How much an e-shop costs in 2026 — the full breakdown

In the Greek market in 2026 the range is clear: a serious e-shop realistically starts at around €1,500 and comfortably reaches €6,000+ — and for large stores with many integrations, well beyond that. The number itself is not the problem. The problem is that most quotes show you only a third of the real cost. The build is the first instalment. Payments, shipping, photography, content and maintenance are the rest — and people usually discover them after they have already paid. Let's lay it all out, with no fine print.

First, the sore point: what “cheap e-shop” really means

You will find offers at €400–€700, even “an e-shop for €0, you only pay a subscription.” These are not scams — they are simply not what you think you are buying. In practice you get an off-the-shelf theme, set up in a hurry, with no proper payment/shipping configuration, no tax-compliant invoicing, no SEO foundation, and nobody to pick up the phone when an order breaks. You pay for “cheap” later: in sales lost to a slow site, in a developer you'll pay a premium to untangle the mess, or in a full rebuild two years down the line. The cheapest e-shop is almost always the one built properly once.

1. Build cost (one-off)

A few concrete factors keep the budget sensible or blow it up:

• Platform vs. custom: most stores run on WooCommerce or Shopify — stable, quick to launch, low upfront cost. A fully custom store costs clearly more and only makes sense when you have unusual needs (complex pricing, B2B, thousands of SKUs, special flows).
• Number of products: 20 products and 2,000 products are completely different jobs — in category structure, filters, and data entry. Entering 2,000 SKUs with attributes and variants is a cost in itself, whether you do it or delegate it.
• Integrations: couriers, a card provider, accounting/ERP, tax reporting, a feed for price-comparison and Google Shopping. Every integration adds value — and hours of work.
• Design: a ready-made theme gets you live cheaply; a design built for your brand stands out, builds trust and sells better — but costs more.

2. Payments — the cost that runs on every order

This is where owners most often get confused. “Accepting cards” is not a one-off expense; it is a fee on every transaction, forever. Realistic figures:

• Stripe / bank online-POS providers: typically ~1.4%–2.5% plus a small fixed fee per transaction, depending on provider and turnover. On €100,000 of sales, that is €1,500–€2,500 a year in card fees alone.
• Cash on delivery: in Greece this is still huge. The courier charges extra for the cash-collection service, and you get a higher rate of cancellations and refused parcels. It is not a “free” alternative.
• Instant bank payments: cheaper fees, growing fast — worth offering.

The practical takeaway: build the fees into your margin, or every sale will look more profitable than it actually is.

3. Shipping & logistics

Shipping is not your cost in the accounting sense — the customer usually pays it. But it is one of the biggest reasons for cart abandonment. You need a clear policy: who pays, the threshold for free delivery, what cash-on-delivery costs. And you need the courier integration to actually work — printing labels, sending the customer tracking, not eating half an hour of manual work per order. That integration is part of the build cost that many quotes quietly leave out — and then never deliver.

4. Legal & tax

• Compliant invoicing: in Greece every document must be transmitted to the tax authority. The e-shop has to work with your accounting software or send the data correctly.
• VAT: the right rate per product, prices shown correctly with VAT, and correct handling of EU vs. non-EU sales.
• Mandatory pages: Terms of use, a Returns policy (14-day right of withdrawal in the EU), and a Privacy/cookies policy (GDPR). These are not decorative — they are a legal requirement and they get checked.

5. Fixed monthly / annual costs

• Domain: ~€10–€20/year.
• Hosting: from ~€10/month for small stores to €50+/month as traffic grows. An e-shop needs speed — cheap, slow hosting costs you in sales.
• Payments: the per-transaction fees above, on every order.
• Maintenance & support: updates, backups, security, small changes — either a monthly package (often ~€30–€100/month) or per task. An unmaintained e-shop is only a matter of time before it breaks or gets attacked.

6. The costs almost everyone forgets

• Product photography: bad photos mean lost sales. In fashion, jewellery or food, the photo is the product. Budget for it seriously.
• Content & descriptions: descriptions that persuade the customer and rank on Google are not written in an afternoon. They are work — and often the difference between sales and zero.
• Launch advertising: for the first months, until SEO kicks in, you'll need paid promotion (Google/Meta). Put a realistic figure in the budget — otherwise you've built a shop window nobody walks past.

A realistic mid-size example

Take a store with ~150 products, WooCommerce, a custom-ish design, courier and card integrations, and compliant invoicing:

• Build (one-off): ~€2,500–€3,500
• Photos + descriptions: ~€500–€1,200 (depending on how much you do yourself)
• Domain + hosting: ~€150–€250/year
• Maintenance: ~€40–€80/month
• Card fees: ~1.7% on every card sale
• Launch advertising: whatever the budget allows — say €200–€400/month

First-year total: realistically ~€5,000–€7,000 with everything included. Not the €700 from the ad — but not the mythical number you feared either.

When does an e-shop pay off?

The right question is not “what does it cost?” but “how fast does it pay off?” Do the simple math: average basket × net margin × orders per month. A €3,000 e-shop bringing 20 orders a month at €25 net profit each pays for itself in about 6 months — and from then on it works for you, around the clock, with no salary.

Frequently asked questions

Why did someone quote me €600 and you €3,000?Because you're not talking about the same thing. Ask in writing what's included: payments, courier, tax compliance, SEO, support. That's where the difference shows.
Shopify or WooCommerce?Shopify has a monthly fee but less hassle; WooCommerce gives full control and fits Greek couriers and tax reporting better. It depends on what you sell — we'll tell you honestly which suits you. See our services for how we build.
Can I start small and grow?Yes, and it's the right strategy — as long as the foundation is built properly from the start, so it can carry growth without a rebuild.