Home > Guides to grow your business > eCommerce Seller Resources

Selling on Shopify Australia: Features and costs [2024]

Last updated: 23.09.2024

Thinking about setting up an online store on Shopify Australia? We discuss the features, pricing plans and more in this deep dive

Key takeaways:

Shopify is an e-commerce website builder for setting up, managing and growing your online store
To collect payments, you can use Shopify’s in-built payment gateway, Shopify Payments, or a third-party payment gateway
Pricing plans range from AUD 56 to AUD 2300 per month
A World Account lets you accept payments from Shopify in 15+ currencies

Introduction

Shopify is one of the leading e-commerce platforms. It allows businesses to build their own online stores, sell products across different channels, and centrally manage operations. Over 100,000 businesses in Australia use Shopify to run their e-commerce stores.

If you are considering using Shopify to host and manage your online store, take a look at our in-depth guide on how Shopify works in Australia.

What is Shopify?

Shopify is an e-commerce website builder that empowers businesses of all sizes to create and manage their online stores from anywhere in the world. Through a centralised platform, you can manage your product listings, inventory, payments, shipping, and marketing.

Check out our complete beginner’s guide to Shopify

Link to the Shopify guide when its published

How does Shopify work in Australia?

Shopify works the same way in Australia as in other countries. It is a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform for setting up, managing, and growing an online store.

You pay a monthly subscription to get access to Shopify’s features.

Some of the major features of Shopify include:

Website builder: Shopify features a beginner-friendly interface, hundreds of fully customizable themes and third-party apps. You can directly build the website for desktop and mobile by dragging and dropping visual elements– there is no coding required. You can also customise the colours, images and font on the website.

Source

Integrations: You can integrate third-party apps to extend the capabilities of your online store. For instance, you can download the TikTok app to showcase your product listings to TikTok’s billions of users.

Source

Shipping: Shopify allows you to set up different shipping profiles for different types of products. You can set your own custom shipping rates, print shipping labels, track shipments and share shipment details with customers.

Streamline payments: You can accept payments through a wide range of payment methods including credit cards, debit cards, Apple Pay and more. You can either use Shopify’s in-built payment gateway, Shopify Payments, or a third-party payment gateway. It’s also possible to add buy buttons for your products on social media platforms or other websites. If you have a brick-and-mortar store, you can also integrate a point-of-sale system to unify your online and offline stores.

Manage inventory: You can track stock levels across stores and warehouses through your Shopify dashboard. You can also sort orders based on delivery locations or fulfilment methods for faster deliveries.

Open a World Account for free

Open 10+ local currency accounts with local account details
Direct CNH payments to 1688.com
Pay suppliers, partners and staff in 40+ currencies and 130+ destinations
Collect secure payments from 100+ marketplaces and payment gateways, including Amazon, AliExpress, Paypal and Shopify
Lock in currency conversion rates for up to 24 months

How does Shopify work in Australia?

Shopify fees in Australia depend on which pricing plan you choose. There are plans ranging from AUD 56 to AUD 2300 per month. You can save up to 25% by opting for an annual plan instead of a monthly plan.

The right plan will depend on the current scale of your e-commerce business and how fast you plan to grow. You can also scale up or down anytime, depending on your business needs.

Source: Shopify

All the four Shopify plans have the same basic features. The higher-priced plans offer lower transaction fees and more advanced features.

The basic features offered by all Shopify plans include:

List an unlimited number of products in the store
Get access to 24/7 customer support
Track inventory across multiple locations
Build custom apps using Shopify APIs
Setup discount codes and gift cards
Setup Shopify POS
Generate ready-to-print shipping labels
Set different product pricing and currency for different regions

Here are the main differences between the four plans:

	Basic	Shopify	Advanced	Plus
Additional staff accounts	Not included	5	15	Unlimited
Analytics	Standard	Standard	Custom reports	Custom reports
Checkout capacity	Standard	Standard	10x	40x
Third-party calculated shipping rates	Not included	Not included	Included	Included
Transaction fees for third-party payment providers	2%	1%	0.6%	0.2%
Duty and import taxes at checkout	Not included	Not included	Included	Included

Is there a way to save money on Shopify fees?

When you are already working on narrow margins, every dollar counts. Here are a few ways to save money on Shopify fees:

Opt for annual plans

The annual plans on Shopify come with a 25% discount. If you have the initial capital and are committed to running your online store on Shopify for at least a year, you can choose an annual plan.

Note: In case you want to downgrade the annual plan, Shopify will automatically issue subscription credit for the prorated difference between the two plans. You can also switch from an annual to a monthly plan anytime.

Free themes

Paid themes on Shopify can cost up to $450. If you are new to the online selling business, you can set up your Shopify store with a free theme. As you build your e-commerce business and brand over time, you can invest in a paid theme that aligns with your brand identity.

Use a multi-currency account to collect payments

Collecting payments in your customers’ local currencies allows you to provide a more localised shopping experience to international customers and attract more sales.

For instance, even if your business is located in Australia and your customers are based in the UK, they can make payments on your Shopify store in GBP just like they’d pay any other local business.

But there’s one major problem: When you receive payouts in currencies that don’t have a linked bank account on Shopify, a market currency conversion rate and a conversion fee are usually charged for the transaction.

To save on transaction fees and protect your profit margins, you can open local accounts in multiple currencies with WorldFirst and link them to your Shopify account.

A World Account is a multi-currency account that lets you send, receive and hold funds in 15+ currencies, including GBP, USD, EUR, CAD, JPY, AUD, SGD, NZD, HKD and CNH.

The accounts can be set up online in your business’s name without visiting any branch and you don’t need to provide a local proof of address. You get a separate account number and branch code for every currency account.

With a World Account, you can

Collect payments from 100+ global marketplaces and payment gateways, including Amazon, eBay, Etsy, AliExpress and Stripe
Hold your earnings in the original currency to fund supplier payments or withdraw them to your bank account at competitive exchange rates
Send and receive payments in 40+ currencies across 130+ countries and regions

Disclaimer: The information contained is general only and largely our views. Before acting on the information you should consider whether it is appropriate for you, in light of your objectives, financial situation or needs. Although information has been obtained from and is based upon multiple sources the author believes to be reliable, we do not guarantee its accuracy and it may be incomplete or condensed. All opinions, estimates, mentioned products/services and referenced material constitute the author’s own judgement as of the date of the briefing and are subject to change without notice. WorldFirst shall not be responsible for any losses or damages arising from your reliance of such information.

Written by Rick Hill, Head of Sales ANZ at WorldFirst

Rick Hill has worked in payments and financial services for the past nine years. He began his career at a large institutional bank and has since worked across startups and scaleups. Over the past four years, his experience with e-commerce retailers has led him to believe that WorldFirst will be crucial in helping brands expand globally by demystifying the complexities of entering new markets.