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Shopify Store Setup Checklist: Everything to Do Before You Launch

Use this list as you build your store. Work through it top to bottom and tick each item off. Menu names in Shopify change from time to time, so if something isn't where we describe it, use the search bar in your admin.

1. Basics

• ☐ Store name decided and checked (search it to make sure no one else is using it)
• ☐ Contact email that you actually check
• ☐ Store currency and time zone set
• ☐ Logo, even a simple text logo

2. Products

• ☐ At least 3 products added
• ☐ Each product has a clear main photo on a plain background
• ☐ Descriptions answer: what is it, what size, what material, how to use it
• ☐ Prices include your costs, fees and a profit
• ☐ Inventory counts set (or tracking turned off for digital products)

3. Payments

• ☐ Payment provider connected and verified
• ☐ Payout bank account added
• ☐ Checked which payment methods your customers will see

4. Shipping

• ☐ Shipping zones set for where you'll actually ship
• ☐ Rates decided (flat rate is simplest to start)
• ☐ Packaging and package weight measured

5. Pages and policies

• ☐ About page (who you are, why you started)
• ☐ Contact page
• ☐ Shipping policy
• ☐ Refund and return policy
• ☐ Privacy policy and terms of service

Shopify includes templates for policy pages, but read them and adjust them to how you actually run your shop.

6. Taxes and legal

• ☐ Checked whether you need a business registration or sales tax permit where you live
• ☐ Tax settings reviewed in your store

7. Before you open

• ☐ Theme looks right on a phone
• ☐ Test order placed and refunded
• ☐ Order confirmation email reads well
• ☐ Store password removed
• ☐ Paid plan chosen before the trial ends

Haven't started yet? Check Shopify's free trial

New to all of this? Start with How to Start an Online Store.