After highlighting the ups and downs of Ebay and Amazon in part one and part two of our editorial, today we’re going to break down why Shopify is a valid option when it comes to opening an online store.

1. The ups

  • Easy to use

Anyone can build a Shopify store in a matter of minutes. By using a drag-and-drop system, Shopify allows you to customize their themes however you please.

Colors, photos, text, size, alignment, everything is up for a personal retouch.

  • Excellent newsletter

Shopify’s newsletter is one of the best ones out there. We recommend subscribing to their newsletter if you’re passionate about retail even if you don’t plan on using their services.

They usually cut straight to the point while tackling important issues for online sellers while involving the audience. Most topics are based on forum submissions being resolved by their in-house staff. This gives you the feeling that there’s no such thing as a dumb question and you easily can jump in the conversation.

  • Solid SEO tools

Well, not exactly “SEO tools”. Shopify allows you to use their apps to optimize your website for Google as well as for a better user experience. If you saw something that works on another website, it’s pretty much a matter of finding the right app to replicate that feature in your Shopify store.

  • Affordably membership system

Get this – Shopify’s most affordable membership plan is $29 per month. That includes two staff accounts, unlimited file storage, unlimited number of products that you can add to your store, a website, and a blog.

Pretty sweet deal, right?

  • Good management system

The platform allows you to organize and track your inventory easily. That, of course, is a blessing for all businesses but for newbies, that means a lot of funds being saved by cutting down over-ordering, eliminating all the human errors in the restock or the shipping process, and improve efficiency by cutting down all the slow shipping products.

2. The downs

  • Bad loading time

Unfortunately, having a Shopify store means using shared hosting. This means that you’re sharing a host with all the Shopify users without being able to host your website on a source of your preference.

That can affect your website’s loading time with Google down-ranking your store in their search results.

  • Most websites look the same

Another down part of Shopify is that most websites look the same. Even if you’re not experienced with online marketing and retail, you can easily notice that Shopify stores have a lack of creativity when it comes to making their own print.

  • Shipping options are limited

It’s hard to use Shopify when you plan on selling to more than just one country. That’s because the platform doesn’t allow a full multi-currency system.

Shopify charges more for different currencies and it’s harder to offer shipping discounts besides the ones based on weight and amount.

  • The payment system

Shopify uses its own payment system and processing can take a lot of valuable time. Ultimately, that means more time for you without being in charge of your funds and that can be a huge blowout for smaller retailers who depend on their cash.

  • The fees

Shopify charges a 2% fee on top of the regular 2.9% plus a $0.30 transaction fee. This kills you on goods that have a higher price.