Starting to sell products online has never been more accessible, and yet so many people put it off because they don’t know where to begin.
If you’ve been wanting to start a Shopify store but feel overwhelmed by the technical side, you are not alone. Most people assume it’s complicated. But the truth is, it really isn’t, and anyone can do it if you follow this tutorial. No experience needed!
Whether you intend to sell handmade products, launch a dropshipping business, or sell print-on-demand products, Shopify gives you everything you need in one place.
In this Shopify tutorial, I’m going to show you exactly how to start an online store on Shopify, from setting up your account and choosing a theme to adding products, setting up payments, and launching your store.
Learning how to use Shopify is genuinely one of the most practical decisions you can make for your business this year. Let’s start!
How to start an online store on Shopify in 2026 – Step-By-Step Guide
Sign up for a Shopify account Free Trial
When it comes to choosing a plan, the Basic plan is more than enough for most ecommerce stores. The higher plans are designed for businesses that have a team of staff, and Shopify Plus is built for larger, more complex businesses.
Fill out your email address, create your password, and click “Create Account.”
- Next, add your payment details and select your plan. Click “Try Basic” to activate your free trial.
- Shopify will then ask you a few quick questions. You can skip these or answer them:
- Where would you like to sell? An online store.
- Is this shop for a new or existing business? New business idea.
- Once that’s done, you’ll receive a confirmation email.
- Make sure you check your inbox and confirm your email address before moving forward with setting up your Shopify store, otherwise your online business account won’t be fully activated.
Decide on your Store Name
Now it’s time to give your store a name. Don’t overthink this, you can always change it later if you want to.
Once you’ve added your store name, that’s it. You’re in. You’ll land inside your Shopify dashboard, also known as your Shopify admin, and this is where you’ll manage everything for your store going forward.
You can always get back to your Shopify admin home page by clicking the Shopify logo in the top left corner.
One more thing: keep an eye on your inbox. Shopify will send you an email asking you to enter your tax registration number, so don’t ignore that one when it comes through.
Set up Your Custom Domain & Professional Email
Go to your “Settings,” which you’ll find at the bottom of your left-hand menu.
Click on “Domains.” You’ll now see the free domain name that Shopify created for you based on your store name. You can continue using that for free if you choose to.
But if you want a branded, professional domain that actually represents your business, you have two options: buy a domain directly through Shopify by clicking “Buy New Domain,” or connect an existing domain you already own.
I’d recommend registering your domain with an external domain registrar. That way, you always have full control over it, no matter which platform you use for your store in the future.
I like to purchase domains through NameCheap because they offer some of the lowest prices for high-quality domains like .com. If you’re planning to sell globally, then a .com domain is the best option for your store.
If you run into any trouble connecting a domain you purchased elsewhere, just contact your domain registrar directly and ask them to help you set it up.
One important thing to keep in mind: global propagation, which is the time it takes for your domain to update across all DNS servers worldwide, can take up to 48 hours. So don’t panic if it doesn’t connect instantly.
If you already have a business email, you can skip the next part. If you don’t have one yet, you can set it up directly through your domain registrar.
Pick a Shopify theme
In order to head over to the Shopify themes store, click on the Shopify logo to go back to the Shopify Admin, then click on ‘Online Store’.
Scroll down and click the ‘Visit the Theme Store’ button.
I’m going to filter by Free Themes for the sake of this tutorial, as Shopify offers plenty of professional-looking themes for free, so there is no need to pay for a theme for your ecommerce store, especially if you are just starting out.
One of the free themes I really like, because it has a minimal, sophisticated look, is called ‘Craft’. To view a complete demo of a theme, just click on the theme and then click ‘View Demo’. Clicking a demo will let you view a complete website designed with this template.
Have a look at the home page, click on products and see what a product’s page looks like, check the ‘About page’ or any other page which is important to your specific type of business.
If you want to install a theme, just click on ‘Try Theme’. You will see a notification once the installation is completed, then hit ‘Publish’.
Then, to fully customize your online store, click ‘Edit Theme’ to make changes, adjust colors, and add your content .
Another option is to create a Shopify theme from scratch using AI. All you need to do is head over to ‘Design your store in seconds’ and enter your prompt describing your niche, your chosen colors, and the type of products you intend to sell.
How to Add a Product on Shopify
Here is how to add products to your new Shopify store:
- Click on ‘Products’ (on the menu) and then ‘Add a product.’
- Write the title and description, or use Shopify AI Assistant to help you write a detailed description.
- Upload images of the product. You can also create lifestyle images of your product using Nano Banana.
- Choose your product category
- Add your product’s price (use ‘Compare at price’ when your product is on sale)
- If you add the cost, then Shopify will automatically calculate the profit margin for you (of course, this information is not displayed on your product’s page).
- Inventory tracked – enable to track inventory or disable this feature
- Add package details and product weight
- Add variants if you offer the product in different styles or colors
- When finished, click the ‘Save’ button at the bottom
- Create Collections for your product categories simply by clicking on ‘Collections’ in the left menu, then ‘Add Collection.’
Set up Shopify Payments
Shopify Payments is Shopify’s built-in payment processing system. It allows your customers to pay using credit cards, debit cards, Shop Pay, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and more, all without needing to connect to a third-party payment provider. It simplifies the whole process and means you get paid directly through Shopify.
Here’s how to set up payment for your store:
- Go to “Settings,” then click on “Payments.”
- Click on “Complete account setup.” This allows you to accept payments from different types of credit cards, not just PayPal.
- Under “Account representative,” complete all your details as the business owner.
- Select how you are running your store: as an individual, a registered business, or a non-profit. If you are not operating as a registered company, in most cases you will choose “an individual.”
- Complete the details about your industry.
- Once you finish this step, you’ll be able to see all the different types of payments your store can accept.
- Complete your PayPal setup. This part is much easier than setting up credit card payments, so it will be pretty quick.
Set up Shipping
Not like drop shipping or Print on Demand (where these third parties are handling all the shipping for you), when you are the one fulfilling all your orders, like selling your handmade products, you want to know how to set up shipping the right way.
Shipping set up:
- Go to ‘Settings’
- Click ‘Shipping and Delivery’
- General Shipping Rates – use this option if you want to create custom shipping rates for each of your products or even if you want to set up free shipping
- Under ‘Shipping labels’, you will see the carriers that are operating in your area. You can use the ‘calculate rates’ button to see the rates for each of them. Click on ‘Managed preferred carriers’ to select the ones you want to work with.
- Click on ‘General Shipping Rates’ (All Products) to see shipping fee recommendations for your products
- Local delivery set up – if you are selling to the local people through your website
- Pick Up in store set up – if you have a brick and mortar, people can order on your website and come to your physical shop to pick it up
Customize your store’s legal pages
Before you launch your online store, there are a few legal pages you need to have in place. These protect both you and your customers, and most platforms, including Shopify, require them.
Here are the five pages you need to set up:
- Return and refund policy: Covers the conditions under which customers can return products and receive refunds or exchanges.
- Privacy policy: Explains how your store collects, uses, stores, and protects your customers’ personal data.
- Terms of service: Outlines the rules and agreements between your store and your customers when they make a purchase.
- Shipping policy: Details your shipping methods, delivery timeframes, costs, and any restrictions on where you ship to.
- Contact information: Provides customers with ways to reach you if they have questions or issues with their order.
To set up the legal pages:
- Click on the “No Policy Set” button inside your Shopify settings. Shopify offers a basic legal page template for each one.
- Click “Insert Template” and it will autopopulate with default content.
- This is a general template, so you will need to customize it to reflect your specific business and products. It is a good starting point, though.
From there, you can use ChatGPT or reach out to a lawyer to refine the content and ensure it’s accurate for your business.
Launch your store and start selling
You’re almost there. Before launching your Shopify store, run through this checklist to make sure everything is in place.
Shopify store launch checklist:
- Your store name and custom domain are set up
- Your logo and brand colors are added to your theme
- You have at least a fewproducts published with photos, a description, and a price
- Your payment methods are fully set up and tested
- Your shipping rates and delivery zones are configured
- All five legal pages are published
- Your contact information is visible and accurate
- Your tax registration number is filled out
How to publish my Shopify store online
Once everything looks good, go to “Online Store,” then “Preferences,” and remove your storefront password. That’s how you publish your Shopify store and make it live to the public.
2 things to do after publishing your Shopify Store
- The first thing to do is download the Shopify app on your phone. It lets you manage orders, track sales, update products, and stay on top of your store while you’re on the go. Selling online becomes a lot more manageable when you have everything at your fingertips. You can also use the Shopify Help Center anytime you get stuck, it’s packed with guides and support resources.
- Start email marketing as soon as possible, ideally within your first month of selling online. The easiest lead magnet is offering a discount to new subscribers.
I’ve been using Kit for my email marketing and highly recommend them. They are super professional, offer beautiful customizable email templates, and Kit integrates directly with Shopify, so you can easily sync all your customers’ data. You can use this link to start a free Kit account.
Start a Shopify Store and Build Your Online Business
Building an online store is one of the best decisions you can make for your future!
You now have a clear, step-by-step picture of exactly what it takes to set up a Shopify store and get it live. From choosing your theme and adding your products, to setting up payments and launching to the world.
It doesn’t have to be perfect on day one. It just has to be started.
Take what you’ve learned here, follow the steps, and build your online business.
You’ve got this.
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