The costs that make up an online shop
- Platform fee: the monthly charge for the shop software and hosting.
- Fee per sale: some platforms take a percentage of every order. Others take nothing.
- Card fee: charged by your payment provider (Yoco, PayGate, PayFast and so on) on each card sale. You pay this whichever platform you use.
- Domain: your own .co.za address, renewed each year with whoever it is registered at.
- Apps and extras: on platforms with app stores, features like reviews or bundles are often paid monthly add-ons.
- Setup: your time loading products and settings, or someone you pay to do it.
Three common routes, with what they cost
| Monthly | Fee per sale (on top of card fees) | Best for | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Storeforge Shop | R299 | 0% | South African shops that want one rand price and help setting up |
| Shopify Basic | US$25 (about R414), or US$19 a month paid yearly | 2% with a South African provider | Shops that need its app store, many currencies or point of sale |
| WooCommerce on your own hosting | Your hosting fee | 0% | People who will maintain WordPress themselves, or pay someone to |
Shopify figures from shopify.com/za/pricing, checked 1 October 2026, converted at US$1 = R16.55. WooCommerce itself is a free plugin. Card fees are set by your payment provider and are not included in any row.
A worked example
Say you sell R20 000 a month, all by card through Yoco.
- On Storeforge you pay R299 to us, plus Yoco's card fee.
- On Shopify Basic paid monthly you pay about R414 to Shopify, plus 2% of R20 000 (R400) to Shopify, plus Yoco's card fee. That is about R814 before the card fee.
The card fee is the same in both cases, so the difference is about R515 a month at that level of sales, and it grows as you sell more.
When a custom build makes sense
If your shop needs something no platform does, like trade pricing tied to your own system, bookings mixed with products, or a dashboard for your team, ForgeLab builds custom systems from R8 000 once off, quoted within 24 hours. For most shops selling a few dozen to a few hundred products, a hosted platform is the cheaper and faster start.
Common questions
How much does it cost to start an online shop in South Africa?
On a hosted platform you can start for the monthly fee alone. Storeforge is R299 a month with no setup fee and a 14-day free trial. Add a domain if you do not have one, and your payment provider's card fee on each sale. A custom-built shop with features made for you starts at R8 000 once off from ForgeLab.
What fees are charged on each sale?
Your payment provider charges a card fee on every card sale, whichever platform you use. Some platforms add their own fee per sale on top. Storeforge adds none. Shopify adds 2% on its Basic plan when you use a South African provider such as Yoco or PayGate, because Shopify Payments is not offered in South Africa.
Do I need to pay for a website and a shop separately?
Not if the shop is your website. A Storeforge shop has its own pages and can sit on your own domain. If you already have a separate website you want to keep, you can link it to your shop.