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I know nothing about Gumroad's story or the CEO or any drama around it but I will say this. I had someone once give me an affiliate link for Gumroad and I got

by nickjj 2y ago

I know nothing about Gumroad's story or the CEO or any drama around it but I will say this. I had someone once give me an affiliate link for Gumroad and I got credited a sale. Gumroad wouldn't let me accept payment for it in a way that was reasonable for $17. It first asked me for basic information like my name. Then it asked me for my address. Then it asked me for the last 4 of my social security number. Then it asked me for my full social security number along with uploading my driver's license or passport. All through out this process is was slowly collecting my personal information 1 form at a time and it was positioned where it didn't seem like it ever needed more than the single piece of info it asked for. Every time I submit 1 piece of information it said it failed to verify my account but never said why then asked for more. I asked them for documentation or compliance reports on how my data was going to be stored and they ignored my support request. I waited over 2 weeks for a response while asking following ups and got no reply. I stopped providing information after the last 4 of my social. I decided to take a shot and emailed the CEO. In a few hours he personally Zelle'd me the amount with no questions asked and adjusted my account on Gumroad to reflect that. I don't know what to make of this, but it was disappointing I had to email the CEO to get $17 but he was very reasonable about it.

deleted 2y ago
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eappleby 2y ago
I believe Gumroad uses Stripe to process payments, so I'd guess this entire validation process is coming from Stripe. When the CEO paid you via Zelle, he probably just wanted to help you out with the hope that you would continue using Gumroad and have a positive experience with the company. I wouldn't look at any of this as a negative reflection of the company. (I've personally never used Gumroad, so this opinion is only based on your comment and my experience with Stripe)
- nickjj 2y ago
  That could be the case but Gumroad knows the requirements to become verified. Gumroad chose to gather the minimum amount of info and requested more with dark pattern forms to maximize collecting personal information without providing value. If they said up front everything that was needed and it was a requirement of their payment processor then it would have cleared everything up.

by nickjj 2y ago

deleted 2y ago

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eappleby 2y ago

I believe Gumroad uses Stripe to process payments, so I'd guess this entire validation process is coming from Stripe. When the CEO paid you via Zelle, he probably just wanted to help you out with the hope that you would continue using Gumroad and have a positive experience with the company. I wouldn't look at any of this as a negative reflection of the company. (I've personally never used Gumroad, so this opinion is only based on your comment and my experience with Stripe)

nickjj 2y ago
That could be the case but Gumroad knows the requirements to become verified. Gumroad chose to gather the minimum amount of info and requested more with dark pattern forms to maximize collecting personal information without providing value. If they said up front everything that was needed and it was a requirement of their payment processor then it would have cleared everything up.