How to Make Money On Shopify - BloggersBond

What You'll Learn: How to Make Money On Shopify

Shopify is a platform that lets you create your own online store. You can sell physical products, digital products, or services. No coding needed. This guide, How to Make Money on Shopify gives you 9 proven ways to make money with Shopify. Start with $0 (14-day free trial).

  • 9 Shopify money-making methods (start with free trial)
  • Step-by-step instructions for beginners
  • Free tools + realistic earnings (month 1: $0-200, year 2: $2000-10000+)
  • 30-day action plan for Shopify beginners
1

Dropshipping with Shopify Most Popular

Startup Cost: $0 (14-day trial)
Time to First $: 2-4 weeks
Difficulty: Medium

What it is: You list products from AliExpress or other suppliers on your Shopify store. When a customer buys, the supplier ships directly to them. You never touch inventory. You keep the profit margin.

Step-by-Step:

  • Sign up for Shopify free trial (14 days, no credit card needed)
  • Install DSers app (free) to import products from AliExpress
  • Find winning products (look for 100+ orders, 4+ star ratings)
  • Import products to your store with one click
  • Set your prices: product cost + shipping + your profit ($10-20)
  • Customize your store theme (free themes available)
  • Run ads on Facebook, TikTok, or Pinterest to drive traffic
Pro Secret: Start with "impulse buy" products under $30. Phone cases, accessories, gadgets, and home decor items sell best. Higher chance of impulse purchase = more sales.
Reality Check: Month 1: $0-200. Month 3: $200-1000. Month 6: $1000-5000. Most beginners don't succeed on first try – learn and restart.
2

Print on Demand with Shopify No Inventory

Startup Cost: $0 (14-day trial)
Time to First $: 1-3 weeks
Difficulty: Easy

What it is: Create designs using Canva. Connect Printful or Printify to Shopify. They print on t-shirts, mugs, hoodies, and phone cases. They ship to customers. You earn profit on each sale.

Step-by-Step:

  • Sign up for Shopify free trial
  • Install Printful or Printify app (free)
  • Create designs using Canva (free)
  • Add designs to products (t-shirts, mugs, stickers, hoodies)
  • Set your profit margin ($5-15 per item)
  • Customize your store with a free theme
  • Promote on Pinterest, TikTok, and Instagram
Pro Secret: Niche down! Don't sell "funny shirts". Sell "funny nurse shirts" or "funny cat mom shirts". Niche products sell better than generic ones.
Reality Check: Month 1: $0-50. Month 3: $50-300. Month 6: $200-1000. Passive income after designs are uploaded.
3

Sell Digital Products on Shopify 100% Profit

Startup Cost: $0 (14-day trial)
Time to First $: 1-2 weeks
Difficulty: Easy

What it is: Sell digital products like eBooks, templates, courses, printables, and software. No shipping costs. No inventory. Keep 100% of profit after transaction fees.

Step-by-Step:

  • Sign up for Shopify free trial
  • Create digital product using Canva or Google Docs
  • Install Digital Downloads app (free by Shopify)
  • Upload your digital product file
  • Set price ($5-50) – all profit
  • Create product page with description and sample images
  • Promote on social media and email list
Pro Secret: Create a low-priced "tripwire" product ($7-10) to get first-time buyers. Then upsell to higher-priced products ($30-100).
Reality Check: With 100 products: $100-500 monthly. With 500 products: $500-3000. Passive income after creation.
4

Private Label Products (White Label) Build Brand

Startup Cost: $100-500
Time to First $: 1-2 months
Difficulty: Hard

What it is: Find manufacturers to make products with your brand name. Order in bulk (100-500 units). Sell on Shopify. Higher profit margins than dropshipping. Build a real brand.

Step-by-Step:

  • Find a product category with demand (skincare, supplements, apparel, accessories)
  • Find manufacturers on Alibaba (look for verified suppliers)
  • Order samples to test quality ($20-100)
  • Place small bulk order (100-500 units)
  • Create Shopify store with professional branding
  • Take professional product photos
  • Launch with Facebook/Instagram ads
Pro Secret: Start with a "pre-launch" campaign. Collect emails before ordering inventory. Only order what people have already shown interest in.
Reality Check: Higher risk, higher reward. Profit margins 50-70%. Need $500-2000 to start. Monthly revenue potential: $2000-50000+.
5

Shopify Affiliate Program No Store Needed

Startup Cost: $0
Time to First $: 1-2 months
Difficulty: Easy

What it is: Promote Shopify to others. When someone signs up for Shopify using your affiliate link, you earn commission. Shopify pays $100-500 per referral depending on plan.

Step-by-Step:

  • Join Shopify Affiliate Program (free, approval required)
  • Get your unique affiliate link
  • Create content: blog posts, YouTube videos, social media posts about Shopify
  • Share your link: "Start your Shopify store with 14-day free trial"
  • Earn $100-500 per person who signs up for paid plan
  • Build audience in e-commerce niche
Pro Secret: Create a "Shopify tutorial" YouTube channel. Review apps, themes, and strategies. Add affiliate link in description. Each video can earn for years.
Reality Check: With 10 referrals monthly = $1000-5000. With 50 referrals = $5000-25000. Requires consistent content creation.
6

Shopify Store Flipping (Buy and Sell Stores) Lump Sum

Startup Cost: $100-1000
Time to First $: 1-3 months
Difficulty: Hard

What it is: Build Shopify stores, grow sales, then sell them on marketplaces like Exchange Marketplace or Flippa. Stores sell for 20-40x monthly profit.

Step-by-Step:

  • Build a Shopify store with 3-6 months of sales history
  • Aim for $1000-5000 monthly profit
  • List store on Exchange Marketplace (owned by Shopify)
  • Price store at 20-30x monthly profit
  • Transfer ownership to buyer
  • Repeat process with new store
Pro Secret: Build stores in profitable niches (pet supplies, home decor, fitness). Document your process. Buyers pay more for stores with proven systems.
Reality Check: Store with $2000 monthly profit sells for $40,000-60,000. Build 2-3 stores yearly = $80,000-180,000+ per year.
7

Shopify Theme Design & Development Skill-Based

Startup Cost: $0
Time to First $: 1-2 months
Difficulty: Hard

What it is: Design and sell Shopify themes. Business owners pay $100-500 for premium themes. You can also offer custom theme development services ($1000-10000 per client).

Step-by-Step:

  • Learn Shopify theme development (Liquid language) – free on Shopify Dev
  • Create 3-5 premium Shopify themes
  • Sell themes on ThemeForest or Shopify Theme Store
  • Offer custom theme services on Fiverr or Upwork
  • Charge $1000-5000 per custom theme
  • Build portfolio with client work
Pro Secret: Create niche themes for specific industries (fitness, beauty, pet stores). Niche themes have less competition and higher prices.
Reality Check: Theme sales: $100-500 per theme, sell 10-50 monthly = $1000-25000. Custom themes: $1000-10000 per project.
8

Shopify App Development Scalable

Startup Cost: $0
Time to First $: 2-4 months
Difficulty: Hard

What it is: Create apps for Shopify merchants. Solve problems like abandoned cart recovery, product reviews, SEO optimization, or inventory management. Charge monthly subscription ($5-50/month).

Step-by-Step:

  • Identify problem Shopify store owners have
  • Build app solution (need coding skills or hire developer)
  • List app on Shopify App Store
  • Offer free trial (14-30 days)
  • Charge monthly subscription ($5-50)
  • Market app to Shopify merchants via Facebook groups, ads
Pro Secret: Start with a simple app that solves one specific problem. "Abandoned cart SMS reminder" or "Auto-tag products". Simple apps are easier to build and market.
Reality Check: With 500 users at $10/month = $5000 monthly recurring revenue. With 5000 users = $50,000+. Scalable passive income.
9

Shopify Store Management Services Service-Based

Startup Cost: $0
Time to First $: 1-2 weeks
Difficulty: Medium

What it is: Offer services to Shopify store owners: product listing, order fulfillment, customer service, inventory management, or ad management. Charge $200-2000 per client monthly.

Step-by-Step:

  • Learn Shopify basics (free on Shopify Learn)
  • Create portfolio (manage a test store or friend's store)
  • Offer services: "$300/month for product listing + order fulfillment"
  • Join Shopify Facebook groups and offer your services
  • Start with discounted rates for first 3 clients (testimonials)
  • Raise prices after building portfolio
Pro Secret: Bundle services into high-ticket packages. "Complete Store Management: product listing, customer service, ads management = $1000/month". Clients prefer one payment over multiple.
Reality Check: With 3 clients at $500 = $1500 monthly. With 10 clients = $5000. With 20 clients = $10000+.

Shopify Money Methods - Monthly Earnings Comparison

MethodStartup CostMonth 1-3Month 6Year 2+
$0-50$0-200$200-2000$2000-10000
$0$0-100$100-800$800-5000
$0$20-100$100-500$500-3000
$100-500$0-500$500-3000$3000-20000
$0$0-500$500-2000$2000-10000
$100-1000$0-2000$2000-10000*$10000-50000*
$0$0-500$500-2000$2000-10000
$0$0-500$500-5000$5000-50000
$0$200-1000$1000-4000$4000-15000

*One-time earnings from selling stores

Shopify Profit Calculator

Estimate your Shopify store profit:

30-Day Shopify Money Action Plan

  • Week 1 (Setup): Sign up for Shopify free trial. Choose niche (pet, home, fitness, beauty, gadgets). Install free theme. Set up payment gateway (Shopify Payments).
  • Week 2 (Products): Find 20-30 products on AliExpress (dropshipping) or create designs (print on demand). Import products using DSers. Write product descriptions. Set prices.
  • Week 3 (Traffic): Create TikTok account. Post 3 videos daily. Create Pinterest account. Pin 10 Pins daily. Run Facebook ads ($10-20/day). Aim for first sale.
  • Week 4 (Scale): Analyze best-selling products. Double down on what works. Increase ad spend on winning products. Add email capture popup. Aim for $100-500.

Shopify tip: Order your own products. Test quality and shipping time. Use real photos in your ads. Customer trust = more sales.

Shopify (Free trial)
shopify.com
14-day free trial, no credit card needed
DSers (Free)
Import products from AliExpress
Printful (Free)
printful.com
Print on demand
Canva (Free)
canva.com
Design logos, product images, ads
Oberlo (Free tier)
Product sourcing and import
Klaviyo (Free)
Email marketing for Shopify

Shopify Income Tracker (Use Spreadsheet)

DateProductOrdersRevenueProfitAd Spend
Track every order – small profits compound into big income!

Shopify Troubleshooting - "Why Aren't I Making Sales?"

  • No sales after 2 weeks? Test more products. 20 products = 0 sales? Add 50 more. Test different niches. Run ads at $10-20/day minimum.
  • Ads not converting? Improve product photos. Add video content. Test different ad copy. Lower product price. Offer discount codes.
  • Low profit margins? Raise prices by $5-10. Test higher prices. Remove unprofitable products. Focus on best-sellers only.
  • Cart abandonment? Install abandoned cart recovery app (free). Send email reminders with discount codes. Add urgency (limited stock).
  • Feeling stuck? Join Shopify Facebook groups. Watch free YouTube tutorials. Test one new product daily. Persistence wins.

Shopify Success Roadmap (Realistic Timeline)

Month 1-3 (Learning)
Test 50-100 products. Learn ads. Find first winner. Earnings: $0-500
Month 4-6 (Growing)
Scale winning products. Add more products. Build brand. Earnings: $500-3000
Month 7-12 (Scaling)
Scale ads to $100+/day. Outsource fulfillment. Earnings: $3000-10000
Year 2+ (Freedom)
Multiple stores. Automation. Passive income. Earnings: $10000-50000+

This Week's Shopify Challenge

Challenge: Find 20 new products on AliExpress. Import them to your store. Create 20 TikTok videos (1 per product). Post 3 videos daily. Run Facebook ads ($10/day) on top 3 products. By Sunday, you'll have data on what works.

🔥 Extra credit: Order samples of your top 3 products. Film unboxing videos. Use in ads for higher conversion.

Frequently Asked Questions About Making Money with Shopify

Do I need a lot of money to start with Shopify?

No. Shopify has a 14-day free trial. You can start with $0. For ads, start with $10-20/day. Order samples cost $20-50. Many successful stores started with $100-500.

How much can a beginner earn with Shopify?

Month 1-3: $0-500. Month 6: $500-3000. Year 1: $3000-10000. Year 2: $10000-50000+. Most beginners fail first store – learn, adapt, restart.

Do I need to register a business to sell on Shopify?

Not at first. Start as sole proprietor. Register LLC when you make $1000+ monthly. For taxes, track all income and expenses. Consult local accountant.

What's the best product to sell on Shopify?

Winning product categories: pet supplies, home decor, fitness gear, beauty products, phone accessories, kitchen gadgets, baby products, outdoor gear. Solve a problem or fulfill a desire.

Can I use Shopify for free forever?

No. After 14-day trial, plans start at $29/month. However, you can use the trial to test products and get first sales. Many stores profit enough to cover monthly fee within first month.

Your Shopify Action Plan - Start Today

  1. Sign up for Shopify free trial (14 days, no credit card needed)
  2. Choose niche (pet, home, fitness, beauty, gadgets)
  3. Find 20 products on AliExpress (orders 100+, 4+ stars)
  4. Import products using DSers (free)
  5. Set prices (cost + $10-20 profit)
  6. Create TikTok account. Post 3 videos today.

Remember for Shopify beginners: Shopify success is a numbers game. Test 100 products, find 5 winners, scale them. Most stores fail because they quit after 10 products. Keep testing. Keep learning. Your first profitable product will change everything. Start today – your future Shopify income depends on products you list now.