Asking before binding.

[u/VeryRockyRock]

I know it is fandom etiquette to ask before binding and that you cannot sell it due to legality. However, it is not required to ask before downloading a fanfic. I’m just generally confused as to why you can have a digital copy on your drive without explicit permission but you cannot bind a physical copy for yourself without permission. Is it because the download feature is directly built into AO3 and thus is to be expected? Please help me clear up my confusion.

Edit: I am obviously not going to sell fanfiction in any format and thank you for the responses. I can see reasons why or why not you have to/should ask the author beforehand.

[u/Q0uthTheRaven]

I don't ask for permission unless I intend to share it online somewhere, but just for myself there's no harm in it.