~1,300 words | 10 min read
Selling online is no longer optional for small and medium-sized businesses — it’s expected. Customers today research and buy products at all hours, often without ever stepping into a physical store. If your business isn’t online, you’re simply not in the room when those decisions are made.
The good news: you don’t need a big budget or a technical background to start selling online. The challenge is making the right choice for your situation — because the options vary wildly in cost, control, and complexity.
This guide breaks down every main route: selling on marketplaces like Amazon or eBay, using website builders like Shopify or Wix, and open-source solutions like WooCommerce. By the end, you’ll know which is right for your budget, your goals, and the level of control you actually want over your business.
The Three Main Ways to Sell Online
1. Selling on Marketplaces (Amazon, eBay)
Marketplaces are platforms where millions of buyers already browse and shop. You list your products alongside thousands of other sellers, and the marketplace handles the customer-facing experience.
The appeal: You inherit their traffic. Amazon has over 300 million customer accounts. You don’t need to build an audience from scratch.
The cost: This is where it gets eye-opening. Amazon charges referral fees of 8–20% depending on category, plus a Professional seller plan at around £25–$40/month for higher-volume sellers. eBay fees can range from 13.25% to 17% of each sale, depending on your category and whether you have a store subscription.
These percentages add up fast. Sell a £50 product on eBay and you might keep £42 after fees — before shipping and packaging costs.
2. Website Builders (Shopify, Wix, Shopline, SumUp)
Website builders are all-in-one platforms where you build and manage your own online shop. No coding required — everything runs through a visual editor.
- Shopify is the most powerful dedicated ecommerce builder. The Basic Plan starts at $39/month (or $29/month with annual billing) and includes essential features for a full online store.
- Wix is more affordable and beginner-friendly, starting around $17/month for basic ecommerce plans, scaling up for advanced features.
- SumUp Online Store is ideal for very small sellers. SumUp doesn’t charge a monthly or annual fee to use its Online Store, though its transaction fees are 2.5% — slightly higher than some competitors.
- Shopline targets growing SMEs and multichannel sellers with competitive monthly pricing and strong Asian market support.
3. Open-Source (WooCommerce)
WooCommerce is a free plugin that turns a WordPress website into a full online shop. You host it yourself, which means more work to set up — but also complete ownership and flexibility. You can start with hosting and a domain for approximately $7–$15 per month.
Platform Comparison: Real Costs at a Glance
| Platform | Monthly Fee | Transaction Fee | Setup Difficulty | Data Ownership | Scalability |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon | ~£25–$40 (Professional) | 8–20% referral + FBA fees | Easy | ❌ None | High (but costly) |
| eBay | £0–£25 (Store optional) | 13–17% per sale | Easy | ❌ None | Medium |
| Shopify | $29–$79/month | 0% (Shopify Pay) / 0.5–2% (3rd party) | Easy–Medium | ⚠️ Limited export | High |
| Wix | ~$17–$35/month | 0% (Wix Pay) | Easy | ⚠️ Limited export | Medium |
| SumUp | £0/month | 2.5% per transaction | Very Easy | ⚠️ Limited | Low–Medium |
| Shopline | ~$29–$69/month | Low/0% on native payments | Medium | ⚠️ Partial | High |
| WooCommerce | ~$7–$15/month (hosting) | 0% platform fee | Medium–Hard | ✅ Full ownership | Very High |
Key takeaway: The lowest monthly fee doesn’t always mean the lowest total cost. Transaction fees and add-ons can quietly double what you actually pay.
Hidden and Extra Costs You Need to Know About
The advertised price is rarely the real price. Here’s what often gets missed:
App and plugin costs. Both Shopify and Wix have app marketplaces where you add features — email marketing, reviews, loyalty programmes, and more. These apps typically cost £5–£30/month each, and many stores run 5–10 apps simultaneously. What starts as a £29/month plan can quietly become £100+/month.
Payment gateway fees. If you use a third-party payment provider (like Stripe or PayPal) instead of the platform’s own payment system, Shopify charges an additional 0.5–2% per transaction. On £10,000 of monthly sales, that’s an extra £50–£200 going to the platform.
Premium themes. Many of the polished, professional-looking shop templates cost £80–£200 as a one-off purchase. Free themes exist, but they often look generic.
Long-term vs initial affordability. A platform that costs £17/month at launch might cost £80–£150/month once you add necessary apps, a premium theme, and advanced features. Always calculate what you’ll likely spend in Year 2, not just on launch day.
Platform Lock-In: A Risk Most Beginners Don’t See Coming
This is one of the most important considerations — and almost no one talks about it when they’re starting out.
When you build your store on Shopify, Wix, or similar platforms, your store design, product data, and customer records live inside their system. Migrating to a different platform later is time-consuming, technically complex, and often requires rebuilding your storefront from scratch.
Exporting your full customer database — including purchase history — is frequently restricted or incomplete, depending on the platform’s export tools.
There’s also the risk of account suspension. Platforms can restrict or ban accounts for policy violations, including something as common as using a product image you don’t have the rights to (for example, using a manufacturer’s photo without permission). If your entire online business runs through one platform account and that account is suspended — even temporarily — you could lose access to your shop, your orders, and your customer data until it’s resolved.
This doesn’t mean you should avoid these platforms. It means you should understand the risks before you build something that’s entirely dependent on someone else’s infrastructure.
The Case for Hosted Platforms (Shopify, Wix, etc.)
Despite those limitations, hosted platforms genuinely are the best starting point for most non-technical small business owners. Here’s why:
- No technical knowledge required. You don’t need to understand servers, security certificates, or software updates — the platform handles all of it.
- Fast setup. A basic Shopify or Wix store can be live within a day or two.
- Built-in support. Both Shopify and Wix offer live chat and email support, which is invaluable when something goes wrong and you don’t know how to fix it.
- Integrated tools. Payments, shipping labels, inventory tracking, and analytics are all in one place.
For a business that wants to start selling quickly without technical headaches, a hosted platform is the right choice — as long as you go in with eyes open about the long-term costs.
WooCommerce: More Control, More Responsibility
WooCommerce is worth serious consideration for SMEs that want long-term ownership of their store. WooCommerce is the cheapest platform at first glance, since it’s a free WordPress plugin offering ecommerce capabilities.
The real cost is your time and occasional technical help. You’ll need to manage hosting, updates, security, and plugins yourself — or hire someone to help. But the trade-off is significant: you own everything. Your product data, customer database, site design, and content all live on servers you control. There are no transaction fees taken by the platform, no risk of a policy change wiping out your store.
WooCommerce offers more flexible pricing and customization options — it’s better for those with technical know-how, and those who want more control and personalization options over their store. If you’re comfortable with basic technology or have a developer you can call on occasionally, WooCommerce is one of the most cost-effective long-term choices available.
Marketplaces vs Your Own Website
Selling exclusively on Amazon or eBay is a reasonable starting point — but a risky long-term strategy.
The advantages are real: instant access to millions of buyers, no marketing needed to get initial traffic, and low setup effort.
The disadvantages compound over time. Amazon’s higher fees may be justified by its vast customer base, but eBay’s lower fees may be more attractive if you have tight profit margins or are testing the waters in ecommerce. More importantly, on any marketplace, you’re not building a brand — you’re building someone else’s platform. Customers buy from “Amazon,” not from you. Your seller account can be restricted. And you have no direct relationship with your customers; you can’t email them, offer loyalty rewards, or build the kind of repeat business that sustains a small company long-term.
The businesses that thrive online long-term use marketplaces as a sales channel, not as their entire digital presence.
Which Option Is Right for Your Business?
If you have a very tight budget and minimal technical knowledge: Start with SumUp (no monthly fee) or a free eBay account to test your products and generate early sales. Reinvest that revenue into a proper website.
If you want to launch a proper shop quickly without technical hassle: Shopify Basic or Wix Business is the most practical choice. Budget realistically — plan for £60–£100/month once apps are factored in, not just the base plan price.
If long-term cost and data ownership are priorities: WooCommerce with managed hosting is the best value over a 3–5 year horizon. It requires more patience to set up, but you own everything and pay no platform transaction fees.
If you’re in a product category with high search volume: Start with marketplace listings on Amazon or eBay in addition to your own site — not instead of it. Use the marketplace traffic to generate sales while your own website builds momentum through SEO.
Conclusion: Build Something You Own
There’s no single right answer — the best platform depends on where your business is today and where you want it to be in five years.
What matters most is this: don’t let ease of setup today lock you into a situation that costs you more — in fees, in flexibility, or in control — tomorrow. The most successful small online businesses treat their own website as the foundation, use marketplaces and social media to drive traffic to it, and avoid putting everything they’ve built on a platform they don’t control.
Start simple. Grow deliberately. And make sure that what you’re building is yours.
Pricing figures reflect typical market rates as of 2026 and may vary by region and plan. Always verify current costs directly with each platform before committing.
