Understand exactly how a buyer receives your file — from payment confirmation to download link — and how to manage files, limits, and delivery tracking.
Selling a digital product should be effortless for both you and your buyer. Once a UniLink Digital product is live, the entire delivery chain — payment confirmation, link generation, email dispatch, and download tracking — is handled automatically. You do not need to send files manually, check PayPal notifications, or set up Zapier automations. This article explains the full delivery flow and how to configure it to match your needs.
What Digital Delivery Does
When a buyer completes checkout on a Digital product, UniLink generates a unique, time-limited download link for that specific order. The link is tied to the buyer's email address and order ID — it cannot be used by a different email address. The link is sent in an automated delivery email within seconds of payment confirmation from Stripe.
The download link is hosted on UniLink's secure infrastructure. It does not expose the direct file URL, which means the buyer cannot share the raw link to let others download for free. The link expires either after a set number of downloads (e.g., after 3 clicks) or after a set number of days (e.g., 30 days after purchase), whichever comes first.
In your Dashboard, every download is logged under the order record — timestamp, IP address, and whether the download completed. This gives you visibility into whether buyers are actually accessing their purchase, which is useful for customer support.
How to Get Started With Digital Delivery
- Create a Digital product — in the Dashboard, go to your Storefront, click Add Product, and select Digital as the product type.
- Upload your file — click Upload File in the product form and select the file from your computer. Supported formats include PDF, ZIP, MP3, MP4, DOCX, and more. Maximum file size is 2 GB.
- Set the download limit — in the Delivery section, enter the maximum number of times the download link can be clicked (e.g., 3 or 5). This prevents unlimited sharing of the link.
- Set the link expiry — enter how many days after purchase the download link remains active. 30 days is a reasonable default for most products.
- Write or customize the delivery email — the default delivery email template includes the product name, a download button, and your store name. Optionally edit the email body in Settings > Emails to add a personal message or usage instructions.
- Publish the product — set visibility to Published and click Save. The product is live on your storefront immediately.
- Test the flow — use the Test Purchase button in the product edit screen to trigger a test delivery email to your own address and confirm the download link works.
How to Use Digital Delivery
- Add multiple files to one product — click Add Another File in the product edit screen. Each file gets its own download link in the delivery email, all sent in the same message. Use this for product bundles or multi-part downloads.
- Replace a file after publishing — click the file in the product edit screen, select Replace, and upload the new version. All future purchases deliver the new file. Existing orders that have not yet downloaded keep their original link; existing orders that have downloaded get a note in the order record that a new version is available — you can re-send the delivery email from the Orders panel.
- Monitor downloads — go to Orders, open any Digital order, and scroll to the Delivery section. Each download attempt is listed with a timestamp and completion status (completed vs. started but not finished).
- Re-send a delivery email — if a buyer reports not receiving the email, open the order in the Orders section and click Resend Delivery Email. This generates a fresh link with the original download and expiry limits reset.
- Manually extend a link's expiry — open the order and click Extend Link. Enter a new expiry date. This is useful when a buyer contacts you after their link has expired.
- Issue a replacement link after a refund dispute — if a buyer claims they could not download and requests a refund, check the download log first. If no download is recorded, re-send the delivery email before issuing a refund.
- Track revenue and delivery rate — go to Analytics > Storefront and filter by the Digital product. The Delivery Rate metric shows the percentage of orders where at least one successful download was recorded.
Key Settings Explained
| Setting | What it controls | Best practice |
|---|---|---|
| Download Limit | Maximum number of times the buyer can click the download link before it stops working | Set to 3–5; generous enough for the buyer to download on multiple devices, tight enough to deter sharing |
| Link Expiry (days) | How many days after purchase the link remains active, regardless of download count | 30 days for most products; 7 days for sensitive or high-value files; 365 days for lifetime-access products |
| Multiple Files | Attach more than one file to a single product — all links included in one delivery email | Use a ZIP archive for bundles of many small files to keep the delivery email clean; use separate files when each has a distinct name a buyer needs to see |
| Delivery Email Template | The body of the automated email sent to the buyer after purchase | Add a short "what to do next" note — e.g., how to open the file format, or where to ask questions — to reduce post-purchase support messages |
| Resend Delivery Email | Generates a fresh delivery link for an existing order and sends it to the buyer's email | Always check the download log before resending — if downloads are recorded, the link worked and the buyer may simply have lost the email |
How to Get the Most Out of Digital Delivery
Set your download limit and link expiry to match the real-world access pattern of your buyers. A buyer who purchases an ebook on a Monday may want to download it on their phone on Tuesday and their tablet on Thursday. A download limit of 2 would block that third download. A limit of 5 and a 30-day expiry covers all realistic use cases while still preventing the link from being publicly shared.
For high-value products — premium templates, video courses, or proprietary data files — reduce both the download limit and the expiry window. A limit of 2 downloads and a 7-day expiry signals to buyers that access is controlled and prevents casual sharing without creating friction for legitimate purchases.
Use the Delivery Rate metric in Analytics to identify products where buyers are not completing downloads. A low delivery rate (many orders, few downloads) usually means one of three things: the delivery email is landing in spam, the file format is unfamiliar to the buyer, or the file itself has an issue. Check all three when you see a gap.
When you update a product file — a revised edition, a fixed template, or a larger asset package — proactively re-send the delivery email to all previous buyers from the Orders panel. Filter by the product and use the bulk resend option. Buyers who receive an unprompted update are significantly more likely to leave a review or recommend the product.
Troubleshooting Common Issues
| Problem | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Buyer did not receive the delivery email | Email landed in spam, or the buyer entered their email incorrectly at checkout | Check the order in Orders for the email address used; if correct, click Resend Delivery Email and ask the buyer to check spam. If the email is wrong, issue a manual refund and ask the buyer to repurchase with the correct address. |
| Download link says "expired" immediately after purchase | Link expiry was set to 0 days, or there is a time zone discrepancy in the expiry calculation | Edit the product, set the link expiry to a positive number of days, then resend the delivery email for any affected orders |
| File download fails partway through | The buyer's connection dropped, or the file is very large and timed out | The failed attempt counts against the download limit. Open the order and extend the download limit by 1–2, then ask the buyer to try again on a stable connection. For very large files, offer the file in smaller parts or via a CDN link instead. |
| Wrong file version was delivered to buyers | A new file was uploaded but the old file was not replaced — both versions exist on the product | Edit the product, delete the old file, confirm only the correct version is listed, and resend delivery emails to recent buyers who may have received the old version |
Pros
- Fully automated delivery — no manual work after a buyer pays
- Secure links prevent direct URL sharing and protect against piracy
- Download logs per order give you visibility into whether buyers accessed their purchase
- File replacement and delivery email resend let you handle updates and support cases without issuing refunds
Cons
- Download limits can frustrate buyers who need to re-download on many devices — requires manual link extension
- Files larger than 2 GB must be hosted externally and delivered via link rather than direct upload
- Delivery email template customization is limited — advanced HTML email design is not supported
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a buyer download their file from multiple devices?
Yes, as long as the download limit has not been reached. Each click on the download link counts as one download. Set the limit to at least 3 to allow the buyer to download on a phone, laptop, and tablet. If a buyer exhausts their downloads, open the order and extend the limit.
What happens to existing orders when I replace a product file?
Buyers who have not yet used their link receive the new file when they click download. Buyers who already completed their download retain a log of the original delivery. You can manually resend the delivery email for any order to provide the updated file.
Is there a limit to how many files I can attach to one product?
You can attach up to 10 files per Digital product. Each file is listed as a separate download link in the delivery email. If you need to deliver more than 10 files, bundle them into a ZIP archive and upload the ZIP as a single file.
Does UniLink scan uploaded files for malware?
Yes. All uploaded files are scanned automatically before they are made available for delivery. If a file fails the scan, you are notified in the Dashboard and the file is not delivered to buyers. Upload a clean version of the file to resolve the issue.
Can I set different download limits for different buyers?
Not at the product level — the download limit applies uniformly to all purchases. If you want to give a specific buyer extra downloads, open their order and manually extend the limit from the Orders panel.
Key Takeaways
- UniLink delivers files automatically via a secure, time-limited email link within seconds of a buyer completing payment.
- Set the download limit to 3–5 and the link expiry to 30 days to balance buyer convenience with file protection.
- Attach up to 10 files per Digital product — all links are included in a single delivery email.
- The download log in each order record shows when and how many times a buyer accessed their file, which is essential for resolving support requests.
- Use Resend Delivery Email and Extend Link from the Orders panel to handle common support cases without issuing refunds.
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