How to start a Shopify store: step by step (2026)

By BLAZE · Last checked 1 November 2026

A plain guide for small businesses in the US, Asia, New Zealand and Australia. Plan facts come from Shopify's own pricing pages. Shopify notes that features and payment options vary by country.

1. Start the free trial

Shopify offers a 3-day free trial with no credit card. After that, most plans are US$1/month for the first 3 months, then standard pricing. You can cancel any time, and there are no setup fees.

2. Pick a plan

The prices you see depend on where you're browsing from. We have not verified AUD or Asian-currency prices. POS Pro, for physical shops, costs US$89/month per location extra.

3. Design your store

Start from a pre-built template, or generate a store from a prompt. Shopify's built-in AI assistant, Sidekick, can help along the way.

4. Add products

Every plan lets you sell unlimited products and includes inventory management and up to 10 inventory locations (200 on Plus).

5. Set up payments

Shopify Payments has the lowest fees but is only available in certain countries. On Basic, the US online card rate is 2.9% + 30¢ and the NZ rate is 2.65% + NZ$0.30. If you use a third-party payment provider instead, Shopify adds a 2% fee on Basic (1% Grow, 0.6% Advanced, 0.2% Plus). In Asia, check whether Shopify Payments covers your country before you choose a plan.

6. Shipping, taxes and selling abroad

You can buy and print shipping labels, and US shipping discounts go up to 87%. Shopify calculates sales tax automatically. With Shopify Markets you can translate your store, show local currencies and collect duties. Some of these need Shopify Payments.

7. Connect a domain and launch

Every store gets a free myshopify.com address. You can connect a domain you already own or buy one. Hosting, unlimited bandwidth and an SSL certificate are included.

8. Market it

Plans include email campaigns, customer segments, discount codes, abandoned-checkout recovery and selling on social channels and marketplaces. See our email marketing tools guide too.