While Shopify makes it easy to quickly create an online store, it might not be the best solution for your business. It is important to understand Shopify’s policies so you can make the appropriate decision as a business owner.
People are reluctant to choose Shopify as their e-commerce platform as they are unable to integrate with important and complex back-end support. There are many rumors, misunderstandings and myths about Shopify, so let’s break down some of the features/misunderstandings you may have heard about the platform.
1. Shopify provides No Refunds.1
2. Shopify limits Product Variations2
3. No Single Page Checkout3
4. Can only use 1 purchased theme on 1 Shopify store, no re-using themes.4
5. Themes can be removed by Shopify at will5
6. No email hosting
7. No services relating to finance
8. If you are 9 days late for payment, Shopify can shut down your store.6
9. Must submit taxes to Shopify to be reinstated
10. You cannot own your Shopify
11. Shopify is not a CMS (Content Management System)
12. Shopify can freeze or shut off your site at any time, with no liability.7
13. Shopify sells their service “as is” and is not liable for any interruptions
14. Shopify does not guarantee it’s POS equipment is 100% secure. 8
15. You cannot use your Shopify store outside of Shopify - No site exporting.
16. Unique Features Come With A Unique Cost - Shopify has a proprietary programming language which means you can only hire select developers to build features.
17. While Shopify has multiple payment gateways, if you don’t use the Shopify payment gateway you will have to pay an additional fee on top of payment processor fees.
18. Responsibility - Even using Shopify, a lot of site configuration is still needed. But that is just the first step, publishing new content, updating old content, and adding new features to your site is still needed.
References
- Shopify TOS Section 10.14
- https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/products/variants/add-variants
- https://pagefly.io/blogs/shopify/one-page-checkout#4
- https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/online-store/themes/adding-themes
- https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/online-store/themes
- Shopify TOS Section 14.4
- Shopify TOS Section 14
- Shopify TOS Section 10.5
Did You Know...
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