How to Start a Shopify Store
💰 $50–$150 to launch
⏱ First sale: weeks–months
🛍️ Any product, not just dropshipping
The 30-second version
Shopify's Basic plan runs ~$29/month, plus a domain and maybe an app or two. Be honest about the odds: about 60% of new stores earn under $1,000/month in their first year, roughly 20% reach $10,000+/month after 12–24 months, and only the top 10% clear $100,000+/month. Go in with that real distribution in mind, not the highlight-reel stories.
Shopify's Basic plan runs ~$29/month, plus a domain and maybe an app or two. Be honest about the odds: about 60% of new stores earn under $1,000/month in their first year, roughly 20% reach $10,000+/month after 12–24 months, and only the top 10% clear $100,000+/month. Go in with that real distribution in mind, not the highlight-reel stories.
Startup cost
$50–$150
Running cost (with ads)
$200–$600/mo
Year-one median
Under $1,000/mo
▶Watch this first
"How to Set up a Shopify Store in 2026 - Step by Step" — picked from a real creator, not a GigWiz production.
✓What you actually need to start
- A Shopify plan — Basic runs ~$29–39/month, more than enough for most beginners
- A domain (~$10–20/year) — buy through Shopify or connect an existing one
- A product source — dropshipping, print-on-demand, your own handmade goods, or wholesale
- A realistic monthly marketing budget once you're past setup
👣The steps
Sign up and set the basicsStore name, currency, location — Shopify's guided setup handles this in minutes.
Get a professional domainA real yourbrand.com address matters for buyer trust more than most beginners expect.
Choose a theme based on structure, not looksFocus on layout and features — colors and images can be customized later without switching themes.
Pick your product/fulfillment modelDropshipping, print-on-demand, or holding your own inventory — each has very different cash flow and margin profiles.
Set up payments and essential appsShopify Payments plus one or two essential apps (reviews, email) is enough to start — resist the urge to install everything.
Treat month 1–3 as a data-collection phaseGet first sales and gather data in month 1, aim for ad break-even in month 2, refine products in months 3–4 — this is the realistic timeline, not week one profitability.
💵The money, honestly
| Outcome tier (after 1 year) | Share of stores |
|---|---|
| Under $1,000/month | ~60% |
| $10,000+/month (after 12–24 mo) | ~20% |
| $100,000+/month | Top 10% |
Realistic monthly budget for a lean setup: Basic plan + domain + one or two apps + a modest test ad budget lands around $200–600/month for beginners.
⚠ The reality check
- The real income distribution is humbling. Most new stores earn under $1,000/month in year one — the viral "$10K in a week" stories are the exception, not the norm.
- Ad costs are higher and competition denser than five years ago. The gap between launching and running a genuinely profitable store has widened in 2026.
- "Store sales" is not the same as "profit." Fees, refunds, product cost, and ad spend all come out before you know your real number.
- This isn't necessarily dropshipping. Your own products, print-on-demand, or wholesale are all valid Shopify models with very different economics than dropshipping.
The GigWiz verdict
✓ Good if
- You have a genuine product idea and patience for a real learning phase
- You can put $50–$150 toward starting
✕ Skip it if
- You're expecting fast, guaranteed profit from setting up a store alone
- You need something that runs without your ongoing time and attention
The numbers
Startup cost$50–$150
Running cost (with ads)$200–$600/mo
Year-one medianUnder $1,000/mo
DifficultyEasy technical setup, hard to make consistently profitable
⚠ The catch
Treat the first 3–6 months as data collection, not a profit test.