Budget for opening an online shop: how much do you really need?
To compare with Shopify and Wix: the price of an online shop in 2026, fees included.
Published on , updated on 6 min read The 123Ventes team
Ask ten people how much an online shop costs and you will get ten answers: “it’s free”, “allow €5,000”, “it depends”. The last one is right, but it does not help much.
So let’s do the sums, line by line, as you would when opening a physical shop. With some good news at the end: for a craftsperson or small shopkeeper who already has their products, a serious online shop starts with a few hundred euros, not a few thousand.
The budget, line by line
Here is what to plan for the first year. The amounts are ballpark figures for a small shop with a few dozen products, based on costs in France.
| Item | Ballpark figure |
|---|---|
| Registering as a micro-entreprise | free |
| Online shop tool (subscription) | €0 to €600 a year |
| Domain name (your-shop.fr) | €15 to €20 a year |
| Product photos | €0 to €50 (DIY) |
| Packaging in advance | €50 to €150 |
| Consumer mediator | €0 to €150 a year |
| Card payment fees | a small percentage per sale |
| Initial stock | depends on your business |
Let’s take these lines one by one, starting with the ones that sound scary and cost almost nothing.
Business status: cheaper than you think
If you are already a registered craftsperson or shopkeeper, you have nothing to set up: your online shop is a new sales channel for your existing business. Just check that distance selling is covered by your declared activity.
If you are starting from scratch, the micro-entreprise (France’s simplified sole-trader status) remains the easiest way to test the water. Registration is done online, on the official one-stop portal (the “guichet unique”), and it is free. Beware of websites that charge you for it: all they do is fill in the same form for you.
The shop tool: the line that varies most
This is where the differences are greatest. A “free” solution can end up costing more than a paid one, once you add the add-ons, the theme, the hosting and the commission on sales. Conversely, an all-inclusive subscription costs the same in January as in December, whether you sell ten bowls or a thousand.
To compare properly, do not look at the monthly price: add up everything you will pay over a full year. We have set out this calculation, with all the pitfalls, on our page how much does an online shop cost.
Photos, packaging, legal requirements: the small print
- Photos. A recent smartphone, a window and a large sheet of white paper are enough to get started. Add a piece of white card to bounce the light and you are equipped for less than €20. The professional photographer can wait until the shop is up and running.
- Packaging. Boxes, padding paper, tape, labels: buy a first batch, test it, then order in larger quantities. Do not end up with 500 boxes that are too small in the garage.
- The consumer mediator. In France, it is compulsory as soon as you sell to private individuals. Depending on the organisation, it costs anything from nothing at all (some trade federations include it in their membership) to around a hundred euros a year. The other obligations are covered in selling your creations online: what the law says.
- Legal notice and terms of sale. They cost nothing if your tool provides a template to fill in. Allow an hour to adapt them to your business.
- Payment fees. The provider that takes card payments (Stripe, PayPlug, PayPal…) keeps a small percentage plus a few cents on each sale. You only pay them when you sell, which is rather good news.
A real example: a soap maker getting started
Take a soap maker who is already established, sells at markets and wants to put 25 soaps online. She already has her business status, her stock and her know-how. Here is her budget for the first year:
| Annual subscription, all inclusive | €319.90 |
| Domain name | €17.00 |
| First batch of packaging | €90.00 |
| White sheets and reflector card | €15.00 |
| Consumer mediator | €60.00 |
| Total for the first year | €501.90 |
That is a little over €40 a month. With soaps at €8 that leave her a margin of about €5, she only needs to sell nine a month to cover these costs. From the tenth onwards, it is hers to keep.
If she would rather have someone set up the shop for her, she can add an optional set-up service. It is a matter of convenience, not an obligation.
The spending that can wait
Some expenses are tempting at launch, but they pay off later, if ever. Keep them for when the shop has proved itself:
- a logo designed by an agency: a name nicely written in an attractive font does the job very well at first;
- paid advertising: with no reviews and no track record, you pay a lot for visitors who do not know you. Start with your existing customers, your Google listing and your social media;
- the “must-have” add-ons: countdown timers, spin-the-wheel games, pop-ups… Your market customers have never asked you for them;
- extra stock: only increase production when the orders follow.
To bring in your first visitors without paying for advertising, see our tips to attract customers online and the beginner’s guide to SEO.
The budget everyone forgets: time
Your time does not appear in any table, yet it is the biggest item of all. Allow one or two days to put your first products online with their photos and descriptions. After that, a few hours a week: answering messages, packing parcels, adding new products.
That is why the choice of tool matters so much. A complicated tool may cost nothing in euros, but it costs you your evenings. We go into this in detail in why choose a simple e-commerce solution.
And with 123Ventes?
At 123Ventes, the price of the tool fits on one line: €29.90 a month, or €319.90 a year, with no commission on your sales. Hosting, the security certificate, card and PayPal payments, delivery options, in-store collection, statistics and the newsletter are all included. Your own domain name is optional, at €17 a year.
And you pay nothing while you prepare your shop: you can set it up with no time limit, and your subscription only starts with your first order. All the prices are on the pricing page.
Conclusion
Opening an online shop when you already have your products means a budget of a few hundred euros in the first year, as long as you do not immediately buy what can wait. The real investment is your time: choose a tool that respects it, start small, and let the orders tell you when to grow.
👉 Try 123Ventes for free and do your sums with all the facts in hand.
Frequently asked questions
What budget do you need to open an online shop?
For a craftsperson or shopkeeper who already has their products and business status, allow a few hundred euros in the first year: about €500 in our example, including subscription, domain, packaging and consumer mediator.
Can you open an online shop with no money?
Almost: registering as a micro-entreprise in France is free, and you can prepare your 123Ventes shop without paying. The subscription only starts with your first order. You will just need some packaging to ship your products.
Which expenses can wait?
The agency logo, paid advertising, gadget add-ons and extra stock: wait until the first orders come in.
To compare the price of platforms (123Ventes, Shopify, Wix), see the price of an online shop in 2026. And to work out the selling price of your products, read how to price your handmade creations.