Tarkle Send lets you monetize any transfer by enabling Charge for access during transfer creation. Recipients must complete a payment before they can open or download anything in the transfer.
How it works
The transfer modal runs in up to three steps. When you enable Charge for access on step 2, the modal adds a third step dedicated to payment configuration. Your transfer is not created until that step is complete.
The toggle lives in the Settings section of step 2, below the other access options. The label reads: Charge for access — Recipients pay before accessing files.
Step 3: Payment configuration
Once you check Charge for access and click Continue, step 3 collects:
Price — Required. A decimal number (e.g.
29.99). The submit button stays disabled until a price is entered.Currency — Pulled from your workspace currency setting. Read-only; not editable in this screen.
Product name — Optional. Defaults to the transfer title if left blank.
Category — A dropdown with predefined product categories from the platform's category list.
Description — Optional. Up to 150 characters. A live character count is shown below the field.
Show in store — A checkbox, visible only when sharing by link (not by email). Marks the product as featured in your public store.
All of this maps to a paymentConfig object sent to the API with isPaid: true.
What gets locked when charge for access is on
When Charge for access is enabled, certain other settings are disabled to prevent conflicts:
Setting | Link tab | Email tab | Reason |
Gated | Disabled | Disabled | Payment already acts as the gate |
Password protected | Disabled | Disabled | Payment already acts as the gate |
Burn after read | Disabled | Disabled | Chargeback risk if file is destroyed before recipient confirms receipt |
View only | Disabled | Disabled | Paid recipients receive full access |
Direct link | Available | N/A | Direct download is the expected experience for paid transfers |
Direct link remains available on the link tab. This means you can configure a paid transfer where the file downloads immediately after payment confirmation.
Share by Link vs. Share by email
Paid transfers work on both the Link and Email tabs.
By link — A shareable URL is generated. Anyone who receives the link is directed to a payment screen. The "Show in store" option is only available here.
By email — The transfer is sent directly to up to 30 recipients. Recipients pay to unlock access. The store option is hidden for email-sent paid transfers.
The flow is identical on both paths; only the distribution method differs.
Use Cases
Photographers selling galleries directly from a link
Agencies delivering final files after client payment
Consultants distributing premium templates or reports
Creators selling downloadable products without a separate storefront