The Playbook · COSTS
What an e-commerce store really costs
An online store has four cost lines: the build, the platform, the processor's cut on every order, and the care after launch. Most quotes show you one. Here is what each line looks like for a small store, what moves the build price up or down, and the margin math that says whether a store pays for itself before you spend anything.
What are the four cost lines?
The build is the one-time price for the store itself. The platform is the monthly fee for whatever runs it. The processor's cut is the slice of every order that goes to whoever handles the card. The care is what it costs to keep the store working after launch. A quote that names only the build is hiding three of the four.
What moves the build price?
My floors are public: a Signature build starts at $2,500 and a Flagship build at $5,000, and a store sits above a plain business site of the same size because a store has a checkout that has to be right. Above the floor, five things move the number: the size of the catalog, product variants like sizes and colours, shipping rules by zone, tax setup, and anything the store has to talk to, such as inventory or accounting.
The cost calculator on the free tools page runs the same logic I quote with and has an e-commerce option. The six-tap estimator on the start page gives a tighter range.
What does the platform cost?
A monthly fee, and the right one depends on how you sell. Shopify charges more and includes more; WooCommerce is cheaper to run and needs someone watching it. The Shopify versus WooCommerce matchup decides it in a page, and the Square versus Stripe matchup covers the processor.
The processor's cut
Every order pays a slice to whoever runs the card. It is the same on every platform within a rounding error, so it should never be the reason to pick one. What matters is that the cut is in your margin math from day one.
What does care cost after launch?
Stores break more often than brochure sites: a shipping rate changes, a plugin updates, a product photo goes missing. On the plans page, care runs $149, $349 or $749 a month, month-to-month, cancel with 30 days' notice. Priority adds store and app monitoring. Local SEO is separate, bundled at $1,664 or $3,149 a month.
Does the store pay for itself?
Do this before you spend anything. Take your average order, subtract the product cost and the processor's cut, and that is what one order earns. Divide the build price by that number and you have the count of orders that pays for the store. If that count is a month of sales, build it. If it is three years, sell through a marketplace or a payment link instead; the alternatives play covers both.
The e-commerce service page says what a store from me includes, and the store mistakes play lists what quietly kills the orders you do get.
What else do owners ask?
Is Shopify cheaper than a custom store?
Cheaper to start, often more expensive by year three once the apps stack up. The honest comparison depends on your catalog and how much you want to own, which is what the platform matchup on this site decides.
Do I pay for hosting separately?
On Shopify, no, it is inside the fee. On WooCommerce or a custom store, yes, and it is a small line that a care plan usually manages for you.
What is the cheapest way to sell online?
A payment link for a handful of products, or a marketplace if you need its buyers. Both cost almost nothing to start. A store of your own wins once the customers are already yours and the commission is the biggest line.
Your move. Call or text (847) 387-0244, or price your build in six taps and I call you with the exact number.
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