Last checked: October 12, 2026. Shopify details below come from its pricing page and its help center articles on exporting products and pausing a store, all read on that date; links are at the bottom. For a general side-by-side table, see our Shopify comparison.
This page is for a particular owner: a groomer who once sold a few shampoos, a tutor who set up a store for class packages, a contractor who was told Shopify was the easy way to get a site. The business mostly sells time and skill, yet the website runs on software designed around products, inventory and shipping.
What Shopify is designed to do
Shopify is an ecommerce platform. Its pricing page lists plans built around selling: checkout, point-of-sale options for physical shops, marketplace syncing and transaction fees that drop on higher plans. On the day we checked, the Basic plan was shown at $39 USD/mo paid monthly or $29 USD/mo paid yearly, with a 2% third-party transaction fee on Basic when you use an outside payment provider, and a short trial followed by a reduced introductory rate. Appointment booking and quote forms are usually added through apps from its app store.
Who should not switch
- ✓You ship real products every week — inventory, variants, shipping rates and returns are exactly what a store platform handles
- ✓You use Shopify point of sale in a shop — your counter and your website share one product list
- ✓Products are a growing share of revenue — moving away now could mean rebuilding a store later
- ✓Your apps run daily operations — subscriptions or wholesale tools tied to the store would need replacing
Signs a service website suits you better
You rarely receive online orders. Most customers want to ask a question, get a quote or book a time. Your product pages are really service descriptions with a price field forced onto them. You pay for monthly apps mainly so that a booking calendar or a contact form works. If that sounds familiar, a site built around services, areas and a clear way to get in touch will usually serve customers better than a catalog of add-to-cart buttons.
What moving involves
- ✓Export your product list — Shopify’s help center explains exporting products to a CSV file, which is a handy record of names, prices and descriptions
- ✓Save your images separately — Shopify notes that the product CSV does not contain the image files themselves
- ✓List your paid apps — Shopify advises uninstalling recurring-charge apps you no longer need so billing stops
- ✓Locate the domain — confirm where it is registered and in whose name before pointing it anywhere
- ✓Decide on the old store — Shopify describes a reduced-cost Pause and Build plan if you want to keep it dormant
What we do and what Shopify did
We write and build service pages, an about page, area information, a contact or quote form and, if you need it, booking. For appointments and deposits we connect the booking tool you already use or help you set up Square, and that provider’s fees stay with that provider. If you still sell a handful of items, we can build a catalog page with an order request form or link to the store tool you keep. What we do not do is run a full cart with inventory, shipping rules and tax settings; that remains store-platform work.
The Launch Website is $399 for up to 5 pages, paid once. Website Care is $30/month for managed hosting, HTTPS, backups, uptime checks, weekly performance checks, A/B testing and up to 30 minutes of small edits each month.
Sources we checked
https://www.shopify.com/pricing
https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/products/import-export/export-products
https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/your-account/pause-close-store/close-store
What to expect, honestly
- ✓We are not Shopify — read its pages for current plans, fees and cancellation steps
- ✓We do not build full online stores — catalog and order-request pages only, or a link to your store tool
- ✓We do not move store data or customer accounts — exports from Shopify are yours to download and keep
One example of what your site could look like
This is one sample we designed. Yours is built around your business, your photos and your words, and we have more examples if you want to compare directions.
What it costs
Websites are priced one-time by size, plus Website Care at $30/month for hosting, HTTPS, backups, weekly checks and A/B testing. Every package includes a consultation, mobile-friendly design, copy we write for you, a contact form, essential search setup and 10 revision rounds. Monthly SEO is an optional add-on when you are ready for it.
Optional add-ons, billed separately
The prices above are for your website. These two are separate monthly products you can add now or later. Neither is part of the website price.
Monthly SEO, from $50/month: new pages published on your site every month. See Monthly SEO →
Business Spotlight, from $30/month: articles about your business, labeled as paid, published on The Company Chronicle. See Business Spotlight →
How it works
1. Consultation
We learn your services, customers and goals, in English or Spanish.
2. We write and design
We draft the words and build the site around your business.
3. 10 revision rounds
You review and request changes until it is right.
4. Launch and care
We launch, then Website Care keeps it hosted, backed up, checked weekly and A/B tested.
Keep reading
Shopify comparison · Websites with appointment booking · Catalog websites without checkout · Websites with booking deposits
