Patreon and Ream are direct sales channels in the most literal sense — readers pay you directly for your content, with no retail platform intermediary. But they operate on different economics and serve different purposes than a Shopify or Payhip store. This article covers when to use Patreon and Ream, when to use your own store instead, how they complement each other, and how to connect them so supporters on one platform can become buyers on the other.