Turn ideas into income: Sell patterns, designs & courses successfully online

Overview

• Finances & predictable income
• Reach & visibility
• Market data & trends
• Security & tech
• Content quality & bestseller tips
• Our service package in detail
• Practical tips for your success
• The VAT rules (explained simply)
• Your payout: The formula in detail
• All benefits at a glance
• Sources & further info

What you can expect financially – simple, predictable, fair

Our payout is clearly defined—so you can reliably plan your income.

• From your gross price, 70% is yours—minus the VAT included in that gross amount. No extra fees per sale, no listing fees. That makes your income predictable: You calculate once and know what you keep.
• Zero fixed costs for uploading: Uploading costs €0. Fees only apply when you make sales—never before.
• Steady for years: Our model has been consistent since we launched in spring 2013—so for over 10 years—and is built for the long term: planning security instead of zig‑zag fees and a confusing jungle of hidden charges.

In short: You focus on content. We handle the rest—including reach, tech, payment processing, and much more.

Reach that makes you visible – organic and paid

Visibility comes from the interplay of community, editorial placements, and performance marketing.

• Newsletter, social & community: Proven levers like the Crazypatterns newsletter with hundreds of thousands of active subscribers, Pinterest as a long-term traffic source, plus Instagram/Facebook and a blog/forum for positioning yourself as an expert. We’ll show you how to use these channels efficiently.
• Paid reach: We invest our own money in paid campaigns (including Google Ads and social ads) so more buyers discover your products.
• Strong base: 10+ years on the market, 1M+ users, 30M+ downloads and 100,000+ files—this ecosystem brings measurable demand to your shop.

This is how new buyers regularly find their way to your products.

Market research: We give you the data that helps you sell

Make decisions based on data instead of gut feeling.

• Representative DIY study 2025 (DE, n = 1,004) – collected with renowned partners. Result: More than half knit/crochet at least weekly, around 45% even several times a week up to daily; relaxation is the main motive (~90%); ideas mainly come from online sources. These facts help you plan topics and seasons.
• Community preferences: Crochet is in the lead; detailed percentages and long-term loyalty show that crafting is not a short-lived trend.
• Price sweet spot based on real purchases: An internal analysis of ~10 million orders shows which price ranges convert most often. This helps you position new products with data—not by gut feeling.

That way you plan topics and prices more precisely—with a higher hit rate.

Security & trust – technically state-of-the-art

Trust comes from robust tech, clear processes, and transparent communication.

• Our emails are secured with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. We also explain how to recognize real emails and avoid phishing. This strengthens trust in your shop and reduces support cases.
• We host on infrastructure with ISO/IEC 27001 certification and use 100% renewable energy (DE/FI, documented), very efficient PUE values (average 1.13) and air cooling without cooling water. More security and a measurably more efficient operation—good for performance and peace of mind.
• Step by step, we are introducing advanced and forward-looking features that improve search, recommendations, and fraud detection, bot protection, and accessibility—legally compliant, privacy-first, and of course with a human in the loop.

Result: Stable operations, better email deliverability, and less support work.

Content quality: We help you build bestsellers faster

Good content sells better—and we give you practical help.

• Clear tips on titles, photos, descriptions, categories, service—plus checklists and marketing priorities. This saves you time and avoids expensive trial-and-error rounds.
• Expert guides meant to answer customer questions before they buy: For example “Understanding yarn labels” (seals, fiber choice, care, checklist). The guide includes, for example, a section specifically for authors on how to mention care instructions, certifications, and alternatives—which can reduce follow-up questions and increase trust in your patterns.

This means fewer questions and better ratings in the long run.

Your 30% service package – what we take off your plate

The 30% bundles services you would otherwise have to buy or organize separately.

What’s included in the 30%: Tech & hosting, secure payment processing (no extra costs for you), reach, continuous development & security, personal support – plus guides and checklists for better sales and much more.

• Upload is free; instant download once payment is received – no manual sending.
• Payment processing is included in the 30% share; there are no additional fees for you at checkout.
• Payout: Convenient and bundled—significantly less bookkeeping effort for you.
• Reach & demand: Newsletter placements, community spots, editorial topics, data insights—plus our paid reach.
• Security & trust: Email authentication, clear anti-phishing guidance, ISO-certified data center parks, continuous product development.
• Content & support: Checklists, guides, and contacts—so your content becomes bestsellers faster.

You gain time for content—we take care of tech, handling, reach, security, and support.

In practice: How to use Crazypatterns effectively

Here’s how to put everything into practice step by step.

1. Build your product range
   Start with a few strong patterns in a clear topic focus. Aim for 8+ bright, sharp product photos, a structured description (scope, sizes, materials, level), and complete tags/categories.
2. Test your price in the sweet spot
   Use the proven ranges as your starting point—and then adjust with real data. Avoid extremes unless you have a clear premium or entry-level goal.
3. Multiply your reach
   Plan 3–5 Pinterest pins per pattern, optionally use newsletter advertising (season/trend), and share story snippets on social. Community posts (blog/forum) strengthen your expert position.
4. Increase buyer confidence
   Include material labels/care instructions in the PDF (e.g., mention GOTS/RWS/OEKO-TEX where appropriate)—this reduces follow-up questions, increases satisfaction, and improves ratings.
5. Scale for the long term
   Use insights from our studies (e.g., demand rhythm, motives, sources of inspiration) for your release plan and marketing calendar.

With these steps, you can build reach and revenue sustainably.

Explanation: Why Crazypatterns must remit VAT for digital downloads itself—and cannot delegate it to authors

Why this matters: So you don’t have to deal with international tax law.

Digital downloads & VAT (B2C)
Downloads of PDFs/templates are electronically supplied services (e-services). For B2C sales, the relevant country is the buyer’s country of residence; the VAT rate of the buyer’s country applies.

Platform = supplier
If a platform is involved in the supply (e.g., payment, download, terms and conditions) and controls the sale, it is treated as a “deemed supplier” for VAT. In that case, it may not explicitly indicate another person as the supplier—VAT is owed by the platform.

Case law
The CJEU confirmed this rule (Case C-695/20 – “Fenix/OnlyFans”): You cannot delegate the VAT supplier role by contract if the platform exercises the controls mentioned above.

How this applies to Crazypatterns
Because Crazypatterns controls checkout, terms and conditions, and the download for digital sales, Crazypatterns is the supplier to end customers and must calculate, report, and remit VAT in the buyer’s country (in practice via OSS).

In short: For digital B2C downloads on a platform like Crazypatterns, the platform itself is the VAT supplier—transferring the VAT obligation to authors is legally excluded.

This applies when:
(a) the platform accepts or authorizes the payment,
(b) the platform provides the download link or controls delivery, or
(c) the platform sets the terms and conditions of the supply.
Any one of these points is enough for the platform to be treated as the supplier and owe the VAT itself.

Payout formula

Legend:

• P_gross – gross sale price (incl. VAT)
• r – VAT rate as a decimal (e.g., 0.19 for 19%)

Note: The formula matches the wording “70% of the gross price, minus the VAT included in that gross amount”. It is equivalent to Pgross · (0.70 − r/(1 + r)) and makes it clear that statutory VAT is not part of the payout.

Your benefit in one sentence

Crazypatterns combines a predictable 70% payout with real demand, professional handling, security, and sustainable infrastructure—and also boosts your visibility through its own marketing investments.

If you’re ready, upload your first pattern—and use our tools, data, and reach to turn your creativity into reliable income.

Sources and further information

• EU Implementing Regulation 282/2011, Art. 9a (platform presumption, e-services) – incl. the wording “shall not be permitted to explicitly indicate another person as the supplier”. (EUR‑Lex)
• CJEU, Case C‑695/20 – Fenix/OnlyFans (28 Feb 2023) – confirms the validity of Art. 9a. (Publications Office / EUR‑Lex)
• EU Commission: VAT e‑Commerce – One Stop Shop (OSS) – background & how it works (non‑Union/Union/import scheme).
• HMRC (UK): VAT rules for supplies of digital services to consumers – place of supply & platform liability.
• Swiss Federal Tax Administration (CH): VAT liability – foreign companies – registration obligation for companies based abroad when supplying services in Switzerland.
• The Green Grid: Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) – definition and methodology of the metric.
• DMARC.org – overview of DMARC (builds on SPF & DKIM).
• Hetzner – ISO/IEC 27001 certification (DE/FI) – official proof.
• Hetzner – sustainability FAQs – 100% renewable energy & average PUE ≈ 1.13.

Note: This is not legal or tax advice. We’ve put this together carefully, but the current laws are what count. Figures are from internal analytics.

Last updated: September 2025.