Getting started
How to sell on Shopify
You can sell on Shopify in an afternoon: pick the Basic plan, a theme, add products, connect payments, and publish. The trap is the apps — most stores don’t need half of them. Keep it lean: store, payments, two apps, and the fastest path to a real first order.
The real cost of Shopify
| Item | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Basic plan | $29–39/month | Annual billing lowers it |
| Transaction fees | 0% with Shopify Payments | ~2%+ without it |
| Apps | $0–30/month each | Start with two |
| Theme | Free or $150–350 | Free themes are fine |
| Domain | $15/year | Or keep yours |
The setup, in order
- 01
Sign up and pick the Basic plan.
- 02
Connect your domain.
- 03
Enable Shopify Payments — it removes the extra transaction fee.
- 04
Pick a theme and build one strong product page, not twelve empty ones.
- 05
Write shipping and return policies.
- 06
Publish. A store that takes orders beats a “coming soon” page.
The apps you actually need
Email — Klaviyo or Shopify Email for abandoned carts and offers.
Reviews — social proof on the product page.
A shipping discount app if you offer free-shipping thresholds.
Skip the “growth” apps that promise traffic — the traffic is on you.
The honest part
Shopify doesn’t bring customers. It takes their money — the traffic is on you.
What most stores get wrong
Launching without a first-customer plan, building twelve pages of “coming soon,” and polishing the design for three months before anyone can buy. The store is the easy part — the content, posting, and admin after launch are the ongoing work.
A lean store that takes real orders beats a full one nobody visits.
Next step
Build your store with Clymb
Tell Clymb what you’re building and the store, brand, and social content get built and deployed — not a template, an actual business.