Guides
Guides & walkthroughs
Step-by-step guides for moving from a paid tool to a cheaper one without breaking your setup.
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Business basics for a US online store: entity, EIN and sales tax
What first-time founders should know before selling online in the US: what an EIN is, sole proprietor vs LLC, sales tax registration, nexus, and Wayfair.
How to Cut Your Store App Subscriptions: A Simple Audit
A beginner method to list, test, and trim monthly apps and tools for an online store, with billing math and free alternatives, using prices checked 2026-10-03.
11 min readbeginner
Domain and Business Email Setup for an Online Store
A step-by-step setup guide for store domains and business email, covering trademark search, registrar selection, Shopify DNS connection, and MX, SPF, and DKIM.
11 min readbeginner
Dropshipping Explained: How It Works, What It Costs, and Where It Goes Wrong
How dropshipping works for a first online store: order flow, the fee stack, supplier vetting, shipping you cannot control, returns, legal rules and who should skip it.
Email marketing basics for an online store: setup, compliance, and automations
A practical guide for new store founders on email marketing costs, FTC CAN-SPAM legal rules, essential automations, and abandoned cart recovery.
+110 min readbeginner
Google Merchant Center Free Listings: A Setup Guide for New Stores
What Google free listings are, what your store and product data need to qualify, how to connect Shopify, and the disapproval reasons Google documents.
How to choose an online store platform
A decision path for choosing an online store platform: total monthly costs, transaction fees, design vs selling features, and what to pick for your store model.
9 min readbeginner
How to open an online store: a practical launch checklist
A practical 10-step checklist for launching a US online store: permits, business name, free EIN, bank account, domain, platform, payments, taxes and launch checks.
How to price your products: a founder's guide
Learn how to price products for your online store: calculate landed cost, factor platform fees, compare margin vs markup, and set sustainable retail prices.
How to source products for an online store: models, suppliers, and safety
Compare wholesale, dropshipping, print on demand, and making your own, with landed cost math, supplier vetting rules, and CPSC safety requirements.
Instagram marketing for an online store: an organic starter guide
A practical guide to organic Instagram marketing for an online store: posting routines, Reels and Carousels, product tagging rules, DM tools, and FTC guidelines.
Inventory basics for a small online store: SKUs, stock counts and reorder points
A beginner guide to inventory for a first online store: SKU rules, stock tracking, out-of-stock settings, reorder points and when print on demand skips stock.
8 min readbeginner
Klaviyo pricing explained for a new online store
How Klaviyo's free plan and active-profile billing work for new store owners, what scales your bill, how upgrades and downgrades behave, and where to see current prices.
10 min readbeginner
Legal pages and policies for an online store: a plain guide
What shipping, returns, privacy, terms and cookie pages do for a new online store, what official sources say about each, and when to ask a lawyer.
Mailchimp pricing explained for a new online store
How Mailchimp's free plan and contact-based paid plans work for new store owners, what sets your tier and send limit, add-on contacts, SMS and the 14-day trial.
10 min readbeginner
Meta Ads basics for a new online store on a small budget
A beginner guide to Meta Ads Manager for new store owners: campaign objectives, daily vs lifetime budgets, the pixel, data sharing, policies and FTC disclosure.
10 min readbeginner
Monthly cost of running a lean online store (US, 2026)
What running a US online store really costs each month at $0, $1,200, and $6,000 in sales, with line-by-line bills, fee math, and where to cut.
+510 min readbeginner
Online payments, fees and chargebacks for a new store
How card payments, processing fees, payouts and chargebacks work for a first online store, with US fee labels from Stripe and PayPal checked on 2026-10-03.
Print on Demand Explained: How POD Works for a New Online Store
How print on demand works for a new store, what a $25 T-shirt really makes after base costs, shipping, and card fees, and how to choose the right provider.
11 min readbeginner
Printify pricing explained: Free vs Premium and your real margin
How Printify pricing works for a first print-on-demand store: the Free, Premium and Enterprise plans, Premium discounts, and how product cost and shipping set margin.
10 min readbeginner
Product photos on a budget: phone setup, lighting, specs and alt text
How to shoot clean product photos with a phone and a window, meet Shopify, Etsy and Google image specs, write alt text, and use print on demand mockups.
11 min readbeginner
Returns and refunds process for a small online store, step by step
How to handle returns from request to refund: return labels, restocking, what happens to payment fees, and how returns differ from chargebacks.
+210 min readbeginner
Sales tax software for online stores: what it does and when you need it
What sales tax software does for a new store, how Shopify Tax, Stripe Tax, TaxJar, Avalara and Quaderno are priced, and when you can wait.
11 min readintermediate
Sell on Etsy, Amazon, or your own store?
Compare selling on Etsy, Amazon, and your own online store. See fixed fees, transaction commissions, customer ownership, and which channel fits your products.
SEO for a new online store: an organic search guide
A practical first-30-days SEO plan for new online store founders: product titles, descriptions, structured data, Search Console, and Merchant Center.
Shipping basics for a new online store: carriers, rates, and packaging
A complete guide to shipping for new online store owners: USPS services, dimensional weight, free vs flat rates, packaging, and international customs.
ShipStation pricing explained: plans, volume tiers and who can skip it
What ShipStation's Starter, Standard and Premium plans cost by monthly shipment volume, what each adds, what is billed separately, and who should not pay.
10 min readbeginner
Shopify pricing explained: plans, card rates and real costs
What Shopify really costs at 30 and 150 orders a month, card rates by plan, the trial offer, and when to upgrade from Basic to Grow.
10 min readbeginner
Squarespace pricing explained: plans, fees and real monthly costs
How Squarespace pricing works in 2026: plans, billing terms, card processing rates, transaction fees, and worked examples showing your true monthly costs.
10 min readbeginner
Wix pricing explained: plans, payments and what you pay to sell
How Wix pricing works for a first online store: plan names, the free-site rule, payment processing, and how to work out your true monthly selling cost.
8 min readbeginner