Get everything ready for your Shopify store setup

To set up a Shopify store, you need your business details (like your ABN and whether you're registered for GST), a domain name, your logo and brand colours, your product details and photos, your payment and shipping decisions, and your store policies. Ready to Sail takes you through each of these in order, and the workbook keeps track of what you've done and what's left.

Shopify's Basic plan costs A$56 a month, or A$50 a month if you pay yearly, and the Grow plan is A$134 a month paid yearly. On top of your plan, Shopify Payments card fees start at 1.7% + 30c per online sale on Basic, so a $100 sale costs about $2 in fees. You'll usually pay for your domain too, and sometimes a paid theme or apps.

New stores can start with a short free trial, then $1 a month for the first 3 months. That offer doesn't apply to a store we build and transfer to you.

Last checked: 9 November 2026, from Shopify's Australian pricing page.

Yes, Shopify is one of the easier platforms for beginners, because you don't need to code and the setup steps are built in. Where most people get stuck is the content and decisions - descriptions, shipping rates, policies - and that's what the kit is for. If you'd like someone alongside you while you build, Learn the Ropes is our guided Shopify training for owners who look after their own store.

Most people take about 21-30 hours to work through Parts 1 and 2 and the 'Before you launch' chapter, plus about 4-5 hours if they're selling subscriptions. It's self-paced, so you can spread it over a few weeks. If you build the store yourself, Part 4 is about another 14-25 hours.

No, Ready to Sail gets you ready to set up your store, rather than setting it up for you. You finish with everything decided and gathered, plus a store plan and a product sheet. Then you can build it yourself with Part 4, work with us on Learn the Ropes, or have us build it for you.

No, Ready to Sail is made by Deckhand Creative, a web studio in Sydney's Inner West. We're a Shopify Partner, but Ready to Sail isn't made, sponsored or endorsed by Shopify. The kit links to Shopify's own help pages wherever they explain a setting.

Yes, the kit is written for Australian businesses, with prices in Australian dollars and notes on ABNs, GST, Australia Post and Afterpay. Businesses outside Australia can still use most of it, but some of the tax and shipping advice won't apply.

No, you don't need a Shopify account to start the kit, and it's often better to wait. Parts 1 and 2 happen outside Shopify, so you can do them before any trial starts. If you're going to work with us on Learn the Ropes or a build, don't sign up - we set up a store for you to build in, and you don't pay Shopify while it's being built.

You can book an hour with us on a recorded Zoom or Google Meet call and bring your workbook. An hour is $120 + GST ($132 including GST). Kit buyers get 20% off their first paid hour with us, once. For ongoing help, you can enquire about Learn the Ropes.

If you go on to a full or hybrid build with us, we credit the kit price to your build. Your store plan also means your content is ready, so the build can move faster.

You keep access to the kit for as long as we sell it, including any updates. We check the Shopify details in the kit regularly, and a change log at the end shows what changed and when.

We don't offer refunds if you change your mind, because you get the whole kit straight away. Your rights under Australian Consumer Law still apply, so if something in the kit doesn't work as it should, email us at hello@deckhandcreative.com.au and we'll fix it, or refund you where the law says we should.