Getting Started
Why OWNED Matters: The Sovereignty Thesis
Traditional commerce platforms make you a tenant. Your store, customer data, and transaction history exist at the platform's discretion. One policy change, one payment processor's decision, one algorithm flag—and your business can disappear.
OWNED inverts this. You operate on rails you control.
Instant Settlement
Smart contracts execute settlement without intermediaries. USDC goes directly to your wallet.
Permanent Storage
IPFS makes your media and metadata immutable and uncensorable. It exists independent of any platform.
Non-Custodial
OWNED never holds your funds. Your private keys are yours. No holds, no freezes, no review periods.
Portable Reputation
Community reputation lives on-chain and is portable across platforms. You own your history.
Account Onboarding
Getting started takes under 2 minutes. No crypto experience required.
Non-Custodial Magic Link Sign In
Fund Your Wallet
You're Ready to Sell
- • Get Sepolia ETH from Alchemy/Infura faucet (free)
- • Use test USDC (mint via the interface)
- • Safe to experiment — no real funds
- • Bridge USDC from Ethereum to Base via Uniswap
- • Hold a small amount of ETH for gas
- • Base gas is cheap — typically <$0.01 per transaction
Building Your Store
Your store doesn't need to be "created" — it emerges from your wallet. Your address is your store's on-chain identifier, giving you permanence that no platform can revoke.
Navigate to your profile/store settings panel
Your brand name — publicly visible and stored on-chain
Mission statement stored on IPFS, pinned to your contract metadata
Upload an image — immediately pinned to IPFS
Twitter, Discord, and other profiles appear on your public store
Product Types & Setup
OWNED supports four core product types. Each has different delivery mechanics, metadata, and settlement patterns. Expand each to see how it works.
Revenue Mechanics
All prices are set in USDC — USD-pegged, no volatility adjustment required. Set once, holds forever.
| Display Price | USDC (6 decimals) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| $1.00 | 1,000,000 | Minimum practical price |
| $9.99 | 9,990,000 | Subscription tier example |
| $49.99 | 49,990,000 | Digital product sweet spot |
| $297.00 | 297,000,000 | Deploy store fee |
USDC has 6 decimal places. The on-chain value is always the display price × 1,000,000.
Coupons & Discount Codes
Coupons are custom discount codes you create and distribute manually — ideal for early backers, email lists, or partnership deals.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Coupon Code | Unique string (e.g., LAUNCH20, EARLYBIRD, BDAY50) |
| Discount % | 0–100%. E.g., 20 = 20% off the price at checkout |
| Applicable Products | All products, or select specific ones to target |
| Expiration | Date/time the code expires (optional — leave blank for permanent) |
| Max Uses | Cap redemptions (e.g., 50 uses max), or unlimited |
Affiliate Program
OWNED's affiliate system turns your customers into salespeople. Anyone — influencer, complementary creator, or buyer — can promote and earn a commission on sales they drive.
- 1Dashboard → Products → [Product] → Affiliate Settings
- 2Set commission % (e.g., 20%)
- 3Choose: Open program (anyone joins) or Curated (you approve)
- 4Save — OWNED generates unique affiliate links per product
- 1Navigate to any product page on OWNED
- 2Click Become an Affiliate
- 3Open: instant affiliate code granted. Curated: pending approval
- 4Share the link: owned.app/product/[id]?affiliate=handle
- 5Any buyer via that link is attributed to them
| Strategy | Commission | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Open Program + High Commission | 25–30% | Max reach, enthusiastic promotion |
| Curated Program + Standard | 15–20% | Quality partners, better support materials |
| Tiered (performance-based) | 10% → 15% → 20% | Incentivize growth and sustained effort |
Bundling
Bundles package multiple products at a discounted price — increasing average order value by 20–40% and simplifying buying decisions.
Reviewer Incentives
Reviews are your most valuable marketing asset. OWNED makes it easy to incentivize high-quality feedback without hiding the incentive — the transparency is the asset.
- 1Dashboard → Products → [Product] → Review Incentives — enable and set a % (e.g., 20%)
- 2At checkout, buyer sees: "Get 20% off by writing a review within 7 days"
- 3Buyer chooses: pay full price now (no review needed), or commit to review for 20% discount
- 4If they opt in, their purchase is flagged on-chain as "review_pending"
- 5When they submit a review (1–5 stars + text), it publishes with a transparent "Incentivized (20%)" tag
| Situation | Recommended Incentive |
|---|---|
| New product — need initial social proof | 25–30% |
| Established product — already has reviews | 10–15% or none |
| Premium / high-ticket product | 5–10% (lower volume needed) |
Managing Your Store
Editing
- •Dashboard → Products → Edit
- •Change title, description, images, price
- •Price changes apply to new purchases only
- •Edit affiliate %, review incentive %
- •Save — live on IPFS immediately
Archiving
- •Product disappears from storefront
- •Remains on-chain (accessible via direct link)
- •Cannot accept new purchases
- •Fully reversible — unarchive any time
- •More → Archive in product detail
Deleting
- •Permanent — rarely needed
- •Removed from on-chain marketplace
- •Existing buyers keep IPFS access
- •No new purchases possible
- •More → Delete → Confirm
For Buyers: Ownership & Trust
The Example
See the product in action — ebook preview, course demo, template screenshot.
The Build
Understand the technology. What tools were used? What's the architecture?
The Growth Plan
See how the creator plans to improve it. Future roadmap, iterations, value-adds.
Green badge — reviewer actually bought the item on OWNED.
Reviewer received a discount for feedback. Disclosed transparently so you can weigh it accordingly.
1–5 stars plus a comment. Creator can reply to address concerns or say thank you.
Admin & Platform Governance
Product Oversight
- •Feature top creations on the homepage
- •Hide products that violate platform guidelines
- •Flag sellers with patterns of refunds or chargebacks
Member Directory
- •View all registered accounts with wallet address
- •See social profiles linked and seller reputation
- •Review flagged accounts and restricted status
Asset Gifting
- •Grant free access to premium courses for partners
- •Award prizes to top sellers or contributors
- •Seed memberships for influencers and beta testers
Technical Appendix
| Component | Role & Details |
|---|---|
| Blockchain | Base (L2 Ethereum). Testnet: Base Sepolia. Mainnet: Base. All contracts, transactions, and reputation live here. Immutable and uncensorable. |
| Settlement | USDC (ERC-20 stablecoin). Settles directly to your wallet. No holds, no freezes, no middleman. |
| Storage | IPFS. All media, files, and metadata are pinned. Permanent, distributed, uncensorable. |
| Smart Contract | CreatorStore.sol. Open-source, audited, transparent. Handles products, purchases, payments, and reputation. |
When you sign in, your wallet address is linked to a CreatorStore contract on Base. Your address is the owner.
createProduct()Metadata is hashed and stored on-chain. Media is pinned to IPFS; the IPFS hash is stored in the contract.
purchase()Contract verifies USDC payment, records the buyer's address, and mints a receipt NFT or entry.
USDC transfers to your wallet immediately. No 7-day hold, no platform review.
Reviews are stored in your contract. Avg rating and count are publicly readable and tamper-proof.
| Action | Estimated Cost | Comparison |
|---|---|---|
| Create a product | ~$0.01–0.05 | vs. Gumroad: 10% of every sale |
| Make a purchase | ~$0.01–0.03 | vs. Stripe: 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction |
| Leave a review | ~$0.005–0.01 | vs. Traditional: impossible to put on-chain |
Ready to Stop Renting
Your Business?
Every tool in this guide — coupons, affiliates, bundles, incentives — is wired into one thesis: your business should outlast any single platform.
Build once. Own everything. © 2026 OWNED · IT