How Can I Start an Online Store: The Decision Checklist
Key takeaways
- You can launch a working online store in a weekend by settling five decisions in order: product, platform, legal and payment setup, launch scope, and what to skip.
- You do not need an LLC to start selling; a sole proprietor with a separate bank account and a home-state sales tax registration can launch, then formalize once revenue justifies it.
- Validate your product for under $100 with keyword research, a small marketplace batch, and five buyer conversations before committing to a platform.
- Score platforms on all-in monthly cost, built-in features, checkout flexibility, maintenance burden, and exit ease, not price alone.
- At launch you need a working checkout, payments, shipping rates, tax collection, and a returns page; email flows, loyalty programs, and a blog can wait.
If you're asking how can i start an online store, the answer is five decisions in order: what to sell, which platform, your legal and payment setup, what to launch with, and what to skip. Each one needs specific inputs before the next, and this guide lists them so you can go from nothing to a working checkout in one sitting.
Should I start an online store, or is it wrong for my situation?
An online store is the right move if you can name a product with at least a 40-50% gross margin, you can commit a few hours a week to it, and you can accept that setup is a weekend of work, not an afternoon. If your product is bulky, perishable, or priced under about $15, shipping eats your margin and a local or marketplace channel may serve you better.
You don't need a company formed before you test demand. Many first-time US sellers start as sole proprietors and switch to an LLC once revenue justifies it; the IRS explains the business structure options plainly.
Already on Shopify and paying $250-300/month all-in? Then the question isn't whether to sell online, it's whether your current bill still makes sense. We'll come back to that in the platform section, and you can see how fast things change on UnifyCart's changelog.
What is needed to start an online store before you spend anything?
The five inputs you need in hand
You need five things settled before you pay a platform a single dollar: a product decision, a business name, a bank account, a payment setup, and a tax answer.
First, decide what you sell and where it ships from. Second, pick a business name and check it is not already claimed in your state's registry. Third, open a separate business bank account, even if it is a free one, so store payouts and personal spending never mix. Fourth, know how you will take payments, because the checkout is the part you least want to rebuild later. Fifth, work out your sales tax obligation, which depends on where you have nexus, usually your home state for a first store.
None of this requires a lawyer or an LLC on day one. A sole proprietor with a bank account and a tax plan can launch, then formalize once revenue justifies it. We wrote more about what we built for exactly this stage in UnifyCart is open for business.
How do you choose what to sell when you have no product yet?
Pick something you can validate for under $100 before you commit. Start with what you already know: a hobby, a trade, or a supplier you can reach. Then run three cheap tests: check search volume for the product category using a free keyword tool, list a small batch on an existing marketplace to see if it sells within 30 days, and ask five potential buyers what they currently pay and where.
If the test sells, check the paperwork burden before scaling. Sales tax rules differ by state, so check your state's revenue department site for when a seller's permit is required. Keep customer data handling simple and transparent from day one; a plain privacy policy like UnifyCart's is a reasonable template for what to disclose. Skip anything requiring custom manufacturing until a simpler version proves demand.
Which platform should you pick, and what criteria actually matter?
The five criteria to score each platform on
Score every platform on the same five things: all-in monthly cost (plan plus transaction fees plus paid apps), what's built in versus what needs an app, how fast you can change your checkout flow without touching theme code, hosting and maintenance burden, and how easy it is to leave later. Most "cheaper Shopify alternatives" win on price and lose on one of the others, so score all five before committing.
How the platforms compare on those criteria
| Platform | Hosting | Built-in checkout, payments, tax, shipping | Typical cost shape |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shopify | Hosted | Core yes, many basics via paid apps | Plan + transaction fees + app stack |
| BigCommerce | Hosted | Broad built-in feature set | Plan, tiered by sales volume |
| Shift4Shop | Hosted | Broad built-in feature set | Plan-based |
| Wix eCommerce | Hosted | Simpler store features | Plan-based |
| WooCommerce | Self hosted | You assemble it from plugins | Hosting + plugins + your time |
| UnifyCart | Hosted | Catalogue, checkout, payments, shipping rates, tax, accounts included | Flat $79/mo Growth plan + 1% platform fee |
If you're paying $250-300 a month for a plan plus apps for basic stuff plus transaction fees, the flat subscription with a single platform fee is the structural difference worth testing against your real app stack.
Where UnifyCart falls short
Honest scoring cuts both ways. UnifyCart has a smaller app marketplace and community than Shopify, fewer themes, and less third-party integration coverage, so if your store depends on a niche integration, check it exists before switching. Its uptime and incident history are published on the UnifyCart status page, which is where you should look rather than taking marketing copy at its word. And the 1% platform fee is not free: at higher sales volumes, run the math against a no-platform-fee plan before assuming the flat subscription wins.
What legal, tax, and payment setup does an online store need on day one?
Three things: a business structure, a sales tax registration where you owe it, and a way to take money. You can do all three in an afternoon.
On structure, most first-time sellers start as a sole proprietor because it requires no filing, then form an LLC once revenue justifies the state fees. The IRS explains the difference between sole proprietorships, partnerships, and corporations on its business structures page, and you should read it before choosing, not after. Sales tax is the part that trips people up: after the 2018 Wayfair decision, states can require out-of-state sellers to collect tax once you pass their economic nexus thresholds, which are typically $100,000 in sales or 200 transactions per state, so you register in your home state on day one and add others only when you cross their limits.
Payment setup is the easy part if you pick a platform with payments built in. On Shopify, BigCommerce, Shift4Shop, Wix eCommerce, and WooCommerce, checkout and payment processing are included or configured from the admin, so your day-one job is verifying your payout bank account, not installing anything. UnifyCart works the same way: payments, tax calculation, and shipping rates are part of the platform, so there are no paid apps to wire up before your first sale.
How do you start an online store website without design or coding experience?
Pick a platform where the storefront is already built, then fill in blanks instead of building pages. On UnifyCart, the catalogue, checkout, payments, shipping rates, and tax are all included, so going live means adding products, uploading a logo, and choosing a template. No theme code, no app stack, nothing to host.
The same test applies to any platform you're evaluating. If a small change to your checkout flow sends you into theme code and app conflicts, that's the platform's design working against you, not your skill level. WooCommerce gives you maximum control but expects you to manage hosting and plugins yourself, which is a different kind of hands-on.
Honest limitation: UnifyCart's templates are deliberately constrained. If you want a fully custom storefront design, you'll outgrow it faster than a self-hosted setup.
What can you skip at launch, and what must be live before your first sale?
Must be live on day one
A working checkout, a payment processor, shipping rates set per order weight or price, tax collection switched on, and a returns and contact page. Test the full flow yourself with a real card before announcing anything. Know your processing cost going in: Stripe's standard US rate is 2.9% plus 30 cents per successful card charge (Stripe pricing), so price with that margin already eaten.
Can wait until after your first ten orders
Email flows beyond an order confirmation, loyalty programs, a blog, product videos, A/B testing tools, and most integrations. On a platform like UnifyCart where the basics ship built in, "apps for basic stuff" is not a launch requirement. Ship the smallest store that can legally take money, then let real orders tell you what to fix next.
What does it actually cost to run the store in month one and month twelve?
Month one should cost you the platform subscription plus payment processing, and little else. On UnifyCart's Growth tier that is $79/month plus a 1% platform fee on sales, with catalogue, checkout, payments, shipping rates, tax, and accounts included, so no paid apps for basic functionality. A store doing $5,000 in month one pays roughly $129 all-in.
By month twelve, assume higher sales volume and a few real additions: better email tooling, maybe an accountant. A store doing $15,000/month would pay around $79 plus $150 in platform fees plus processing, still well under the $250-300/month the average Shopify owner reports spending once app subscriptions stack up.
Where UnifyCart falls short: fewer themes and integrations than Shopify or BigCommerce, and if you need a niche app that does not exist here, there is no plugin marketplace to fall back on. If your stack depends on one of those apps, factor its cost back in before switching.
FAQ
How much money do I need to start an online store?
Plan for the platform subscription plus payment processing, and little else. On UnifyCart's Growth tier that is $79/month plus a 1% fee on sales, so a store doing $5,000 in its first month pays roughly $129 all-in. Budget under $100 for validation tests before you commit to anything.
Do I need an LLC before I can start selling online?
No. Most first-time US sellers launch as sole proprietors, which requires no filing, then form an LLC once revenue justifies the state fees. What you do need before launch is a business name not already claimed in your state registry, a separate bank account, and a sales tax registration in your home state.
Can I start an online store for free?
Not really, and you shouldn't try. Free routes like WooCommerce still cost you hosting, plugins, and your time assembling checkout, payments, and tax yourself. Any hosted platform charges a monthly plan, and every sale carries processing fees around 2.9% plus 30 cents. Treat the subscription as the minimum cost of a working checkout.
How long does it take to set up an online store?
A weekend of work, not an afternoon. If your platform ships the storefront, checkout, payments, shipping rates, and tax built in, going live means adding products, uploading a logo, and choosing a template, then testing the full purchase flow with a real card. Self-hosted setups take longer because hosting and plugin assembly are on you.
Is WooCommerce cheaper than a hosted platform if I already have hosting?
Rarely once you count everything. WooCommerce itself is free, but you assemble checkout, payments, tax, and shipping from plugins, and each adds a subscription or fee on top of hosting. Compare all-in monthly cost against a flat plan like UnifyCart's $79/month with a 1% fee, and score what's built in versus what you pay extra for.