more resources to help folks using Payhip and today I’m sharing a photo step-by-step guide to using discount codes with their cart.

Before I start I’d like to re-emphasise the golden rules about using discounts!

  1. If the code doesn’t seem to work, or you can’t see where to apply the code, DO NOT proceed to checkout and pay - because I’m unable to reimburse you. I’ve over 10,000 members in The Woolly Hat Society and tens of thousands of followers on social media, which are amazing feats, but it also means that it’s impossible for me to personally rectify any problems with discount codes because there’s only one of me back here working on this.

  2. All of the codes I provide - whether they be Etsy, Ravelry, Payhip or anywhere else - all need to be applied BEFORE you proceed to the Paypal or Stripe checkout. What I mean by this is that all the codes are specific to the platform where the products are available, and not the cart provider. Trying to use a code once you’ve reached Paypal or Stripe simply won’t work.

OK, now that that’s covered, let me show you how the discount codes work with Payhip!

The image shows the crown of my Everglade pattern. It features the post title “Using Discount Codes via Payhip”

 

1) If you use the temporary cart on this website this part will look a little different, but for now I want to focus on using the Payhip store directly as that’s where discounts are primarily used. The example I’m showing here is for my Cuboidal collection but it’ll be the same for anything in my Payhip store.

Whether you click ‘Add to Cart’ or ‘Buy Now’ is up to you. Just bear in mind that you can only use one discount code at a time, and all of the platforms are the same about this.

2) Once you’ve added the item to your cart, the cart will pop up and showing you what’s in your basket. If you’re not adding anything else to the cart then click ‘Checkout’.

3) This is how the Payhip cart appears. Because Payhip doesn’t have a membership option, it doesn’t remember you. So before it can proceed with anything it needs to know who you are - your email address and your name need to be added. It won’t let you skip this part, because it won’t let you checkout if it doesn’t know where to email the download link!

4) So fill these bits in and let it know where you’d like the download link to be sent. It asks for your name as Payhip has a review system, and for reviews to be authentic a realistic first and last name is needed. But you can use a pseudonym here if you prefer.

Note that I’ve used a made up email address here - if you want your download link to arrive then you’ll need to use the email address that you use most often.

And right under where you add your surname you’ll see the ‘Add Coupon’ link in blue.

5) The wording on this is a bit odd, but I also suggest you check the ‘Send me Product Updates’ box. If you don’t check this then you won’t receive any update notices to patterns or eBooks, and they’re mighty important. Updates through Ravelry are automatic but because Payhip is a UK company and takes GDPR law very seriously, it explicity requires that you opt in to get updates - so please do!

6) Once you’ve done all of that, hit the ‘Add Coupon’ link that’s below the surname field and you’ll see this screen pop up - this is where you add your code!

I always always suggest folks copy+paste the code I provide in the newsletters to make sure no misspellings or rogue spaces and characters get in the way - you wouldn’t believe how often I get emails about a failed code that turned out to be a typing error.

7) Once you’ve added the code, the Payhip cart quite annoyingly asks you for your name and permission to get pattern updates again. I don’t know why it does this, I’m not a coder and only use their cart service, but I suggest you add your name again and check the box again - it won’t let you proceed to checkout without your name as a minimum.

The example I’ve shown here is how the screen looks with a 100% discount code, it’ll look a little different with a discount code of a different value.

8) You can now download the pattern and a copy of the download email will be sent to you. Please PLEASE keep the download email in a safe place, maybe set up a folder within your email program for pattern and digital purchases, as if you ever lose or misplace the file you can retrieve it via the download email, and that’s an awful lot quicker and more efficient than emailing me to ask for a new link!

9) If the discount code has a value other than 100%, then apply the code as shown in step 6 will result in a different screen. Here you will see the original price of the item and the price you have to pay after the discount - this shows you that the discount has worked.

You’ll then click the ‘Continue with Purchase’ button.

10) You’ll then be taken to a screen where you can choose your payment preference, but like before you’ll need to enter your details and check the update box again. From here you’ll then be taken to Paypal to complete the purchase, and once that’s done you’ll see the same screen shown in step 8.

 

I do hope this helps! By all means leave a comment below with any questions. The Payhip cart has a couple of quirks that are a little annoying but it does all work and the benefits make it an overall very useful system indeed.

Posted
AuthorWoolly Wormhead

Between now and midnight CET 21st April I’ll be donating 50% of profits to Mondo, an Estonian humanitarian non-profit.

Many of you may know that I’ve Ukrainian family and since the war broke out, there’s naturally been an incredible amount of stress and worry. Since long before the war broke out, to be honest. I've thought long and hard about organising a fundraiser, whether I should and if I do how would be the best way to approach it. This war is personal for us, for me, on several levels but trying to put that into words has been far from easy. Because this isn’t really about me and it isn’t my story to tell.

Mondo, my chosen charity, is doing amazing work in Ukraine. They're providing humanitarian aid that's adapting to the needs of the citizens most affected. And they're not just working in Ukraine; they're also providing support in a number of war-torn areas. They also provide education and empowerment to women and disabled folk around the world. My accountant and business consultant, Xolo, recently contacted their clients with details of vetted and recommended charities and Mondo was top of the list.

Donating to an Estonian organisation means less admin, taxes and other burdens for me as my business is registered in Estonia, and I'm sure you can appreciate that we've enough to deal with right now without adding to the pile. I know that most folks won't have heard of Mondo but I want to reassure you that you can be confident that the money will be put to very good use.

Between now and midnight CET (central European time) 21st April I’ll be donating 50% of pattern and eBook sales, less fees. Should the sales during the fundraiser exceed what I’d usually expect to see during the same period then I’ll raise that to 75%. To qualify sales don’t need to be full price, they just need to go through my Paypal account - which means only sales from this website, Payhip and Ravelry qualify.

You can of course donate directly to Mondo - you don’t need to buy something from me! And if you’d prefer an organisation closer to home, the Ukrainian Institute would be a good place to start.

I’ll be sending a newsletter shortly, feel free to share this post and let folks know!

Posted
AuthorWoolly Wormhead

As mentioned in my previous post, the Community Pattern Fund is an initiative designed to let folks who have the means sponsor free eBooks, ePatterns and now eWorkshops for folks who don’t.

There’s been some updates today and I thought I’d let you know what they were.

Firstly - there are now 6 community fund patterns at various price points, all of which are converted to credits for various digital products. They are:

MS Slouch - $8, a credit for one third of an eBook

Beanie Bopper - $9, a credit for a single pattern

BibBob - $12, a credit for half an eBook

Alata - $23, a credit for a full eBook

Sideways Bobble Hat - $25, a credit for either half or a third of a workshop, depending on workshop value

York Slouch - $75, a credit for a full workshop of the same value

Secondly - these are all now available on Payhip! I’ve set up a special collection group on Payhip so that they’re easier to find.

I’ve also created a Community Pattern Fund source on Ravelry for similar reasons. I’ve had a number of emails and comments since I posted the $75 CPF pattern and I’m hoping that creating the source and grouping them this way will help folks understand what the prices mean.

Every single pattern listing explains that there’s a free version available, with a link to it, and why there’s a premium version but that hasn’t stopped the emails - hopefully the sources will help! Most of the emails aren’t bad, there’s been a couple of complaints, but mostly it’s folk telling me there’s an error because the prices must be too high.

And thirdly - each of these eBooks has been updated in the shiny new layout! They’ve each got a front cover, an ISBN and a refreshed back cover with helpful links. They’ve also got the latest versions of the premium tutorials. The premium tutorials will be offered as download links in all of my other premium single patterns going forward, and I can totally do that with these if folks prefer, but currently they all have the tutorials merged into one PDF for convenience.

I have wondered about adding other price points, or even creating other eBooks so that each price point has a choice of two patterns, but right now that’d be too much admin for me to keep track of and I really need to make this easy for me as well as for you. Maybe when the new website is finished I could potentially host the CPF patterns here only, which would make tracking sales so much easier, extra products could be possible. But I won’t be adding to these for a while. I’m not sure folks who generously buy the CPF patterns want a choice of patterns anyway?

As always, feedback welcome!

Posted
AuthorWoolly Wormhead

You may feel that this next post in our series on #Payhip and #VATmoss doesn't apply to you if you're not a designer, creator or store owner based within the EU, but we suggest having a read through anyway as it could be mighty helpful.⁠

Image Description: the words "Payhip & digital VAT - part 3" are written across the crown detail of my Arkanoid pattern.

Digital VAT is a B2C tax, meaning there doesn't need to be any VAT charged between businesses. Furthermore, VATmoss, or digital VAT, can't be claimed back or offset in the same way that tangible VAT can, so once it's collected that's it. Given that many platforms over or incorrectly charge digital VAT, you can maybe appreciate why we thought these tips could be of use!⁠

This option is a lesser known option within the Payhip store and it won't cost you anything at all but it could earn you more sales.⁠

Account > Account Settings > Taxes > "Redeem EU VAT company numbers"⁠

What this does is simply allow your customer to add their VAT number, if they have one, so that VAT then isn't charged.⁠

It doesn't matter whether you've set your base price to include VAT or not - if Payhip are handling the VAT then this option won't cost you anything but it could save your customer money, which is always a win.⁠

Mostly though, it'll build goodwill. It'll save VAT registered businesses paying VAT that doesn't need to be paid.⁠ It's something Woolly always appreciates, and it nearly always results in repeat purchases. And it's just one check box within your store settings!⁠

Ravelry haven't enabled an option like this despite EU law and Etsy are even further behind in their handling of digital VAT, so this is definitely a win for Payhip.⁠

VAT is neither straightforward or easy, yet you don't need to be an expert to implement these useful steps, as Payhip have done all the work and made it easier for you.⁠

We hope these posts have been helpful, even if VAT isn't your favourite subject?⁠

eta/ this post was updated on 11th March 2022 with a new post graphic. The image shows the crown of my Arkanoid pattern.

Posted
AuthorWoolly Wormhead

And here's our next post about VAT options within Payhip! We know VAT is rarely a favourite subject but we're keen to share and help designers who have a store on Payhip, and encourage more to consider it.⁠

Image Description: the words "Payhip & digital VAT - part 2" are written across the crown detail of my Erica pattern.

When VATmoss first came into being, the rates across the EU were pretty consistent. Since then, many countries have realised that charging such high rates is punitive and is having a negative impact on digital sales and small creators. Their aim, after all, was to target the tech giants - they didn't think about the millions of nano digital businesses.⁠

In light of this, governments are reviewing their rates. The rules aren't easy to follow by any means, but eBooks are treated pretty consistently throughout Europe and many countries now have a lower rate for them - they're zero rated in the UK and Norway, for instance.⁠

What counts as an eBook or ePublication is still up for debate but if you have an ISBN, or it's a collection or book of some kind, or is a reasonable chunk of pages, then Payhip has an option for you!⁠

Edit Digital Product > Advanced Options > "Product is an ebook"⁠

This option can make the difference between 22% VAT being charged or 9% VAT, or 20% and zero. Regardless of whether you set your store to have VAT added on top of your price or included in it, ⁠it's going to ensure that your customers, or you, are not paying more than is needed.⁠

Use this option wisely, it won't help anyone to abuse it. Doing some research on what is classed as an eBook, or getting advise from an accountant, is in your best interests.⁠

Currently we're in the process of getting all Woolly Wormhead patterns ISBNs, the collections already have them, purely for accounting purposes. Who knew that single knitting patterns could fit the ISBN criteria? Exactly! Not all knitting patterns will, but it's worth looking into, regardless of the size of your business.⁠

eta/ this post was updated on 11th March 2022 with a new post graphic. The image shows the crown of my Erica pattern.

Posted
AuthorWoolly Wormhead