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Shopify is one of the largest hosting platforms in the e-commerce space. If you're interested in starting a new online store, you might want to try Shopify before you buy. Since this is a hosted e-commerce platform, the company will handle everything related to payments and hosting.
Needless to say, it's a pretty big commitment, so most people will usually want some kind of trial period before they fully decide to jump ship and migrate their entire store to Shopify. It doesn't matter if they're launching a new dropshipping store or planning to relocate an existing one Store on Shopify, you need to try it out first to see if it works for you.
The problem, however, is that Shopify's trial periods are always varied. Currently, the company offers a 14-day trial for those who want to set up a Shopify store.
However, in the past, they even offered a 90-day trial period for new users.
It's important to understand that your free trial starts as soon as you sign up on the platform - not when you start running your store. As an ecommerce store owner, two weeks may not be enough to determine if Shopify is good enough.
In just 14 days, the company wants you to go through its list of features, install one of several Shopify themes, optimize your store for SEO, and decide if it's right for you. From time to time there are rumors that the company will change its trial policy at some point in the future, although that remains to be seen.
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Current Situation with Shopify Free Trial
shopify free trial
The current 14-day free trial period gives you access to basic Shopify features, allowing you to set up your store on the platform and test it out before you decide to commit for a longer period. You can also visit the Shopify App Store, which allows you to install other apps like Oberlo.
Once you sign up, your trial period begins. In our Shopify review , we gave it a near-perfect review, praising its functionality and versatility.
However, there is a big but understandable problem: Shopify prevents you from selling anything until you decide to buy a paid plan. The good news email list is that signing up for the 14-day Shopify free trial doesn't even require you to enter your credit card details.
Just enter your email address, check your email for the link, determine the store name, and you can start your free trial right away.
If you do not choose a paid plan at the end of the two-week period, the company will suspend your store. You will not be able to adjust it or make any changes.
If you decide to take no action, your account will be automatically cancelled from Shopify. During your free trial, you can test any Shopify plan, including:
Shopify Lite (read our Shopify Lite review )
Basic Shopify – Fees $29 per month + 2.9% and 30¢ per transaction
Shopify – Fees $79 per month + 2.6% and 30¢ per transaction
Advanced Shopify – Fees $299 per month + 2.4% and 30¢ per transaction
The 2D Embossed Stainless Steel Sheet Lite Starter Plan starts at $ 5 per month and allows you to sell on your existing website or social media pages.
There is also an enterprise plan, Shopify Plus , from around $2000 per month + 2.15% per transaction.
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What does the Shopify trial offer include?
The Shopify Free Trial offers a variety of different features that you can try out before deciding to compare prices and choose one of their several paid plans. Here's what you can do during your trial:
Add products to your online store with descriptions to see how they appear.
Explore the many options on the Shopify Settings page to see how to set up taxes, shipping, and optimize multiple sales channels.
Use Shopify Payments and integrate third-party payment providers.
Access to both the Shopify Theme Store and the App Store is available.
You cannot join the Shopify Partners program or access the Expert Marketplace. Affiliate programs are also not available during entry into the Shopify free trial.
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But what about 30 days? Shopify trial?
There was a time when Shopify used to offer a 30-day trial period for users who made a new Shopify account directly from their website. This is great for small business owners as it gives them plenty of time to test out all the features of the platform.
However, this offer was removed in 2019 and replaced with the current offer.
Depending on the nature of your e-commerce site , you might be able to get a 30-day extended trial. However, this extension trial is not available directly through Shopify.
Some third-party vendors and Shopify partners do offer extended trial periods. For example, here's a screenshot of a third-party page builder that recently offered a 30-day trial:
shopify 30-day free trial
All you have to do is browse to their login page and press the "Start Free Trial" button via their affiliate link. For every conversion, PageFly earns a commission. Third parties regularly post such offers on social media, especially after the Covid-19 pandemic, so it's always good to keep your eyes open.
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How about a 44-day Shopify trial?
Many marketers promote Shopify's once-44-day trial period, which was supposed to be a neat way to extend the 14-day trial period. In short, there was a time when Shopify used to offer a 30-day refund policy.
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You can pay for one month via credit card after the 14-day trial period, and you can request a refund later if you are not satisfied with the backend or performance of the platform.
However, Shopify's Terms of Service were updated last year to include their refund policy. As of today, Shopify does not offer any refunds to its customers, and all payments are processed in advance.
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Fabulous 60-Day Shopify Trial - Partner Only
Back in 2019, Shopify ran a wide range of promotions, offering trials of varying lengths through exclusive partners. These promotional offers are marketed through custom landing pages created by its partners, which include email marketing providers and third-party payment gateways.
shopify partner program free trial
This allows Shopify's partners to offer interested customers a trial period of up to 60 days. These promotional offers are not actively marketed to a broad audience; they are mostly shared with localized audiences and high-paying customers.
Shopify Partners gets a lot of perks. For example, they can create a development store to test new features, templates and options, or they can even create stores for their clients. This is a great way to generate recurring revenue from customers.
Is a Shopify 90-day trial still active?
A few months into the Covid-19 pandemic, the Shopify 90-day trial has launched. This extended trial is available for development store owners as well as new merchant Shopify accounts registered.
This is actually a very good move for the company. Small business owners, especially brick-and-mortar stores, faced quite a few challenges moving their businesses online at the height of the pandemic.
An extended trial period, especially one that doesn't require them to purchase a third-party gift card or even enter credit card information, is popular.
The company ended the extended trial period on March 1, reverting to the traditional 14-day trial period.
Why do I need to extend my trial period?