When Shopify is a good fit
Shopify is a hosted platform: the software, hosting, security patches and checkout are run by Shopify, and you pay a monthly plan plus transaction-related costs. That suits brands that want to sell rather than maintain servers, whose catalogue fits Shopify's product and variant structure without heavy workarounds, and that are happy to extend the store with apps rather than custom code.
It is less comfortable when you need deep control over the checkout, unusual product logic, or full ownership of the code and data in one place. Those cases may point to WooCommerce, BigCommerce or a headless build. Our platform comparison sets out the trade-offs without a preferred answer.
What a Shopify build includes
| Area | What we set up |
|---|---|
| Theme | A free or paid theme configured for your brand, or a custom theme built from your design |
| Catalogue | Product types, variants, collections, metafields for specs and filters |
| Payments | Your payment provider, accepted cards and wallets, and how prices are displayed |
| Shipping | Zones, rates, free-shipping thresholds and click and collect if you offer it |
| Tax | GST settings so displayed prices include GST where you are registered |
| Apps | A short list of vetted apps, each with a stated job and monthly cost |
| Policies | Returns, delivery, privacy and terms pages linked from products and checkout |
| Tracking | Analytics and conversion tracking with consent where it applies |
Apps: fewer, chosen on purpose
Shopify's app store makes adding features easy, and each app can add scripts to your pages and a monthly fee to your bill. Two apps can also end up doing the same job. Price guides make the same point about costs: one Australian guide warns that a build quote that hides a large monthly app bill is not cheaper, only deferred[1], and another lists apps and integrations at roughly $50 to $500 or more a month[2].
Before we add an app, we write down what it does, what it costs each month, what data it can access and how it would be removed. If a theme setting or a few lines of theme code can do the job, that is usually the better choice.
Checkout and payments
Shopify runs the checkout itself, which takes most payment card handling off your hands. Shopify states that its checkout is designed to meet PCI DSS version 4 requirements with no additional merchant work[3]. You still have responsibilities: your payment settings, the apps you allow near checkout, and the accuracy of what the checkout shows. The PCI DSS guide explains what a hosted checkout does and does not cover.
Since 1 October 2026, card surcharges on eftpos, Mastercard and Visa payments are no longer allowed under network rules that followed the Reserve Bank's review, and the RBA says American Express and UnionPay have also decided to remove surcharging, with PayPal following on 5 October 2026[4]. If your store added a card fee at checkout, that setting needs to go. The pricing and surcharges guide covers what changed.
GST and price display
If your business is registered for GST, Australian shoppers should see GST-inclusive prices. The ACCC expects the displayed total to include taxes and all unavoidable fees[5], and the ATO requires registration once GST turnover reaches $75,000[6]. We set Shopify's tax settings so catalogue prices, cart and checkout agree, and we check the result with real test orders. The GST guide has the details.
Shopify plans and running costs
We do not resell Shopify plans. You sign up directly so the account is yours. As a guide to scale, one Australian price guide lists the Basic plan at $56 a month on monthly billing and Shopify Plus at $3,700 a month on a one- or three-year term, as at May 2026[2]. Plans and prices change, so check Shopify's own pricing page before you decide.
Shopify build stages
- Scope and settings plan. Catalogue structure, apps, payment and shipping decisions written down and agreed.
- Theme work. Configuration of a chosen theme or development of a custom one in a separate theme so your live store is untouched.
- Data setup. Products, collections and policies loaded, or migrated from your old platform with a redirect map.
- Test orders. Real orders through each payment and shipping option, refunds tested, emails checked.
- Launch and review. Domain connected, redirects live, tracking verified, and a review two weeks after launch.
After launch
Shopify handles platform updates, so ongoing work is mostly about content, apps and small improvements. Some stores need nothing more from us. Others take a care plan for theme updates, app reviews and seasonal changes. Either way, your team gets handover notes covering how to add products, run sales and edit pages without breaking the theme.
Questions
Do you build custom Shopify themes?
Yes, when the design calls for it. Many stores are better served by a well-built paid theme with targeted changes, which costs less and is easier to update.
Can you move my existing store to Shopify?
Yes. We map products, customers, order history and URLs, then set up redirects. See store migration.
Will you set up Shopify Payments?
We help you choose and configure a payment provider. The account itself is opened in your business name so payouts go directly to you.
Do you work with Shopify Plus?
Yes. Plus adds features such as checkout extensibility and automation that some larger stores need. We will say whether those features justify the higher plan for your store.
Sources
Opened and checked on 3 November 2026. Each entry says what kind of source it is.
- Shopify Website Cost Australia 2026: $2,000-$30,000 Verified Pricing. What's The Damage, updated November 2026. Commercial publisher, referral site
- How Much Does Shopify Website Cost in 2026 | Full Shopify Pricing Guide. WP Creative, 6 May 2026. Commercial publisher
- Simplifying PCI DSS Version 4 Compliance with Shopify's Checkout (2025). Shopify, 13 February 2025. Vendor
- Frequently Asked Questions: Removal of Card Payment Surcharges From 1 October 2026. Reserve Bank of Australia, 2026. Regulator
- Price displays. ACCC, updated 2 October 2026. Regulator
- Registering for GST. Australian Taxation Office, updated 14 September 2026. Government