Using Free Download Files & Discounts

As a business owner you are probably always looking for ways to help increase your revenue, extend the reach of your product, and to succeed. When you join PayLoadz there are a few tricks that can help increase your business, and many of our members do not even realize it! A great way to draw attention to your product is by offering free downloads, perhaps to new or returning customers, and to also offer discounts from time to time. Here are some ways to use free download files and discounts with your PayLoadz account.

It is easy to forget that because you are selling products through the PayLoadz system that you can also offer download links for free to any customer. This means exactly what you think – any user can download a link without making any sort of payment to you. While you do not want to offer only free downloads, a free download is a simple and easy way for a potential customer to get acquainted with your product. That is why we allow free downloads.

Using a free download file through PayLoadz is actually quite simple. As long as you have a PayLoadz account set up and your profile is all filled out, you are ready. You just need to start creating free download files for your account. However, your account level must at least be Premium I in order to offer free download files.

In your account, go to the Selling section then click on Manage and Upload Files. There will be a checkbox next to the Allow Free Download option – check it. You will also need to click on the button that says “SET FOR FREE DOWNLOAD.” This will generate a link for your free download that can be placed on your or other sites. If you want, you can include the free download within a product you are featuring on PayLoadz. Otherwise, this free download link can be placed in emails, your site, and any other marketing materials to help spread your reach.

Discounts are another great way of increasing your business with PayLoadz. You may want to offer special discounts to brand new customers to bring the business in or for returning customers, to keep business flowing. You can create new discounts easily. This can be done from the Selling section of your account.

One thing to remember is that if you plan to use discounts, you will also need to enable the PayLoadz Shopping Cart as well as one of the GoLink button codes or links for purchase in order for your discount option to work properly. There is a wide range of discounts that you can offer, some of which include a flat fee off and a percentage off. There are variations of these two models including a flat fee or percentage discount based on the number of items a customer purchases or the amount of money a customer is spending in a single purchase.

CD Delivery System

Having a physical back-up to any downloads that you may purchase can be a lifesaver for many people. What happens if your computer crashes or your system is overrun by a virus? As you probably already know, PayLoadz is a great place to buy digital media in downloadable formats. But, did you know that tangible CDs are now also available from PayLoadz?

Right now, we’re testing the waters in tangible sales. This means that actual CDs of certain downloaded files can be shipped directly to customers. Currently the CD delivery system is available on a limited basis and can be purchased as a single item.

What’s great about the CD delivery system is that customers can purchase a CD version of your product as a back-up to the downloaded version accessed from the PayLoadz system. We’ve found that quite a few customers prefer to have a hardcopy of their purchased materials in addition to the download. And plenty of sellers agree with this model. Based on this demand, we’ve implemented the CD delivery feature for a small fee.

As a merchant, you’ll need to upgrade your existing account to the “Enhanced Services” account. Existing sellers not already using the PayLoadz Percentage of Sales Pricing Account must simply upgrade their current account. Because customers will still pay you directly, we’ll need a way to recoup our cost for producing and shipping out the CDs on your behalf. We’ll charge your PayPal account on a nightly basis for each CD sale that occurred during the day. We charge $5.50 per CD sale. It’s up to you what you charge your customers.

It’s really easy to start using the CD delivery system. Just remember to enable the CD delivery option in your enhanced services section. If this option is not selected you will not be able to offer CDs to your customers. You can opt in or out of the CD delivery system at any time and it is not required to sell your product.

Another thing you’ll need to do is make a few changes to the Single Item Purchase GoLink for the product you wish to have an accompanying CD. You’ll either need to modify one that you’ve already got listed or simply submit a new product. Just remember that if you will be charging your customers for the CD, you will need to create a new product just for the CD. And don’t worry about that extra $5.50 that we charge, we’ll add it to the price automatically.

When you set up your products to offer an accompanying CD, you will want to test things out to make sure everything is working well. Just don’t make a real purchase as we aren’t able to provide refunds for CD payments. Please note that we may change this policy in the future; however, as it stands during the testing phases we do not have the tracking in place to allow for refunds.

Though we’re still perfecting the CD delivery system, we think it’s pretty neat! Eventually we hope to add the functionality to offer both a download and a CD in a single order in an effort to streamline the entire process.

All about PayLoadz Express

As a member, you already know that PayLoadz is an excellent solution for selling your digital products online. Our system is safe, secure, and efficient. But do you know anything about PayLoadz Express? If not, we hope that this post will help you become a little more familiar with this great option.

First of all, PayLoadz Express happens to be the quickest and easiest way to sell your product and have it delivered immediately through our system. Any PayLoadz member can take advantage of this for any file they want to sell. Basically, you provide some information about the file and your product so that the system can generate a link that you can use anywhere on the Internet to make your product available for purchase. This means you can place it on your website, in emails, on forums – anywhere you like! When customers make the purchase, they do so through PayPal.

You may be wondering how exactly the files are delivered to your customers. Well, when your payment is confirmed through PayPal, we send the files directly to the buyer. Our system stores your files securely and they can only be accessed through special links that are generated specifically when a purchase is made. When a payment is completed, our servers will release the download link directly to the customer. An email will also be sent to the address provided during the purchase. For customers that cannot access the email or confirmation page, they can use our PayLoadz Order Lookup System.

Don’t worry if you don’t already have a PayPal account. You can still use PayLoadz Express to sell your products anywhere online – including eBay! There are plenty of payment options you can provide your customers, but in order for you to collect your funds from any PayLoadz sales you will need to set up a PayPal account eventually. So you might as well do so now.

There’s really no limit to the types of files that you can sell using PayLoadz Express. As long as you own the copyright and are the author or creator, any file will do. Sellers use PayLoadz Express to sell eBooks, software, music, photos, and videos. The file types include, but certainly aren’t limited to .mp3, .exe, .zip, .jpg, .pdf, and so on. All files are scanned by the PayLoadz system for any malicious content such as viruses and spyware.

If you’re interested in using PayLoadz Express you may be wondering what it’s going to cost. You should know that it is free to create and store any product as long as it is under 10MB. You can still sell larger files of course, but there is a billing agreement process that you must follow. It’s important to know that PayLoadz Express doesn’t charge any fees for selling an item, but PayPal does for receiving payment. Usually, these fees range from $.30 + 2.9% of the sales price, or less. However, if your sales happen to exceed $100 in a one-month period, you will be required to pay a fee and upgrade your account.

Finding Your Order and What to do With Your Download

Once you’ve placed your order on the PayLoadz system you will need to find your order and access the download. There are several different ways to find your order download page, which makes things easy on you! You’ll be able to access your order on the Payment Confirmation and Completion Page, the download email, and even within the Order Lookup System.

The Payment Confirmation and Completion Page is usually the easiest way to find your order, and it also happens to be the quickest way. Once you have made your purchase and made your payment, the PayLoadz site will present you with a confirmation screen. This screen will show you the details of your order as well as a link to access the download page. Using the Payment Confirmation and Completion Page offers a direct way of accessing your purchase immediately.

If you choose not to access your order through the Payment Confirmation and Completion Page the download email is the next best method. Remember, we send an email as soon as your order is placed. This instant email is sent to the email address you provide during the checkout process. The email will contain the same information as the Payment Confirmation and Completion Page including the details of your order and the download location.

We understand that emails get accidentally discarded and web browsers get closed, so we have developed our unique Order Lookup System. You can access the PayLoadz Order Lookup System at http://payloadz.com/d1/lookup.asp. This page allows you to fill out a short form with your PayPal email address, the Invoice ID number, and your last name. Just remember that the Invoice ID will be the same as the Auction ID.

Once you’ve found your order and the download information, you simply need to download the files to your computer. Downloading your order is really easy! If you’ve downloaded any file before, you’ll be fine. When you download your file, just be sure to remember where on your computer you’ve saved it for quick and easy access.

The way that you use your purchased content is really up to you and depends on what the files are that you bought. The merchants we feature on PayLoadz offer a wide variety of downloadable files ranging from video, software, eBooks, and audio. Once you have downloaded the files you’ll just need to open them up to ensure that they are in good working order. As long as you have the proper programs installed, your products should work without a problem.

If there is ever an issue using your purchased content, you’ll need to check out the seller’s instructions or even contact the seller for more assistance. Contacting the seller is actually quite easy – we don’t make things too difficult at PayLoadz! Simply click on the “Contact Seller” option on the PayLoadz system and send a message. You may also be able to find their information from their website or your PayPal history.

Payments for Your Products

As you set up your PayLoadz account, it is helpful to learn about all the different options you can offer customers to make payment. Obviously receiving payments for your product is a major concern, so you should be aware of every choice available. And remember, the more options you offer your customers, the more likely they are to make the purchase.

We have our own payment gateway known as PayLoadz Payments. This gateway authenticates the buyer before the purchase is made in an effort to prevent charge-backs.

PayLoadz Payments is quite easy to use and allows buyers to shop and add items to their cart. Checkout is handled by PayLoadz and takes only seconds. As buyers make their purchases funds accumulate in your account. PayLoadz Payments will transfer any amount over $10 to your PayPal account once a week. If you do not have a Premium account through Google Checkout, Amazon, or PayPal, this will be your only payment option.

The most common payment option is PayPal. PayPal is a payment platform that allows customers to make their purchases using credit cards or bank information. Registering for PayPal is completely free. We highly recommend using PayPal as it is so easy and works so well with our existing system. Just remember that your best bet is to use a Business or Premiere PayPal account.

An advantage of using PayPal is using Micropayments. Micropayments allow you to take advantage of lower PayPal transaction fees. If your products cost less than $8.00, PayPal offers tiered pricing that can save you a lot of money and increase the options you have for your customers.

Google Checkout is also a viable option when it comes to receiving payments for your products. It is another payment platform that, like PayPal, allows customers to pay with either credit card or bank information. Signing up for a Google Checkout account is also free. This platform is a great option for customers and works almost as well as PayPal. As another alternative, you could consider Amazon Payments. Using Amazon Payments with PayLoadz is really quite simple and allows customers to pay with a credit card or bank number. Amazon is one of the most popular payment platforms for merchants today.

Aside from PayPal, Google Checkout, and Amazon Payments there are other methods of accepting payments for your products. TrialPay is a newer online payment option that allows customers to make a purchase by completing an advertising offer. It is used less frequently than other platforms but is an option nonetheless. Other less widely used payment options include 2Checkout, also known as 2CO, and RapidShare.

Plenty of options when it comes to collecting payments for your products are essential to the success of your business and keeping your customers happy. PayLoadz offers as many options to our merchants as possible because your success is directly related to our success.

Building Your Affiliates

We know just how important expanding your product and reach is to your success. One of the most effective ways to achieve this goal is through an affiliate system and affiliate marketing. PayLoadz features a prominent affiliate system that allows other people, known as affiliates, to market your product in exchange for a payment. The payment can be a percentage of the sale or a flat rate – that’s up to you.

Though affiliate marketing can provide a much broader scope for your product that translates into more revenue for you, there is a lot of work that needs to be put into it. You must build your affiliates just as you would build your customer base. Remember, your affiliates will spread the word about your particular product in exchange for a payment. They will be your marketing team, so sharing a portion of your sales will only have a positive effect. However, you must keep your affiliates interested in working with you.

So, the question is, how do you build your affiliates? First and foremost, you should have a product that is worth marketing. In addition to having a solid product, you must know your product inside and out. The more you know about your product the more information you can provide your affiliates with. Informed affiliates are the most successful – as long as they know all about your products they can spread the word to targeted audiences. Targeted audiences are crucial to the success of any business. Just think about it – who would be successful selling dog food to cat owners?

In order to build affiliates you need to offer competitive payments for their efforts. Ever heard the old adage “it takes money to make money?” Well, it happens to be true. You need to put money into affiliate marketing for it to work. So, depending on your product and your budget, you need to set a fair yet motivating pay rate for each converting sale. You want to keep your affiliates happy so that they continue to market your product.

Aside from competitive payout rates, you might consider rewards and other benefits for your most successful affiliates. Such rewards might include a bonus for achieving a certain number of conversions in a month or increased payouts for a selected period of time. Just keep in mind that the happier your affiliates are, the more they will promote your product. They may also refer their friends and colleagues to your affiliate program which will only increase your reach.

PayLoadz encourages all merchants to participate in our affiliate program. The program helps everyone involved – it helps build your revenue and reach and helps make your affiliates some extra money. And what’s even better is that you can also be an affiliate for other merchants in our network. Knowing that, the possibilities are endless!

The Affiliate System

When you offer a product or service online, it is always a good idea to use an affiliate system. Affiliate marketing and relationships help not only spread the word about your own products and boost sales but can help you make a significant amount of extra money while you’re at it. We know the importance of an effective affiliate system which is why PayLoadz has implemented our own to help you become more successful.

The affiliate system that we offer at PayLoadz is designed to complement your efforts and expand your product reach. Remember, when you join an affiliate program, other people market your products to targeted audiences. This is an extremely effective way to get the word out about your product. The way it works is that these other parties, known as affiliates, market your product in exchange for a financial payout for any successful sale that is attributed to them. These sales are called conversions in many cases.

Our affiliate system is ideal for those of you just starting out with a new product, though it is also extremely beneficial to those whose products are already established. By working with affiliates you can generate leads and name branding even more quickly than if you were doing it on your own. Your customer base and profits will both increase simply by sharing a small portion of your sales. And remember, you can decide what payout scheme is right for you and you’re never locked in so you can modify your affiliate payouts as needed.

If you want to join the PayLoadz affiliate system, it’s really simple. However, you will be required to use the PayLoadz GoLink code on all of your sales pages to ensure that your affiliates are properly credited for their payment. The GoLink code allows for efficient tracking of your affiliates and all of their conversions.

Setting up your PayLoadz affiliate program is really quite easy. Simply go into your account and you’ll see the Affiliate Sales Information section near the bottom of the Product Setup page. It is here that you’ll fill in the rules of your affiliate commissions including the fee to be paid for each converted sale. At this time you’ll also be able to use the Affiliate Lister feature as well as the Affiliate URL which are both very useful tools to help generate additional affiliates for your product on PayLoadz.

Members of PayLoadz affiliate system are rewarded greatly – up to $175 per sale is possible, though it does vary from product to product. There are actually two different aspects to our system. If you’re selling digital goods on our site, you can list your product as a possible affiliate product and let others market it in exchange for a fee based on a per sale scale. However, you can also join the program and earn extra cash from PayLoadz directly when you place our ad syndication on your website and market our services.

Setting Up Product Keys and Registration

As a new member of PayLoadz you may be wondering a bit about setting up product keys and registration after you get started. Believe it or not, it won’t be as difficult as you think! Even novices to this industry will be able to handle it since it’s so simple, we assure you. In fact, you may already know a little bit about product keys and registration – ever heard of the software registration system? That’s just another phrase used to refer to this very topic.

You may have noticed that many merchants out there have a registration system in place which prevents it from being used until you’ve registered it. This is common on computer software, video games, and similar media. When you register such products, the specially generated registration code, known as the product key, must be entered at some point after purchase and downloaded (or installed) the product. With PayLoadz, you can implement a similar system for your own products!

If you are interested in setting up product keys and registration for anything you’ll be offering up on PayLoadz, it really is quite easy. To find the Product Key and Serial Delivery information for any item you simply go on the Product Detail page for any item or available download. That’s where you can read about existing registration systems and set up new ones. However, just remember that we can’t provide assistance for creating an actual registration system because we don’t endorse any particular vendor for software registration systems. But, we’re happy to help in enabling the delivery keys for your protection.

Remember, it is up to you to find a vendor for product keys and registration on your product downloads. Once you have a registration system in place, the PayLoadz system is available for you to send the product keys for registration to customers once they have made payment. There are a couple of options for the creation and delivery of your product keys.

The first option is Upload Keys. You’d choose this if you’ve already a variety of keys for your product since it allows you to take as many keys as you like and add them to the PayLoadz server. This allows the product key to be automatically sent once the customer makes the purchase and keeps that particular key associated with that single purchase for your records.

A Remote Key Script is another option. This is ideal for when you have a script that generates keys on a remote server. All you need to do is provide the location of the remote script. When this option is used, the customer gets the product key after purchase via a form. The script helps generate a specific key code for that purchase.

You can also choose just a single password which means it will be the same for all purchases. It is the simplest method and provides the least amount of protection. Usually, the first two options are ideal for PayLoadz users.

Offering Subscription Downloads

As you become more and more familiar with all the great features of the PayLoadz system, you’ll find that offering subscription downloads may suit your product scheme quite well. Remember, the more options you have to offer to potential buyers the more likely they are to end up purchasing your product. Subscription downloads are an excellent example of how to offer this kind of choice variety to your customers.

With a subscription download, your buyers are able to “test” out your product for a trial period, which is usually a great way to lock down customers. Buyers often feel a lot more comfortable when they can try something out for a period of time to make sure it suits their needs. The subscription system through PayLoadz is a great way to achieve this.

The subscription system is used in conjunction with PayPal, which is a payment method growing exponentially in popularity. PayPal offers a subscription payment option which allows you to set a trial period, introductory rates, regular rates, and special offers. It is quite a versatile option for your buyers. Just remember, if you want to offer subscription downloads you’ll need to use the PayLoadz GoLink code format on any of your sales pages.

The PayLoadz GoLink code is easily obtained directly from our system via the Selling tab in your account. You’ll need to access this after you’ve created the products you want to sell through PayLoadz. Once you’ve gone into the Selling tab you’ll find the GoLink code in the Details section of the Product Summary. This option is available for any and all products you have listed with us.

Since subscription downloads are optional the feature will be included in the section for any optional features we have available. Through our system you will be redirected to the form to set up your subscription profile which can be unique to each of your products.

When you complete this process the PayLoadz system will generate a button code for your website which can be easily pasted into your site’s existing code. This button will allow your customers to opt for a subscription or trial period. You can also change the details of your subscriptions at any time.

It is important to understand that the GoLink code generated by the PayLoadz system and placed on your site will automatically redirect to PayPal. This allows buyers to easily and quickly set up their first payment through their PayPal account and get started right away. This works great because your PayPal account is also credited immediately during this process. Once the subscription is paid for, a download can be emailed to the buyer almost instantly. However, you will need to send any subscription downloads manually, though this is easily done through our “Send a Download” option in your account.

Site Issue Related to SSL

Good morning! Woke up to find the server was running, but unable to accept SSL (https) connections after performing a C Drive image.

HTTPS/SSL is how our service delivers its web pages to a visitor. It simply is a mechanism to encrypt the information that is sent between the visitor and the servers. It is used in all ecommerce applications due to the sensitivity of the information being provided. Without it, the entire application breaks because information cannot be delivered by the server.

The Dev Team created a back "image" of the main operating system drive (Drive C:) on the web server. In our particular environment (Amazon EC2), when this process happens, the certificate gets corrupted in some way. It is more of a bug than anything else. The Amazon Web Services platform is still a new environment for most users, so there is a learning curve there. The process should not break an SSL certificate. We are inquiring to them about this issue so it does not happen in the future.

A short Google query session gave us the answer we were looking for. It appears other people have had this issue as well: http://serverfault.com/questions/74170/ssl-stopped-working-on-iis6-after-windows-update

The short of it is that the websites are all back up now and working well. The issue has been resolved and there are no other related issues from it. I apologize for the downtime, but appreciate your patience.

Shannon

Using PayLoadz To Sell Digital Files On eBay

Even though eBay changed their policy on their Digital Goods listing flow, you can still use this popular site to sell your digital files. We offer you the option of listing your product through our PayLoadz eBay Store if you do not have your own eBay account.

How you list it is up to you as long as you use the normal auction listing process. We recommend that you simply list the order lookup URL from PayLoadz in your listing. The URL will look something like this: http://PayLoadz.com/d1/lookup.asp.

To sell your downloads on eBay:

1. Get the item name for the product you want to sell from your PayLoadz account to enter into the eBay auction. You must use the exact item name that is in the PayLoadz system as your auction name so we know how to track the item you sold.
2. Log into you eBay account – or in the PayLoadz eBay store following the appropriate directions – and select the selling tab in order to create a listing.
3. Choose the type of auction you wish – we suggest ‘Fixed Price Auction’ – and the category your product will go into. Do not use the Digital Item category.
4. Enter your item information and remember to use the name of your PayLoadz product as the auction name. For example, if you name the PayLoadz file ‘My Book’ then you need to name the eBay auction ‘My Book’. Make sure you include a copyright notice in your listing so your customers know that your digital file is authorized for sale.
5. Include the Order Lookup URL in your item description so that your customer knows where to go to get the download.
6. Enter the number of downloads available and the price per each. You should make the number you have available and the price of the item match what you have listed on your PayLoadz account.
7. Set your payment and file delivery options making sure that your payment e-mail and your PayLoadz e-mail match.
8. Confirm your listing and submit it.

As soon as we receive a confirmation that the file has been paid for we will release the download file to your customer.

The process listed above is also good for other auctions sites where you may wish to sell your digital files. The key to having a successful auction using PayLoadz is making sure that the auction name and URLs all match those in your PayLoadz account. If they do not, the system will not be able to allow your customer to download the file they have purchased. If you ensure that everything matches, you will find that this is an effective way of selling your digital files.

Set Up A Sample File

PayLoadz is your way of getting your digital files out to the world and it is a very easy program to use. In order to attract potential customers you can set up a sample file for them to review. You do not have to do this, but it is a way to get people to sit up and take notice of what you have to offer. This is one of the many services PayLoadz offers you.

After you have registered with PayLoadz and set your account you should fill out your profile so everyone knows who you are and what type of digital files you are selling. Setting up a sample file is an optional step, and you do not have to do it in order to just jump in and offering your files. But it is something to consider to help your online business.

To set up a sample file you should log into your account and select the ‘Selling’ tab. Click on the ‘Product summary’ area and take a look at the screen. Here is where you will add the product you are offering. It is a good idea to have a product loaded into the PayLoadz system so that you can add a sample file to it. Once you have picked the product you are adding the sample to, select the ‘details’ link. It will open up a page with all the product details listed on it.

In this product details section you will see a category that states ‘Sample file’. The default setting for this is ‘None. Click here to add sample file.’ The word ‘here’ is a clickable link. Select that link to add a sample file to the product you have selected. You will be presented with a few options here and you want to select option #3 ‘use existing file on PayLoadz secure server.’ Check the box for the sample file that you want to set and then click the ‘set sample file’ button at the bottom. Your sample is now set and your customers can download it for review.

If you have not loaded your sample file into the PayLoadz system you will need to do so before setting the file to the corresponding product. You can upload the file by using the ‘manage and upload files’ link in the ‘selling’ tab under your account.

PayLoadz is a unique system for selling your digital files and it offers you plenty of options. Setting up a sample file helps your customers make an informed decision about whether or not they want to purchase what you have. From eBooks to audio files, PayLoadz is ready to help you.

How You Can Get Started With PayLoadz

Have you been looking for a way to sell you digital files online but have not been happy with the current services on the Internet? Then you have not tried PayLoadz. Our unique system is very user–friendly and gives you an interface to use to get your digital products out into the market. Getting started with PayLoadz is easy and there are two ways you can get started.

PayLoadz Express is the quick and easy way of getting your files uploaded and for sale quickly. It gives you a three step process that puts your product out there without any advance features such as software registration keys, affiliate systems or multiple file delivery. If you need these features for your files, then we recommend you use our other service, PayLoadz Standard.

The standard process is just as easy as the express process but it offers you more options when it comes to listing your files. It takes five steps instead of three and it allows you to add your PayPal account or Google Checkout account to your profile for easy payment options. Additionally you can set up an API Callback URL if you want to receive additional notification that a purchase has been made. If you use Google Checkout you can setup purchase buttons, links or contact us information for your profile.

Once you have setup your payment options you can start putting together your product line. By selecting the ‘Selling’ tab at the top of your account you can open the screen that allows you to add your product. Each item you plan to add to your inventory must have a unique name and it must be created one at time so that the system can process it. PayLoadz will then provide you with HTML coding that you can place on your website for customers to use to order your product. It will even give you the HTML coding you need for button creation that will work with PayPal.

Copy and paste this code into the appropriate page on your website. Your customers will be able to click on the link and download your goods from the PayLoadz website after they have paid for it. Once you have pasted the code into your website test the links to make sure they work properly and make any adjustments necessary. If everything is working the way it should, you can make your website page live and then wait for the downloads to begin.

PayLoadz offers you a wide variety of features to use when selling your digital products including the option to set up a sample page your customers can download. Feel free to check out the entire system and have fun uploading your inventory and the freedom PayLoadz offers.

$50 Featured Listings Credit Applied to Accounts

The $50 Credit for Featured Listings has now been applied to several thousand PayLoadz accounts who had been affected by the recent outage last week. Hopefully this credit will be of benefit to those people who may have experienced issues with teh service during that time.

- Shannon

Service Downtime Update and $50 Featured Listing Credit

Yesterday at approximately 3AM EST, the main web server became unresponsive to command. We had executed a large file operation on the server using a 3rd party tool that much have had a memory leak or some loop issue as the server stopped responding to all commands shortly after executing it. We then attempted to restore the server by replicating the existing server which produced more versions of the unresponsive machine. We spent too long on this effort which caused the extended outage time. It was only late last night did we get most of the core functionality back online by restoring from backups on to a new machine. We are still working through any errors that are coming in which are relatively few at this time. This episode has given us a reminder of our need to review the processes in place for recovery in an outage in our new virtual server environment. We are now taking efforts to ensure that this does not become an extended issue again. Self-recovery is our main goal with little to no downtime.

Because of the issue, we are giving all users who had a sale within the past 14 days a $50 credit in Featured Listings. Expect to see the credit applied to your account in the next week.

Thank you for bearing with us,

Shannon
-PayLoadz.com

Webserver Instance Issues

We are currently experiencing an problem with the webserver instance at the Amazon webserver cluster. We are working to restore site availability caused by the problem. We should have it back up in an hour by our best estimates.

- Thanks for bearing with us.

UPDATE 1:42 PM EST
We have moved the site over to the new instance hardware. It is pretty response right now and the site is resolving properly. We will have about 30 mins of configuration to get it close to 100% done now.

UPDATE 3:18 PM EST
Looks like most of the functions are getting back to normal. Some of the lesser used capabilities may take another couple of hours to come back online. If you are having issues accessing the main site, try this link first: https://www.payloadz.com/logout.asp

UPDATE 5:47 PM EST
The site is running and responding pretty well now. We are still working through small issues which should be worked out in the next 24 hours. We will be contacting sellers with some sort of compensation for the outage in the next few days.

UPDATE 6:22PM EST
Looks like I may have spoke too soon on the major functionality of the site. Some downloads are not working and require one of our team members to fix. Should be back later tonight working without issue.

Pre-Paid Coupons - Credit Accounts

Payloadz Coupons has just gone live for testing. Coupons will be available to purchase by sellers and buyers. These coupons will allow buyers to purchase using the coupon. Coupons can be used as a convenience for buyers and as a promotional tool for sellers.

Coupon amounts will be set by the Seller. When the buyer uses the coupon to make a purchase, the purchase amount is deducted from the coupon amount. The buyer can then see the remaining balance of their coupon.

Users of the coupon can see at a glance what they’ve purchased with the coupon and the value amount still available on their coupon.

To access Coupon Management login to your account and click on the Account tab at the top of the screen. Next Click on Coupon Management. You will then be taken to the management area where you can purchase coupons and view the details of your purchases.

New PayLoadz Express Design

Check out the new site design for PayLoadz Express:
https://express.payloadz.com/

Form flow was revised as well as cleaning up the design in this new version. Definitely the easiest way to get started selling digital goods on the web.

Domain Redirecting - DNS Issue

It looks like we made a bit of a mess of the DNS server. It is pointing to the wrong ip address which is loading the incorrect site. We are working to resolve this as quickly as possible. DNS changes take a bit of time to propagate.
UPDATE: This problem is now resolving.

We became notified of the issue a few minutes before the site started resolving to another IP address. The IP address was our ip address, but ending in .0, instead of .176. The rest of the numbers were the same, so it was not a malicious attack- simply a problem in our development in adding the wrong IP address for the DNS server.

Things are looking ok now. You may need to restart your comp if it is still resolving incorrectly.

Shannon

Connectivity/Networks Issues at Hosting Provider

UPDATE: Back up, looking good as of 11:40AM.

Our hosting provider is having some network issues. I have confirmed it is sitewide for them and they are working to resolve it ASAP. We are keeping our fingers crossed. It looks like it has taken down some other sites we know of as well. We use ThePlanet hosting and they are top notch most times. Sales during this time will be processed when the servers come back online.

- Shannon