Short, plain definitions, alphabetical. Each links to the guide that explains the idea in context. Missing a term? Write to hello@shopfa.st.
All terms
- 3-D Secure
- An extra check by the buyer's bank during a card payment, such as a code or an app approval. It shifts liability for many fraud chargebacks away from the seller. Guide: Prevent chargebacks
- Activation key
- A code that turns on software or a service after purchase. Another name for a license key or product key. Guide: License keys
- Affiliate
- Someone who promotes your products with their own link and earns a share of the sales that link brings. ShopFast stores can run an affiliate program.
- Auto-renew
- A buyer's opt-in to be charged again at the end of each period on a saved card, so a subscription or duration key continues without a new checkout. On ShopFast each renewal of a duration key delivers a fresh key from the option's pool. Auto-renew in the ShopFast docs
- Bundle
- Several products sold together as one, usually for less than their separate prices. On delivery a bundle is opened into its parts, so each part is delivered as if bought alone. Guide: Pricing
- Buy button
- A button you put on your own website that opens checkout for one product. Lets you sell from a blog, a docs site or a landing page without moving your content. Buy button in the ShopFast docs
- BYOK (bring your own keys)
- Selling through payment accounts you own (your Stripe, PayPal or wallet) by connecting them with their API keys. The platform hosts the store; the money goes straight to you, and you are the seller of record. BYOK (bring your own keys) in the ShopFast docs
- CD key
- An older name for a game or software key, from when keys were printed on the disc case. Today it usually means a key you redeem on a platform such as Steam. Guide: Game keys
- Chargeback
- A card payment reversed by the buyer's bank after they dispute it. The money is taken back from the seller while the dispute is decided, and the processor usually charges a dispute fee. Guide: Prevent chargebacks
- Checkout
- The page or window where a buyer enters their details and pays. For digital goods it should work on a phone, show every way to pay the buyer can use, and confirm the payment before delivering.
- Claim (problem report)
- A buyer's report on an order (not received, not working, not as described) raised with the seller instead of the bank. Answering claims quickly is the cheapest way to avoid chargebacks. Claim (problem report) in the ShopFast docs
- Confirmations (crypto)
- The number of blocks added to a blockchain after the block holding a payment. More confirmations make a payment harder to reverse; stores wait for enough before delivering. Guide: Crypto
- Custom domain
- Your own web address (like yourbrand.com) pointing at your store instead of an address on the platform's domain. Guide: Digital storefront
- Digital goods
- Products delivered over the internet with no physical shipping: codes, files and access. Also called digital products or digital content. Guide: What to sell
- Digital product
- Anything a buyer pays for and receives online: a license key, an ebook, a template, a preset pack, a membership or a Discord role. Guide: How to sell digital products
- Discord role
- A label in a Discord server that grants access to channels and permissions. Sold as a product, it's given to the buyer on payment and removed when their membership ends or the order is refunded. Guide: Discord roles
- Download limit
- How many times a buyer's download link can be used. Paired with a link expiry, it stops one purchase from being shared indefinitely.
- Duration key
- A key that works for a set time (1 Day, 7 Days, 30 Days) or forever (Lifetime). Usually sold as options of one product, each with its own price and key pool. Guide: License keys
- Dynamic delivery
- Delivering something created at the moment of sale, such as a key generated by your own server, instead of one stored in advance. Dynamic delivery in the ShopFast docs
- Embedded checkout
- A store's checkout opened inside your own web page, usually in a modal, so the buyer pays without leaving your site. Embedded checkout in the ShopFast docs
- Fraud score
- A number estimating how likely a checkout is to be fraudulent, from signals like the buyer's IP, email, device and past behavior. Rules can hold or block orders above a threshold. Fraud score in the ShopFast docs
- Friends and Family (PayPal)
- PayPal's way to send money to people you know personally. PayPal's terms don't allow it for paying for goods, and it carries no purchase protection for the buyer. Guide: PayPal F&F
- Game key
- A code that unlocks a game on a platform such as Steam. Selling game keys requires an authorized source; keys bought with stolen cards are revoked and cost the seller the sale. Guide: Game keys
- Gateway failover
- Offering the next way to pay when a payment fails or a provider is down, so the buyer can finish the order instead of leaving.
- Instant delivery
- Handing the buyer their key, file or access automatically the moment their payment confirms, without the seller doing anything. Guide: Automatic delivery
- IPN (Instant Payment Notification)
- PayPal's message to a seller's server when a payment arrives. Stores use it to confirm a payment and deliver automatically. Guide: PayPal
- Key pool
- The stock of unused keys for a product option. Each sale takes one key from the pool, so two buyers never receive the same key. Guide: License keys
- Key replacement
- Swapping a key that doesn't work for a fresh one from the same pool, under a policy the seller sets (time window, number of replacements, proof).
- License key
- A unique code that proves a purchase and unlocks software, a game or a service. Also called a product key, serial key, activation key or CD key. Guide: License keys
- Lifetime license
- A key or license that never expires. Usually priced as the top option above shorter durations.
- Membership
- Paid access that lasts while the buyer keeps paying: to content, a community, updates or a Discord or Telegram group. Guide: Memberships
- Merchant of record (MoR)
- The business legally selling to the buyer: it takes the payment, appears on the card statement, collects and remits sales tax and VAT, and handles chargebacks. A platform that is the MoR does this for you, usually for a larger fee. Merchant of record (MoR) in the ShopFast docs
- Order limit
- A cap on how much a buyer can spend with a payment method, such as card orders up to an amount or a lower limit on a first card order. Limits the damage stolen cards can do. Order limit in the ShopFast docs
- OSS (One-Stop Shop)
- The EU scheme that lets a seller report and pay VAT for sales of digital services to consumers in every EU country through one return in a single country. Guide: Tax on digital products
- Pay what you want
- Letting the buyer choose the price, usually above a minimum you set. Common for tip-supported creators and launch offers. Guide: Pricing
- Payment gateway
- The service that takes the buyer's payment and passes it to the seller's account, such as Stripe, PayPal or Square. Guide: Payments
- Payout
- Money sent from a platform or processor's balance to the seller. With your own gateway, payouts follow your provider's schedule. Payout in the ShopFast docs
- Preorder
- Taking payment for a product before it's available, delivering when it's ready.
- Product feed
- A file listing your products, prices and availability for Google Merchant Center or Meta catalogs, so they can appear in shopping results and ads. Product feed in the ShopFast docs
- Product status
- A label telling buyers whether a product works right now (Working, Updating, Down). Common for software and keys, where buyers check before paying. Product status in the ShopFast docs
- Refund
- Money returned to the buyer by the seller, in full or in part, to the original payment method or as store credit. Unlike a chargeback, the seller chooses it. Guide: Refund policy
- Reseller
- A store that sells another seller's products, usually buying stock at a wholesale price or through an API. Reseller in the ShopFast docs
- Right of withdrawal
- EU, EEA and UK consumers' right to cancel an online purchase within 14 days. For digital content it ends once delivery starts, if the buyer asked for immediate delivery and acknowledged losing the right. Guide: Refund policy
- Self-custody
- Holding crypto in a wallet only you control. Payments to a self-custody wallet arrive directly, with no processor holding the funds. Guide: Crypto
- Serial key
- A license key, often one that identifies a specific copy of software. Sold and delivered the same way as other keys. Guide: License keys
- Stablecoin
- A cryptocurrency meant to hold a steady value against a currency such as the US dollar. USDT and USDC are the most common for payments. Guide: Crypto
- Store credit
- A balance a buyer can spend in your store, given as a refund, from a gift card overpayment or as a goodwill gesture.
- Subscription
- A product the buyer pays for every period (weekly, monthly, yearly) until they cancel. Guide: Memberships
- Velocity check
- A fraud rule that flags many orders or attempts from the same card, email, IP or device in a short time. Velocity check in the ShopFast docs
- Webhook
- A message one system sends another when something happens, like a payment completing. Stores use webhooks to deliver orders and update other tools. Webhook in the ShopFast docs
- xpub (extended public key)
- A key from a crypto wallet that lets a store create a fresh receiving address for every order without being able to spend the funds. Guide: Crypto
Keep reading
GuideHow to sell digital products online: the complete guideHow to sell digital products online, step by step: pick a product, set up a store, get paid by card, PayPal or crypto, deliver instantly and protect every sale.LearnPayment methods for digital products, comparedCards, PayPal, crypto, Cash App, gift cards and skins for digital goods: who holds the money, what can be reversed and what each method needs to connect.LearnGuides to selling digital productsPractical guides for digital product sellers: ideas, pricing, instant delivery, chargebacks, refunds, tax, selling on Discord and building a storefront that ranks.