This Shopify store launch checklist covers what to check before you open. Store details. Payments. Taxes and shipping. Your domain and your store terms. Then a test order, and the password page. Work through it in order. Set aside half a day.
Menu names below come from Shopify's help pages. Shopify changes its admin now and then. If a label looks new to you, search the help center for the task.
Check your store details
- Add your store address in the Business details part of Settings > General. Shopify says you must do this before launch.
- Set your store name, your legal business name, and the money you sell in.
- Pick your myshopify.com name with care. Shopify's checklist says you can change it just once.
- Set up your sender email. Shopify notes that Gmail and Yahoo ask for sender checks, called SPF and DKIM. Without them, your store emails may land in spam.
Set up payments and a plan
- Set up how you take payments in Settings > Payments.
- Choose a plan. You need one to launch during a free trial. Shopify says you won't pay plan fees until the trial ends.
- If you used test mode, turn it off. That's a must before launch, too.
Get your taxes right
Shopify is plain about this. Tax is your job. Shopify can work out tax at checkout. But it doesn't file or pay your taxes for you. The one case where it does is if you use Shopify Tax and turn on its auto filing.
- Set up tax for each place you sell to.
- Talk to a local tax expert before your first sale, not after.
Set your shipping rates
- Open the Shipping and delivery page in your settings.
- Set the rates that buyers see at checkout.
- Use shipping profiles if some items need their own rates, like big or heavy ones.
- Add a weight to each item if your rates are based on weight.
Connect your domain
- Buy a domain through Shopify, or connect one you own, on the Domains page.
- Pick one main domain, so all your links point to the same place.
- Once it's live, click through your store on the new domain.
Add your store terms and legal pages
- Go to Settings > Policies.
- Add your return and refund terms and your privacy terms. Add your terms of service and your shipping terms. Then add your contact details.
- Some of these come with a ready made template. Read each one. Edit it to match how you really work.
- Link these pages in your footer menu, so buyers can find them.
Finish your products and pages
- Each product needs at least a title and a price. Add clear photos and real words about it, too.
- Group products into collections. Then add them to your menu.
- Make an about page, a contact page and an FAQ page.
- Check each product page on a phone, not just a laptop.
Run a test order
Shopify says to place at least one test order during setup. One order checks your checkout, your order flow, your stock, your shipping and your taxes.
- Go to Settings > Payments.
- In the Shopify Payments section, click Edit.
- Check Use test mode, then click Save.
- Place an order on your store, as if you were a buyer.
- Check the order email, the order in your admin, and the tax and shipping lines.
- Try a refund and a cancel, so you know how they work.
- Turn test mode off.
Not using Shopify Payments? Shopify points to its Test payment gateway. Or you can place a real order, then cancel and refund it right away. Its help page on getting your store ready to launch has the full steps.
Take down the password page
During your trial, your store is in private mode. People see a password page, with a message you can edit. If your theme has a signup form there, use it to start your email list.
Before you open, look at your store as a buyer would. In your admin, click Online Store, then Preview store.
When you're ready, there are a few ways to launch. One is Online Store > Preferences. In the Store access section, turn off Private mode, then click Save. You can also click Launch store from your admin home page.
Shopify store launch checklist extras: fees, AI and basics
What to do before launching a Shopify store?
Pick a plan, add your business address, set up payments, and turn off test mode. Shopify says those are must do steps. Then set taxes, shipping and store terms, and place a test order.
How much does Shopify take from a $100 sale?
It depends on your plan, your country, and how you take payment. If you take cards through a firm other than Shopify Payments, Shopify adds its own fee. On the US pricing page today, that's 2% on Basic. So $2 on a $100 sale, plus what that firm charges. With Shopify Payments, you pay a card rate that also depends on your plan.
Can ChatGPT build me a Shopify store?
A chat tool can help you write product copy and plan your pages. You still set up payments, taxes, shipping and store terms in your Shopify admin. Check each one by hand. Shopify also has its own AI helper, Sidekick, built into the admin.
What all do you need to start a Shopify store?
You need to be at least 18. You need products, a plan, a way to take payments, and a business address. Add shipping, taxes and store terms before launch. A domain of your own is wise, but your store works without one.
After you launch
Launch day is a start, not a finish line. Watch your first orders closely. Read each email a buyer gets from you. Fix small things fast. Keep a list, and fix the top three each week.
Then work on being found, and on speed. Our Shopify SEO guide and our post on Shopify speed fixes are good next reads.
The Shopify Launch Checklist Claude Skill covers payments, taxes, shipping, apps and tracking in one pass. If you'd rather not launch alone, our web design and build service can do it with you.