E-commerce website prices: what sets the cost and what to check in a quote

How much does an online store cost? Every item that sets the price, from platform and product count to integrations and recurring costs, in one article.

Be suspicious of anyone who answers "how much does an online store cost?" with a single number. Two sites called by the same name can differ tenfold in price and both be right for their business. This article gives no figures; instead it explains every item that makes up the price, when each rises, and what to check in a quote. By the end you will be able to put the quotes you receive into one table and compare them.

1. Platform choice: the biggest item

• Rented platform: packaged systems paid monthly or yearly. Cheap and fast to set up, but the rent never ends, plans grow with turnover and some platforms also take a commission on sales.
• Open-source platform: a licence-free core with theme and plugins. Mid-range cost; maintenance falls to you or the agency.
• Custom build: written for your business model. Highest starting cost, no rent or commission, unlimited flexibility.

We cover the decision in ready-made platform or custom build. The rule on price: the route that looks cheap at the start can get expensive as turnover grows, and vice versa. Compare quotes on one-year and three-year total cost, not setup alone.

2. Product count and product entry

A store with 50 products and one with 5,000 are not the same job. More products mean more category structure, filters, search and bulk updates. The item most often overlooked is product entry: names, descriptions, prices, stock, variants and photos loaded into the system. Will you do it or the agency? The quote must answer "is product entry included, and up to how many?" A tidy spreadsheet allows bulk import and lowers the cost.

3. Design: ready theme or custom?

Applying a logo and colours to a ready theme is cheap; custom design draws the home, category, product and checkout pages for you. Custom design separates the brand from competitors and shapes the order flow around your product, but raises the price. A boutique starting with few products may be fine with a theme; a company investing in its brand needs custom.

4. Payments: gateway and commissions

Card sales need a payment gateway from a bank or payment institution, which requires a registered company. Separate from the setup fee, each sale carries a commission that varies with instalments. Check whether gateway integration is included and which providers are supported. Bank transfer and cash on delivery may be separate items.

5. Shipping and marketplace integrations

Sending orders to the courier automatically, emailing tracking numbers and calculating shipping by region is separate development. Syncing products and stock with marketplaces such as Trendyol and Hepsiburada is a larger item, essential if you sell on both. Accounting integration (invoicing, customer accounts) is the third group. Every integration raises the price but removes manual work; separating what is needed on day one from what can wait protects the budget.

6. Content and photography

Product photos win or lose more sales than anything else in e-commerce. If you have photos they are used; if not, a product shoot should be a separate line in the quote, as should writing descriptions. Descriptions copied from the manufacturer's catalogue appear identically on hundreds of sites and bring no rankings. See how product photos affect sales.

7. Legal texts

Distance selling contract, pre-information form, return and withdrawal terms, KVKK privacy notice and cookie notice are legal requirements, and template texts carry risk. The quote should state who prepares them: the agency places them, the content needs your accountant's and lawyer's input.

8. Recurring costs

• Domain and SSL renewal
• Hosting; stores need stronger servers than brochure sites
• Platform rent, if a rented platform was chosen
• Payment gateway commissions
• Maintenance and updates
• Annual fees for some marketplace and shipping services

Quote comparison table

Item	Question to ask
Platform	Which one? Rent and commission? Can data be exported?
Design	Theme or custom? Has the mobile checkout been tested?
Product entry	Included? How many products? Who does it?
Payments	Gateway integration included? Which providers?
Integrations	Shipping, marketplaces, accounting: which now, which later?
Content	Who provides photos and descriptions?
Legal texts	Who prepares, who places them?
Recurring costs	Year one included? Year two cost?
Ownership	Domain, hosting and data in whose name?
After launch	Panel training, support period and fee?

Where to start on a tight budget

Starting with one or a few products, a one-page order site is far cheaper and faster than a full store; move to a store on the same domain once sales settle. With many products but a tight budget, start on a rented platform, make sure your data stays yours, and move to a custom build later. For an itemised written quote, see our e-commerce website page or call +90 534 974 66 80. The quote is free.