Shopify fees: growth gets expensive.

Shopify is a phenomenal storefront. But at standard online rates (around 2.9% + 30¢ per order on the entry plan, per Shopify's published pricing), processing quietly becomes one of your biggest line items as you grow. Every $10,000 in monthly sales costs roughly $320 in fees — $40,000/month is pushing $15,000 a year, before you count the extra penalty Shopify charges if you use an outside payment gateway instead of Shopify Payments.

Ways stores cut this down

Plan math. Higher Shopify plans carry lower card rates — sometimes the upgrade pays for itself on processing alone. Most owners never run this math; we will.
Retail/in-person volume. If you also sell in person (pop-ups, showroom, counter), that volume often shouldn't be running at online rates at all.
B2B and high-ticket orders. Large orders are where a percentage point matters most, and where alternative setups (invoicing, level-2/3 data, ACH for wholesale) save real money.

Honest caveat: for a pure-online store doing modest volume, Shopify Payments is often the right answer, and we'll tell you so. The wins are in mixed online/in-person businesses, high volume, and high average tickets.

Run the numbers on your store — free

Tell us your rough monthly volume and average order size, or send a payouts report. We'll send back a plain-English side-by-side of what you pay now versus your realistic options. One day, no obligation.

Compare my rates free →

Shopify's published rates as of this writing; check shopify.com for current pricing. Shopify is a trademark of Shopify Inc. — we're not affiliated.

Common questions

Do I need to leave Shopify to save money?

No — your storefront stays exactly the same. This is about the payment processing underneath it, and in some cases an alternate gateway or plan-tier change, not the platform itself.

Does this work if I sell both online and in person?

Yes, and it's often where the biggest savings show up — in-person volume shouldn't be priced at online rates, and a lot of mixed sellers are paying that penalty without knowing it.