How much does a dropshipping store cost in 2026?

"You can start dropshipping with no money": that's half true. The store itself costs very little, but finding customers has a price. Here is every expense, with official prices checked on November 5, 2026 for a store based in France (prices differ by country), then three sample budgets and a detailed margin example.

Fixed costs: what the store costs each month

The Shopify subscription

This is the main fixed expense. On November 5, 2026, Shopify's French site shows a 3-day free trial, then €1/month for 3 months, before the regular price:

The Basic plan is enough to start. Switch to yearly billing once your product is validated: you save €9 a month, or €108 a year.

The domain name

Shopify sells domains from $9 a year (the price depends on the extension, and renewal can cost more than the first year). It's a small expense that makes a big difference to visitor trust.

Apps

To start, only one app really matters: DSers, which places your orders with the AliExpress supplier. Its free plan covers 3 stores and 3,000 products. Beware of €10 or €20/month apps installed "just to see": added up, they quickly outweigh the Shopify subscription.

The theme and the store

Shopify offers free themes, but you then have to write the copy, pick the sections and lay everything out. With ThemeDrop, your first generated store is free; after that, the Starter plan costs €9.99/month for 15 stores, or you buy 10 credits for €4.99 with no subscription.

Variable costs: what each sale costs

Example: where does a €29.90 sale go?

Take a product bought for €9 shipping included and sold for €29.90, paid by card. Shopify takes €0.70. If a sale costs you €10 of advertising on average, you keep €10.20 of margin, about a third of the sale price.

The most important number to know is your maximum cost per sale: what you can spend on ads for one sale without losing money. Here: 29.90 − 9 − 0.70 = €20.20. Above it, every sale loses money; below it, you earn.

The ad budget, the real expense

Advertising is first a test: does the product sell, at what price, with which message? Accept it from day one: part of this budget will be spent discovering what doesn't work.

• Start without paying: post short videos of the product in action on TikTok and Instagram. If one takes off, the product has potential.
• Set a limit per product before you start, and stop once it's reached with no sale.
• Change one thing at a time (the video, the price or the audience), or you won't know what worked.
• Always compare with your maximum cost per sale: it tells you whether a campaign is profitable.

Three sample budgets to get started

These examples cover the first 3 months, for a one-product store. The ad amount should match your situation: it's a choice, not a rule.

Ordering a sample isn't required, but it's the best way to check quality, shoot your own photos and videos, and learn the real delivery time.

Hidden costs to plan for

• Refunds and returns: a lost parcel or a faulty product costs the product price plus the lost sale. Choose reliable suppliers.
• Chargebacks: a customer disputing a payment costs the sale plus fees. Clear delivery times and responsive support prevent them.
• Forgotten subscriptions: apps, tools, free trials that become paid. Review them every month.
• Currency fees: if your supplier bills in dollars, your bank may add fees on every order.

How to cut the bill

1. 1Use Shopify's €1/month offer to build and test the store.
2. 2Switch to yearly billing once the product is validated (€27 instead of €36 a month).
3. 3Stick to free apps until the store sells.
4. 4Test with unpaid videos first, then pay for ads only on what works.
5. 5Raise the average order with bundle offers rather than cutting prices.