Online store costs: a budget with three worked examples

An online store has fixed expenses and costs that move with your orders. Comparing subscription prices alone is not enough. Build a budget that also accounts for payment processing, goods, packaging, shipping, returns and your own time.

Key points

• Separate one-off spending, fixed expenses and costs per order.
• Use your own quotes and assumptions; no single monthly amount fits every store.
• MicroCart costs €39.95 per store per month or €399.50 per store per year, excluding VAT. The trial lasts 14 days and requires no credit card.
• MicroCart charges 0% transaction fees of its own. Payment providers and external services have their own charges.

What belongs in your online store budget?

Start with three columns: spending before your first sale, recurring monthly expenses and the cost of an additional order. For each item, record the supplier, billing period, tax basis and any cancellation terms. Label uncertain figures as assumptions so you can see what still needs investigation.

Another business’s budget is not a reliable budget for your assortment. Fragile goods, multiple variants, international parcels or handmade products can involve different work and costs. For the order of your first tasks, use the step-by-step guide to starting an online store.

The four types of cost

1. Platform or subscription costs

Compare the features you actually need and check whether the advertised price assumes monthly or annual billing. Twelve monthly MicroCart payments total €479.40. The annual subscription costs €399.50, a difference of €79.90 over a full year. All MicroCart amounts here exclude VAT; annual billing means paying the yearly total.

All MicroCart apps and B2B are included in the package. This does not make every external service free. Check the MicroCart pricing page for the current offering and the terms relevant to your choice.

2. Payment processing and any platform fees

Keep the payment provider’s rate separate from any surcharge charged by the store platform. For each payment method, check the fixed charge, percentage, charging basis and costs such as refunds. Your store’s payment mix determines which rates matter for your budget.

MicroCart’s own transaction surcharge is 0%; payment provider costs still apply. Use the agreement with your chosen provider for an actual quote. The examples below use a fictional calculation rate only. See also the guide to iDEAL in your online store.

3. Apps, integrations and maintenance

For each essential task, record both the software cost and the manual work left over. Example assumptions: two hours of monthly administration at an internal value of €25 per hour represent €50 of time, alongside subscriptions and invoices. This is not a software payment, but it matters when comparing options.

A feature you are not using does not need to become an extra bill immediately. The guide to keeping your store setup simple helps you connect those choices to everyday work.

4. One-off spending and product-related costs

Consider design work, photography, opening stock, packaging supplies and any help setting up the store. A domain is normally a recurring item even when billed once a year. Divide such amounts by twelve for a monthly cost comparison, but also record when you actually have to pay them.

Example excluding VAT and assuming recoverable input VAT: you buy 100 items at €10 each and sell 40 that month. You pay €1,000 for stock; the purchase cost of sold items is €400. The remaining €600 is still tied up in stock. Show this difference in your cash plan.

Which expenses are easy to overlook?

• Shipping and packaging: calculate what you pay and what, if anything, you charge the customer separately.
• Returns and exceptions: use your own information to budget for extra handling, return transport or unsellable goods.
• Your own hours: track time spent buying, creating content, supporting customers, keeping records and packing.
• Moving or changing systems: budget for help and checking when products, content or integrations must be moved. Use a migration checklist.

Make uncertain costs visible rather than setting them to zero. This helps avoid choosing on subscription price alone, one of the points covered in our guide to mistakes when starting an online store.

Worked example: three monthly scenarios

This is a fictional budget, not a market average, sales forecast or quote. Only the MicroCart subscription uses the stated product price. Every other figure was chosen to demonstrate the calculation. Replace those figures with your own prices, quotes and records before making a decision.

We assume 30, 100 or 300 orders, each producing €50 in revenue. Per order, we allow €22.50 for goods, an assumed payment charge of 1.5% plus €0.30, €0.75 for packaging, €5.50 for shipping and €0.75 for a returns reserve. The fictional domain costs €15 a year, allocated as €1.25 a month. The assumed monthly marketing budgets are €150, €400 and €900 respectively. This model includes no separate shipping revenue.

For example, scenario 1 has payment costs of 30 × ((1.5% × €50) + €0.30) = €31.50. Its listed costs total €1,107.70; €1,500 revenue minus €1,107.70 leaves €392.30 before the items not included.

The balance is not net profit or the owner’s income. Your labour, taxes, any financing, additional software, setup investments and other unlisted costs are excluded. VAT is outside this model. The payment charge is simplified to apply to €50; use your provider’s actual charging basis and agreement in your own budget. The returns reserve is a budget item, not a measured returns rate.

How should you compare platform costs?

Use the same task list, payment mix and order counts for every platform. Record one-off and recurring costs separately. Comparing an annual price with twelve monthly payments can be useful if you state the billing period and commitment. Include external service costs even when they are not on the platform’s invoice.

Shopify publishes its own current plans and terms. For a self-managed installation, include hosting and maintenance: WooCommerce describes its free core software and separate cost items. A free software licence is not a complete operating budget.

For a shortlist, see seven Shopify alternatives. There are also separate articles comparing MicroCart with Shopify, WooCommerce, Lightspeed and CCV Shop. Always check specific rates with the supplier; a comparison does not guarantee that one option is cheaper for every store.

Starting an online store for free: what does that mean for costs?

Distinguish a temporary trial, an ongoing free plan and free software you manage yourself. Check when payment starts, what you can retain and which external costs arise when selling. The guide to starting for free explores that decision.

MicroCart has no permanent free subscription. You can try the package for 14 days without a credit card. After that, budget for your chosen paid subscription and your services’ separate charges.

How do you calculate the sales needed to cover costs?

First calculate one order’s contribution: its revenue minus its variable costs. Then divide your fixed monthly expenses by that contribution and round up. Use the same definition of fixed and variable costs in both steps.

In this fictional model, the contribution is €50 − €22.50 − €1.05 − €0.75 − €5.50 − €0.75 = €19.45 per order. With the €150 marketing budget, the included fixed costs are €39.95 + €1.25 + €150 = €191.20. €191.20 ÷ €19.45 is approximately 9.83, so 10 orders cover only these included costs. Your own pay and the other excluded items have not yet been covered. Changing the advertising budget or payment mix changes this result too.

Keep the budget useful

1. Keep quotes with their date, billing period and inclusions and exclusions.
2. Prepare quieter and busier scenarios without presenting those order counts as a forecast.
3. After your first sales, compare assumptions with actual spending and hours worked.
4. Adjust your price, assortment or workflow if the contribution per order is too small.

Frequently asked questions

What does an online store cost per month?

It depends on the platform, products, orders and work you outsource. Use your own budget rather than a single general average. The MicroCart subscription is €39.95 per store per month or €399.50 per store per year, excluding VAT; other costs remain separate.

Are payment provider fees included with MicroCart?

No. MicroCart charges 0% transaction fees of its own, but your payment provider has its own rate. That distinction applies at every order volume.

Is the annual price a monthly amount?

No. €399.50 is the amount for one year, excluding VAT. Twelve monthly payments of €39.95 total €479.40. The difference is €79.90; consider your preferred billing period alongside that comparison.

Is the balance in the examples my profit?

No. It is revenue minus the listed budget items. Your labour, taxes and other excluded expenses still need to be considered.

Can I use the fictional payment charge as a quote?

No. The 1.5% plus €0.30 rate is a calculation assumption only. Use the current rate and charging basis offered by your chosen payment provider for your own plan.

Your next step

Put your opening assortment’s expected revenue, direct costs, monthly expenses and available hours on one page. Then check whether the store platform’s workflow suits it. Review the current MicroCart price and the approach for your industry before choosing a package.

Content and the MicroCart price reference checked on 26 October 2026. All scenario figures not identified as the product subscription price are fictional assumptions.