How to Make Money With Shopify UK: Is It Worth It for Beginners?
Updated: Aug 15
If you've been looking for ways to make money online, you've probably come across Shopify. It's one of the best-known platforms for creating an online shop, but that doesn't mean simply opening a Shopify account will make you money.
Shopify gives you the tools to build and run an online store. The actual earning part comes from deciding what you're going to sell, finding customers and making enough profit after your costs.
So, is Shopify worth considering if you're a complete beginner in the UK? Here's what you need to know before spending any money.
What is Shopify?
Shopify is an ecommerce platform that allows you to create and manage your own online shop.
Rather than building an ecommerce website yourself, you can choose a theme, add your products and customise your store. Shopify also provides tools for taking payments, managing orders and inventory, marketing and analysing how your store is performing.
You don't need to know how to code to get started, although there's plenty of scope for more advanced customisation later.
The important thing to understand is that Shopify is a tool for selling — it isn't an earning opportunity by itself.
You still need something people actually want to buy.
How can you make money with Shopify?
There isn't just one Shopify business model.
You could use a Shopify store to sell:
Physical products
You might buy or make products and sell them directly to customers.
Handmade products
If you make candles, jewellery, personalised gifts, artwork or other handmade items, you could create your own branded shop rather than relying entirely on marketplaces.
Print-on-demand products
With print on demand, products such as T-shirts, mugs or prints are produced by a third-party company when somebody orders them. This means you don't necessarily need to hold stock yourself.
Dropshipping products
Dropshipping also allows you to sell without keeping the products at home. A supplier fulfils the order for you. However, this isn't an automatic or guaranteed way to make money — you'll still need to find suitable products, attract customers and provide a good customer experience.
Digital products
Depending on your business, you could sell things such as templates, downloads, guides or other digital products.
Shopify also supports selling through other channels and marketplaces, so you're not necessarily restricted to customers who find your website directly.
How much does Shopify cost in the UK?
This is something I'd consider carefully before starting, especially if you're trying to make extra money rather than already running an established business.
At the time of updating this guide, Shopify's Basic plan costs £25 per month when paid monthly or £19 per month when billed yearly. Higher-level plans are available for businesses needing additional features.
There can also be payment-processing and transaction costs. For example, Shopify currently lists the standard online card rate on its Basic plan as 2% + 25p when using Shopify Payments, with different rates applying to some payment methods and higher plans.
Always check the current prices before signing up because plans, introductory offers and fees can change.
And remember that Shopify won't necessarily be your only expense.
Depending on what you're selling, you might also pay for stock, packaging, postage, a domain, paid apps, advertising, product photography or other business costs.
Do you need to buy stock?
Not necessarily.
If you're selling physical products that you've bought wholesale, you'll probably need some stock.
But print-on-demand, dropshipping and digital products can reduce the need to buy lots of inventory before you've made your first sale.
I'd still be cautious about spending a large amount upfront as a beginner.
Testing an idea on a small scale first can tell you whether people actually want your product before you commit a lot of money to it.
Is Shopify easy for beginners?
The actual website-building side is relatively beginner-friendly.
Shopify provides ready-made themes and a visual store editor, so you can build a professional-looking shop without creating everything from scratch. Hosting and an SSL certificate are also included with Shopify plans.
But there's an important distinction:
Building the shop can be easy. Building a profitable business isn't necessarily easy.
You'll still have to learn things such as:
choosing products
pricing
writing product descriptions
photography
customer service
shipping and returns
marketing
attracting visitors to your website
That's the part I'd want any beginner to understand before signing up.
How do customers find your Shopify store?
This is probably one of the most important parts of the whole guide.
Creating a Shopify store doesn't automatically bring customers to it.
You need a plan for getting people onto your website.
That could include social media, Google search, Pinterest, email marketing, existing customers, content marketing or paid advertising.
If you already have an audience — perhaps through TikTok, Facebook, Instagram or a blog — that can give you somewhere to start.
If you're starting with absolutely no audience, I'd factor customer acquisition into your plan before paying for lots of apps or advertising.
Shopify vs selling on a marketplace
One advantage of marketplaces is that shoppers are already using them.
With your own Shopify shop, you're responsible for bringing in much more of your own traffic.
On the other hand, your own store gives you much more control over how your brand looks and how you present your products.
For someone who has never sold anything online before, there's nothing wrong with starting on an existing selling platform first to see whether your products sell.
If you begin getting regular sales and want your own branded shop, Shopify may then make much more sense.
What I like about Shopify
For me, the strongest points are:
You can create a proper branded online shop.
You don't need coding experience to start.
Hosting is included.
There are free and paid themes.
You can sell unlimited products on the main plans.
There are lots of apps and integrations available.
You can manage products, orders and other parts of the business from one platform.
It also gives you room to grow if your small side hustle eventually becomes something much bigger.
What are the downsides?
Shopify won't suit everyone.
The biggest downside for a beginner is that you're committing to an ongoing cost before knowing whether your shop will actually make money.
You may also find yourself paying for additional apps or services as your store develops.
And perhaps most importantly, Shopify doesn't solve the problem of finding customers.
A beautiful online shop with no visitors won't make sales.
That's why I wouldn't recommend signing up simply because you've seen videos suggesting Shopify is an easy passive-income opportunity.
Go into it as a small business instead.
Can you really make money with Shopify?
Yes — Shopify is a legitimate ecommerce platform used by businesses ranging from small independent sellers to major brands.
But there's no set amount you can expect to earn.
One shop could make nothing, while another could become a full-time business.
Your results will depend on what you're selling, your profit margins, demand, competition, marketing and plenty of other factors.
I'd be wary of anyone promising a particular monthly income simply from starting a Shopify store.
Is Shopify worth it for beginners?
I think Shopify can be worth it if you already have a sensible idea of what you want to sell and how you're going to reach potential customers.
I'd be more hesitant if you haven't decided what to sell yet and are simply looking for a quick way to earn money from home.
In that situation, I'd probably experiment with lower-cost ways of selling first.
But if you've tested your idea, people are buying your products and you want your own professional online shop, Shopify becomes much more appealing.
My verdict
Shopify isn't a magic money-making website — and that's actually the most important thing to know about it.
It's a powerful set of tools for building an ecommerce business.
If you treat it as a genuine business, research your product carefully, understand your costs and have a realistic plan for finding customers, it could be a very useful platform.
If you're expecting to create a store one evening and wake up to effortless sales, you'll probably be disappointed.
My advice for beginners: start small, keep your initial spending sensible and prove that people want what you're selling before investing heavily.
Comments