Website Answers
How much does an e-commerce website cost?
An e-commerce website in the UK typically costs more than a brochure site because of the cart and checkout. A BuiltWeb online shop is 750 pounds, paid once, no subscription.
Short answer: An e-commerce website costs more than a simple brochure site because it needs product pages, a cart, and secure checkout. At BuiltWeb an online shop is £750, paid once with no subscription, and you own it outright.
Why does an online shop cost more than a service site?
A service site just needs to explain what you do and get people in touch. A shop has to do all that plus handle money safely. That means product listings, a shopping cart, a checkout, and a connection to a payment provider — more moving parts, so more work to build and test.
At £750 our e-commerce build includes those essentials set up properly, versus £300 for a standard service site. You still pay once — a 50% deposit to start and 50% on launch — and there is no monthly platform fee for the site itself.
What is included and what costs extra?
The £750 covers the core shop: product pages, cart, secure checkout, and a mobile-friendly design that loads fast. From there you can add features only if they help, starting at £60:
- A gallery to show products in use
- A CRM to track orders and customers
- AI chat to answer buyer questions
- Local SEO and email marketing to bring people back
- Extra pages beyond the standard set
The only unavoidable running cost is the payment provider's cut per sale, which is standard everywhere. Hosting is free, forever, if you want us to keep it online.
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How does this compare to Shopify?
Shopify and similar platforms work, but they charge a monthly subscription for as long as you sell — often £25 to £70 a month, plus app fees and sometimes extra transaction charges. Over three years that is well over £1,000 before you have sold a thing, and you are renting the platform.
A one-off custom shop flips that. You pay £750 once, own the site, and only ever pay the payment provider's per-sale fee. We go deeper in shopify vs custom ecommerce and in one-off vs monthly website pricing.
What do I need to get started?
Less than you might think. To launch you will want:
- A list of products with prices and short descriptions
- Photos of each product, ideally clear and consistent
- A payment provider account like Stripe or PayPal, which is quick to set up
- Your delivery and returns terms
We handle the build, connect the payments, and show you how to manage orders before launch. Most shops go live within 2–4 weeks. For a fuller checklist see what do I need to start selling online.
Ready to price up your shop? Get a clear price in a couple of minutes.
Frequently asked questions
Are there transaction fees when selling online?
The site itself has no fees, but payment providers like Stripe or PayPal take a small cut of each sale, usually around 1.4 to 2.9 percent plus a few pence. That is standard for any online shop.
Do I need Shopify to sell online?
No. Shopify works but charges a monthly fee forever. A one-off custom shop lets you sell online, own the site, and avoid the recurring cost. We compare them in a separate guide.
Can I add products myself after launch?
Yes. We set the shop up so you can add, edit, and remove products without needing us, and we show you how before launch.
Gareth Julien
I'm the founder of BuiltWeb. I've been building websites for nearly twenty years and I'm on a mission to fix the broken way most businesses buy and maintain their online presence. I write about web development, subscriptions, and what actually works for real businesses.
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