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FAQ

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Frequently Asked Questions

What does Shopify do?

Shopify is a complete ecommerce solution that allows you to set up an online store to sell your goods. It lets you organize your products, customize your storefront, accept credit card payments, track and respond to orders — all with a few clicks of the mouse.

How do I install Shopify?

Shopify is web based ecommerce software. This means there’s no installation required and it works with all operating systems (including Windows and MacOS)! We host Shopify so you don’t have to worry about installing, upgrading or maintaining any software or web servers.

What do I need in order to start selling?

All you need to sell products online is Shopify, something to sell and a credit card to pay for your online store (once you’ve completed your free trial).

Can I use my own domain name with Shopify?

Yes! The easiest way to do this is to register a domain using Shopify. Log in to Shopify, go to PREFERENCES ­> DOMAINS & DNS in your store admin to register a domain.

Shopify also integrates with an existing web site or a domain name registered with another provider. Ask your domain registrar to point your domain or subdomain to Shopify’s servers. For more information click here.

Which countries and currencies are usable with Shopify?

Shopify works in almost every country and currency. It is dependent on the payment gateway you use. Click here for the list of payment gateways Shopify works with.

Which languages are supported?

The ecommerce storefront, checkout, email communications, etc, of a shop can be in any language. The administrative interface of a shop is in English.

Do I need to be a designer/programmer to change my shop design?

Not at all! Shopify comes packed with over 100 beautiful pre‐designed templates that you can apply to your ecommerce shop. New designs are added all the time so you can always keep your online store looking fresh! You can customize the look of your store with a graphical interface that is easy to use.

What is Liquid?

Liquid is the ecommerce template language used by Shopify. It is written inline with your theme’s HTML and lets you display your shop’s content however you see fit. You can get more information on using Liquid over at the Shopify Documentation. Liquid is open source software, meaning anyone can contribute to it.

Where can I discuss ecommerce tips and techniques with other Shopify users?

You can get advice from other Shopify users and share your ecommerce tips and tricks in the Shopify forums. The forums are full of experienced shop owners and designers who are eager to help each other out, and the Shopify development team regularly contributes to the discussions.

Where can I find tutorials and guides?

Shopify has a huge Manual where you can find detailed tutorials and guides for your ecommerce website. The content found in the Shopify Manual is a collaborative effort between the Shopify development team and users like you. The Shopify Support Center has more technical customization tutorials available.

What do I do when I get an order?

After you get a new order notification by email, RSS, or mobile text message, you would log in to your account and check out the details screen for that order. If you need to get more information from your customer, you can send them an email right from within Shopify. Then package up the order, send it to the shipping address provided, then mark the order as shipped within Shopify to keep track of things. If your payment processor is set up to separately authorize and then capture funds, you have control over how much money is transferred after the order is placed and you can follow best online business practices by only completing the transaction when you ship the order.

Can I get someone else to take care of shipping?

Yes! Shopify integrates with ecommerce fulfillment services just as with payment gateways. Right now we support Fulfillment by Fulfillment by Amazon, Shipwire, and Webgistix and will be adding services from more companies in the future. Just send a bulk shipment every once in a while to your fulfillment provider, and Shopify can let them know whenever an order comes in that they need to ship.

What methods of online payments can my customers use?

Most Shopify store owners accept credit card payments but you can offer more options like Cash on Demand, Money Orders, etc. Shopify integrates with many different payment processing services, and more are being added all the time. Just give Shopify the details once you’ve set up an account with one of them.

For a list of all payment processors we support, click here.

What is a merchant account?

Every payment made with a credit card involves the transfer of funds to a merchant account, which a merchant (that is you) holds directly with a bank. The merchant has full responsibility for the transactions that occur with their account, and each bank has its own terms of service to which account‐holders must adhere. If you want to accept credit card payments through your Shopify store, you will need either a merchant account of your own or the services of a third‐party payment processor like PayPal.

What is a payment gateway?

An ecommerce payment gateway is a service that authorizes credit card payments and processes them securely with a user’s merchant account. Often, a merchant account and payment gateway are set up in one process through the same company.

What is a “third-party payment processor”?

A third-party processor such as PayPal lets you accept online payments without a merchant account of your own. Instead, they let you use their merchant account under their own terms of service, usually with very little setup required.

Can I accept funds manually?

Yes, absolutely. You can accept mailed cheques or money orders, direct bank transfers, or perhaps have an option to pay for an order in-store. Just give your manual payment method a name and an optional set of instructions for your customers, and they can select it like any other payment option.

How much does Shopify cost?

Get setup in minutes with our 14-day free trial. After your trial has expired, we have several pricing plans for you to choose from in order to best suit the size and nature of your business.

How can I pay?

You will need a Visa, Mastercard or American Express to pay for your online store.

How do I get billed?

Your ecommerce website is invoiced every 30 days, unless you have prepaid for an annual plan. We’ll send you an email notification with a link to an invoice listing any fees incurred for that billing period. Your credit card will be automatically charged for any fees incurred, but you always have the opportunity to notify us of transaction fees charged for orders you’ve placed for testing purposes and the like.