How much does it cost to start an online store?

The cost of starting an online store is the sum of seven parts: the platform plan, a domain name, payment fees, shipping, apps, product photos and marketing. Some are monthly, some are per sale, and some are one-off. Add them up for your own shop before you compare plans.

We do not quote a single number here, because it depends on what you sell and how you ship. This guide gives you a worksheet so you can build your own figure.

What are the cost categories?

Sort every cost into one of three groups:

• Fixed monthly: the platform plan, paid apps, email tools.
• Per sale: payment fees, shipping labels, packaging, returns.
• One-off: domain registration, photos, a logo, legal pages, samples.

This split matters because per-sale costs grow with your sales, while fixed costs are there from day one.

1. What does the platform cost?

This is the plan you pay to run the store. Compare what each plan includes, not just the headline. Check for limits on stores, team members, and features such as your own domain or product feeds.

On morebasket, Starter covers one store with the AI store builder and Shopmate, plus orders, products, stock and customers. Pro adds your own domain, creator tools, buy-button widgets, the Google and Meta product feed, price lists, gift cards and store credit. Business adds several stores from one login, the AI workforce with more agents and jobs, more team members, help moving from another platform and priority support. The pricing page shows the current plans.

2. Do I need to pay for a domain?

You need a web address. If you use the platform’s address, you pay nothing extra, but a name of your own looks more established. You buy a domain from a registrar, usually as a yearly fee. Check the renewal terms as well as the first-year offer.

On morebasket, a store gets a morebasket address on Starter, and you can use your own domain on the Pro plan. For naming ideas, read how to name your online store.

3. What are payment fees?

Every card payment has a fee. With morebasket, payments go through your own Stripe or PayPal account at your provider’s rates, so check your provider’s current fee page. Some platforms add their own fee on top of the provider’s, so ask. Fees can also change by country, card type and currency. See Payments for how the connection works.

4. How much will shipping cost?

Shipping is often the largest cost per order. Plan for packaging, labels or carrier charges, and returns. Decide whether you charge customers for shipping, build it into prices, or offer free shipping above an order total.

morebasket supports shipping profiles, shipping options and manual fulfilment, and rate shopping through Shippo across the carrier accounts you have connected. Read Shipping to see how options are set up. For digital products, this cost drops to zero.

5. Which apps will I pay for?

On some platforms, basics such as reviews, product feeds or wholesale pricing are paid add-ons. List the apps you think you will need, then ask whether the feature is built in. Built-in features can cut your monthly bill and the number of tools you maintain.

6. What do photos and content cost?

Good photos sell products. You can hire a photographer, or use a phone and daylight. Our guide to product photos with a phone shows how. Copywriting for product pages is another cost. The AI store builder drafts page copy and an initial catalog, which you review and edit.

7. How much should I plan for marketing?

Marketing is optional on day one, but a store with no visitors makes no sales. Options range from free (social posts, email to friends) to paid (ads). A free first step is to send your products to Google and Meta, which uses the product feed on the Pro plan.

How do I estimate my own cost?

Use this worksheet. Fill in the figures from each provider’s current pricing page, not from memory.

Item	Type	Your figure
Platform plan	Monthly
Domain	Yearly
Paid apps	Monthly
Payment fees	Per sale
Shipping and packaging	Per sale
Photos and branding	One-off
Marketing	Monthly

Then do two calculations:

1. Month-one cash: add every one-off cost plus one month of the fixed costs.
2. Break-even: add your fixed costs for a month, then divide by the profit you make on one average order after per-sale costs. That is the number of orders you need each month to cover your fixed costs.

If the break-even number feels out of reach, change one input at a time: a lower plan, fewer apps, or a higher price.

Which costs do people miss?

• Taxes, which vary by country and region. Ask an accountant. morebasket has tax regions, but check what applies to you.
• Returns and refunds, which cost you shipping and sometimes the product.
• Your own time. If you build every page by hand, that is a real cost.
• Stock you buy before you sell.

Next step

Fill in the worksheet with real figures, then compare the platform line with the pricing page. If you want to see how fast a draft store comes together, read create your first store.