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Part 4 of 10 in Starting a Shopify store: the money side.
Your first real order shouldn’t be the one that finds the broken shipping rate. Set aside half an hour, go through these in order, then place a test order. The test order catches most of what the list misses.
Payments: Settings > Payments
- Is Shopify Payments active, and is test mode off? A store left in test mode takes no real money.
- Payout account. Check the bank details and the payout schedule.
- Manual methods. If you offer bank transfer or cash on delivery, write the instructions buyers will see. “Pay on delivery, exact change please” saves a lot of awkward doorstep moments.
- Express buttons. Shop Pay, Apple Pay, Google Pay and PayPal usually convert better than typing a card. Turn on the ones available to you.
Shipping: Settings > Shipping and delivery
- Zones. You can only ship to countries in a zone. Check you haven’t left out a country you sell to, or included one you don’t want.
- Rates. Place a fake order in your head for your heaviest and lightest product. Does the rate make sense for both? A single flat rate often undercharges heavy orders.
- Free shipping. If you offer it over an amount, add a free rate with a minimum order price condition. Check the threshold against what an order actually leaves you.
- Product weights. Weight-based and carrier-calculated rates need real weights on every product. A product at 0 kg ships for free by accident.
Checkout: Settings > Checkout
- Customer contact. Email, phone or both.
- Required fields. Company name, address line 2, phone. Each required field is one more reason to leave. Require the phone only if your courier or COD needs it.
- Marketing consent. Decide whether to show the email and SMS sign-up checkbox, and whether it’s pre-ticked (in many countries it must not be).
- Tipping. Probably off unless you’re a café.
Policies: Settings > Policies
Refund, shipping, privacy and terms of service. Shopify’s templates are a starting point; edit the refund window, who pays return postage and how long refunds take. They show up in the checkout footer.
Notifications: Settings > Notifications
Open the order confirmation and shipping confirmation emails and read them as a customer. Add your logo, check the sender address, and make sure the order confirmation tells people when to expect the parcel.
Rules you might need on day one
Most stores don’t need any of these at launch. You do if:
- You’re launching with a limited batch or a sale item: a maximum per order stops one buyer taking everything.
- Small orders lose you money: a minimum order amount.
- You offer cash on delivery: decide now where it’s allowed, and hide it on large orders if refusals would hurt.
The test order
Do it on the device most of your customers will use, which is probably a phone.
- Add your cheapest product to the cart. Check the cart shows the right price and any discount.
- Go through checkout with a real address in a zone you ship to. Check the shipping rates offered.
- Try a discount code if you have one.
- Pay (in test mode, or for real and refund it afterwards).
- Check the Thank you page, the order confirmation email, and the order in your admin.
- Mark it fulfilled and check the shipping confirmation email.
- Refund it and check the refund email.
If all seven steps look right, you’re ready for the first real order.
Launch week problems we see most
| Problem | Usually caused by |
|---|---|
| “Shipping not available for your location” | The country isn’t in a shipping zone, or a product isn’t in the right shipping profile |
| Shipping costs $0 for a heavy order | Products without a weight under weight-based rates |
| Orders but no money arriving | Payout account not verified yet |
| Customers say the confirmation email went to spam | The sender address isn’t on your own verified domain |
| One customer bought the whole limited batch | No per-order limit on the product |
Next in the series: find out where your first 100 customers come from.
Questions people ask
How do I place a test order on Shopify?
On a development store, use Shopify's Bogus Gateway. On a live store, either turn on test mode for Shopify Payments and use Shopify's test card numbers, or place a real order with a cheap product and refund it.
Should I require a phone number at checkout?
Require it if your courier needs it for delivery, or if you offer cash on delivery. Otherwise keep it optional; every required field costs a few checkouts.
Do I need a refund policy before launching?
Yes. Buyers look for it, payment providers and marketplaces may ask for it, and it settles arguments before they start. Shopify has templates under Settings > Policies to start from.