License keys are the easiest digital product to deliver and the easiest to get wrong. A key has to reach the buyer the second they pay, it can never go to two people, and the buyer needs somewhere to turn when it stops working. This guide covers how that works, what to set up, and the mistakes that cost sellers money.
What you need before you sell keys
- Keys you’re allowed to sell. Keys for your own software, or keys you’re an authorized reseller for. Stolen, leaked or fraudulently bought keys, key generators and cracks are not allowed on ShopFast (what you can sell).
- A store and a checkout. Buyers need a product page that shows the price of each duration and a checkout that works on a phone.
- A way to get paid. Cards, PayPal, crypto, or all three.
- Automatic delivery. If you’re pasting keys into emails by hand, every sale you make while asleep is a support ticket in the morning.
How key delivery works
On ShopFast every product option has its own key pool. Keys are sealed (encrypted) the moment you add them, and a key you paste twice is dropped. When a payment confirms, checkout takes one unused key from the option’s pool, marks it sold and shows it to the buyer on their order page. The same key is in the receipt email and in the buyer’s library, so a lost email never means a lost key.
Because a key is taken from the pool only once, two buyers paying at the same moment still get different keys. An option can also draw from a shared pool when its own runs out, which helps when several durations unlock the same software.
Payment confirmation is strict. An order is created, and its key handed out, only when the payment really came from the provider, is for that exact checkout, and covers the exact total in the right currency. A payment a cent short delivers nothing. See how every payment is checked.
Sell keys with durations
Most key sellers sell time: a day to try, a week, a month, or lifetime access. Put each duration on one product as its own option, not as four separate products. Buyers compare prices in one place, and each duration keeps its own price and its own pool.
| Option | Price | Key pool |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Day | Your trial price | Keys that run for a day |
| 7 Days | Your weekly price | Keys that run for a week |
| 30 Days | Your monthly price | Keys that run for a month |
| Lifetime | Your one-time price | Keys that never expire |
Buyers of duration keys can also turn on auto-renew at checkout: their card is charged again each period, with retries when a card is declined, and they get a fresh key without coming back to your store (auto-renew). For pricing ideas, see how to price digital products.
Tell buyers whether it works right now
Buyers of software keys check one thing before paying: does it work today? Give every product a status: Working, Updated, Testing, Updating, Not working or Down, with one short note such as “Updated for version 4.2”. It shows on the product page, the product cards and your store’s status page, which buyers can subscribe to. If something breaks, auto-pause can stop sales of that product until it’s fixed, so nobody pays for a key that won’t work (product status).
Replace keys without a support ticket
Keys sometimes fail: a typo at the source, an activation limit, a revoked batch. Set a replacement policy on the product (a time window, how many replacements per key, whether you want a reason or a screenshot, automatic or reviewed). Buyers press Key not working? on their order page. A fresh key comes from the same option’s pool and the old one is revoked. Reviewed requests land in your claims queue instead of your inbox.
Stop fraud before a key leaves
Keys are instant and can’t be taken back, which makes them a favorite target for stolen cards. Fraud Shield checks every checkout with blocklists, VPN and proxy checks, velocity limits, a risk score and your own rules. It can ask for an email code or 3-D Secure first, and it holds suspicious orders until you approve them. You can also set order limits per payment method: for example, card orders up to an amount and a lower limit on a buyer’s first card order (order limits). More in preventing chargebacks on digital goods.
Get paid the way your buyers pay
Connect your own gateway and ShopFast takes no fee on those orders: Stripe, PayPal, Square, Paddle, Mollie and others, or crypto straight to your own wallet (BTC, LTC, ETH, USDC and USDT). With most gateways the payment form opens over your checkout, so buyers never leave your store. Compare every option in payment methods for digital products.
Sell keys beyond your store
- Discord. Buyers can run /buy in your server, and your team can look up orders, restock and resend invoices with /lookup, /restock and /push-invoice. See how to sell on Discord.
- Resellers. Let other stores resell your keys through the wholesale portal and the reseller API.
- Your own site. Put a buy button or the whole checkout on a page you already have with embeds.
Already selling keys somewhere else?
The import in Settings → Import → Move your store brings your products, their durations and your unsold keys from SellAuth, Shoppy, Sellhub, Sellix and Billgang exports. Unsold keys arrive sealed in each option’s pool and sold keys are skipped, so nothing is handed out twice. You see everything before it’s written, and one click undoes the whole import (moving your store).
Step by step
1. Create the product
In Products → Add product, pick License key. Name it after what the key unlocks and add a description, images and the platform it runs on.
2. Add durations as options
Add one option per duration (for example 1 Day, 7 Days, 30 Days and Lifetime), each with its own price.
3. Fill each option's key pool
Paste or upload the keys for each option. They are sealed as they arrive and duplicates are dropped. Set a low-stock threshold so you hear before a pool runs dry.
4. Connect how you get paid
In Money → Payments, connect your own gateway (Stripe, PayPal, crypto to your own wallet and more) or apply for ShopFast Pay.
5. Run a test sale
Press Simulate first sale on Get started. It runs a real order through checkout and delivery with a TEST- key, so your pool is never touched.
Questions sellers ask
Can two buyers ever get the same key?
No. Each key in a pool is handed out once. A sale takes one unused key from the option's pool and marks it sold, so two buyers paying at the same moment still get different keys. Keys you add twice are dropped as duplicates.
What happens when a pool is running out?
Each option has a low-stock threshold. When its pool drops below it, ShopFast sends a stock alert so you can restock before buyers see the option as unavailable. Your team can also restock from Discord with the /restock command.
Can I take a key back after a refund?
A key that was already delivered can't be taken back: the buyer has seen it. A full refund still ends whatever the order granted over time, such as a membership, a Discord role or Telegram access. Say in your refund policy how you handle keys.
Does ShopFast take a fee on every key I sell?
Not when buyers pay through your own gateway or crypto wallet: only your provider's own fees apply and the money goes straight to you. ShopFast Pay, where ShopFast is the merchant of record, has its own fees, listed on the pricing page.
Can I sell keys without building a website?
Yes. Every store gets an address on shopfa.st with a ready-made template, so you can share a link the day you sign up. You can also put buy buttons or the whole checkout on a site you already have.