BusinessHow-to
How to Start a Shopify Store: Step-by-Step Setup (2026)
Step-by-step guide to starting a Shopify store: trial, plan, products, payments, shipping, taxes, domain, theme, policies, test checkout, and launch—after you have decided Shopify is the right fit.
Affiliate disclosure: This article contains affiliate links. If you sign up through one of our links, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. This does not change our editorial analysis below.
This guide assumes you already decided Shopify fits your business. If you are still comparing platforms or modeling cost, read Shopify for beginners and our Shopify review for small business first. Those pages cover fit, total fees, and common beginner mistakes; this page is the execution checklist once you are ready to click through admin settings.
Below is a practical launch sequence—order matters less than completing each block before you spend on ads. Block roughly one admin session per major step so you do not mix payment verification with theme tweaks.
1. Create your store
Sign up on Shopify’s site and name your store. You will get a temporary .myshopify.com admin URL that customers can use until you connect a custom domain. Confirm your email, set a strong admin password, and store recovery codes—this account controls payouts, customer data, and app permissions. Pick a store name you can live with on invoices and shipping labels; renaming later is possible but creates admin cleanup.
2. Choose plan or trial
Shopify frequently runs trial and introductory offers (verify live in your country). During experimentation, monthly billing can be safer than annual prepay if you might pivot offers or pause the project. Before committing yearly, model total cost in our Shopify pricing guide and fee examples at the sales volume you expect in six to twelve months—not zero orders forever.
3. Add products
In Products, create your first SKU with title, description, price, weight for shipping, at least one photo, and inventory tracking if you stock physical goods. Write shipping-relevant weights honestly; flat-rate quotes fail when defaults stay at zero. Import CSV later if you have a large catalog—start manual for one or two SKUs so you understand required fields before bulk upload errors appear.
4. Configure payments
In Settings → Payments, enable Shopify Payments if available in your country. Complete identity and banking verification early—payout delays block launch even when the storefront looks ready. If you must use a third-party gateway, read how Shopify transaction fees apply in our fees guide; external gateways can add platform fees on top of gateway charges.
5. Configure shipping
In Settings → Shipping and delivery, define at least one shipping zone and rate. Beginners often use flat-rate domestic shipping until order volume justifies carrier-calculated rates. Document what is included in shipping price (packaging, handling time) so customer support stays consistent. For local pickup, enable pickup options if your plan and region support them and you have a safe handoff process.
6. Configure taxes
In Settings → Taxes, enable collection for regions where you have obligation. Shopify can automate much US sales tax; international VAT and GST rules vary—confirm with a tax professional for your entity rather than copying another merchant’s settings. Fixing tax on live orders is painful; spend time here before removing password protection from the storefront. Document which states or countries you collect in so future SKU launches do not accidentally ship tax-free to regulated regions.
7. Connect or buy a domain
Under Settings → Domains, connect an existing domain or purchase one through Shopify or a registrar you already use. Keep DNS changes documented with timestamps so you know when propagation finished. Marketing before a custom domain works for tests, but trust and email deliverability convert better on your brand URL for paid campaigns. If you use external email, verify MX records do not conflict with Shopify DNS instructions.
8. Choose and customize a theme
Under Online Store → Themes, pick a free theme, then set logo, colors, typography, and homepage sections. Hide unused templates to reduce clutter in navigation. Deep customization may require Liquid or a developer—acceptable after first sales, not a launch blocker. Preview mobile layout; most checkout traffic is mobile. Set favicon and social sharing image early so test links look credible.
9. Add policies and essential pages
Create Refund, Shipping, Privacy, and Terms of Service pages (Shopify provides templates—edit for your business). Add About and Contact pages with real contact paths. Link policies in the footer—payment providers and ad platforms expect visible policies before scaling spend. Match refund language to how you actually handle returns to reduce chargebacks later. If you sell internationally, confirm whether privacy copy mentions cookies and analytics tools you enable after launch. Store policy URLs in your internal runbook so support can link customers without searching the theme editor during a dispute.
10. Test checkout
Place a real test order end to end: use a live payment method, then refund. Confirm order email, inventory change, tax amounts, and shipping selection on mobile. Fix payment or shipping errors before announcing launch; social traffic amplifies checkout bugs quickly. Repeat the test after any change to shipping zones or payment settings. Ask a colleague to complete checkout on their phone—fresh eyes catch confusing shipping labels or missing policy links you stopped noticing.
11. Launch
Remove password protection under Online Store → Preferences when policies, payments, and test orders succeed. Submit your sitemap in Google Search Console, connect analytics, and turn on only the apps you need—each subscription adds to monthly cost. Announce launch only after someone on your team can reproduce checkout without help. Keep a rollback plan (password on, pause ads) for the first 48 hours.
After launch
- Retail or POS: see Shopify for small business retail
- Dropshipping suppliers: see Shopify dropshipping starter guide
- Platform doubt after launch: best Shopify alternatives
Schedule a two-week post-launch review for shipping exceptions, refund requests, and app spend so small issues do not compound. Capture customer questions from support—they often reveal missing FAQ or unclear policy wording on the storefront.
FAQ
How long from signup to first real sale?
Many merchants launch in under two weeks part-time if they already have product photos and policies drafted. Complex catalogs, international markets, or custom theme work take longer—budget buffer time before promising customers a hard launch date.
Do I need apps on day one?
No—add apps when a concrete workflow breaks without them (email capture, reviews, subscriptions). Every app adds monthly cost and admin surface area; start lean and measure before installing bundles marketed to new stores.
Where is fee and plan breakeven math?
Use Shopify transaction fees for subscription plus processing plus third-party fees with worked examples. This setup guide intentionally avoids duplicating fee tables so numbers stay maintained in one cluster article.