The thriving e-commerce market shows that more and more people are choosing to move their business online. However, launching an online shop is not just about setting up a website and selling goods. Each step involves costs that the entrepreneur has to bear. What does this mean in practice? Be sure to find out how to prepare a cost estimate! 
Opinions are divided on the amount of costs involved in setting up an online shop. Some believe that the costs are high. Others believe that it is more cost-effective to start up an online business than to open a local shop. It is impossible to say who is really right.
This is because the total cost of an online shop depends on the features it will have and its size. Each facility will incur an additional charge. So it all depends on what the entrepreneur actually decides to offer in his e-commerce. What should be taken into account when drawing up a cost estimate?
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Business charge
If you want to legally operate an online shop, you must first register your business. And although the registration itself is free of charge, one has to reckon with monthly fees related to social security contributions, bookkeeping or taxes.
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Choosing a platform for your online shop
The basic step when it comes to setting up an e-shop is to choose the platform on which it will operate. The decision depends on the type of business and the needs of the company. Currently, there are three options available: an open-source platform offering free software, a subscription-based shop, where prices per month start from several dozen PLN, and a dedicated platform, which enables entrusting the creation of an e-shop to an interactive agency. The cost of such an undertaking is several hundred PLN per month.
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Domain and server
A domain name - i.e. the internet address under which it will operate - should also be added to the cost estimate for the online shop. Usually, the price ranges from PLN 50 to 100 per year. It all depends on whether the entrepreneur wants to buy only the .pl extension or also invest in .com and .eu.
You also have to pay for the server on which the online shop is hosted and the software is installed. In the case of a paid platform, its price is included in the subscription. In other cases, the cost of hosting ranges from PLN 100 to PLN 500 per year, assuming low shop traffic.
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Web shop graphics
Setting up a shop on the platform is not enough. You still need to take care of its appearance. To do this, you need to choose a suitable design. Free platforms provide users with ready-made templates, but their possibilities are usually limited. In subscription-based shops, the price of graphics is included in the fee, but each change in the composition carries an additional cost (usually up to PLN 400).
If you want to commission a graphic designer to design your website, you have to reckon with an expense of several thousand zlotys. The situation is similar in the case of dedicated platforms, where the graphic design is done by an interactive agency.
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Content of the online shop
To the e-commerce cost estimate, you must also add all the activities undertaken on the website. First and foremost, these are the posted content, product descriptions and images, as well as the e-shop regulations and policies. So if you plan to outsource all the material to an external agency, you will need to factor in costs.
Depending on the type of goods on offer, a description of one product costs approximately PLN 20. In the case of photos, the cost is higher and averages around £ 50. Any other texts you obtain from a marketing agency will have to be paid for additionally.
No entrepreneur must also forget the rules and regulations and the privacy policy. These aspects also involve costs. Preparation of appropriate and tailored to e-commerce regulations by a law firm costs approx. PLN 500. An online shop should also be equipped with an SSL certificate, which is a confirmation of the company's credibility for the customer, as it ensures the confidentiality of data and secures transactions. The certificate can be purchased for approximately PLN 80 per year.
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Additional features
Depending on your needs, your online shop may be equipped with additional functions. It is important to bear in mind that each of these involves a further charge. Usually, the owner decides to use payment gateways and various shipping methods. When using free platforms, the cost of purchasing individual functions is approximately PLN 200. Subscription shops, on the other hand, have these services included in the rental price.
Summary
The factors influencing the final cost of setting up e-commerce are many. Therefore, it is impossible to say unequivocally how much the final price will be. The initial cost estimate of the e-store is calculated by adding up the business fees, the cost of the platform (from 0 to several thousand zlotys), the graphics and the amount we will spend on buying additional plug-ins and functions.
A basic version of an online shop, which an entrepreneur can run on his/her own, from home, will close even at the amount of PLN 2,000. In the case of engaging an interactive agency to create e-commerce, one has to reckon with much higher costs (PLN 5,000-8,000 on average), with a small shop size.
It is also important to remember that setting up a shop alone does not at all mean that customers will 'magically' appear in it. Therefore, you need to think about activities on FB, Google ADS, or SEO and positioning of online shops. Some of the activities will, of course, be carried out by ourselves and at no cost, but for some channels it is not possible to carry out activities without additional expenditure.
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