I've purchased several pre-built Shopify stores with mixed results. Here's a summary of my research and experiences on where to find the best pre-built Shopify stores.

In my view, dropship.io/store stands out as the premier choice for purchasing a pre-built Shopify store.

Because its affordability, speed, and delivery of a high-quality store stocked with genuinely winning products set it apart. However, I acknowledge my slight bias in this recommendation.

Other options are Shopify store sellers are Adsellr and Dropbuild. For established prebuilt Shopify stores, we recommend Empire Flippers and Flippa.

Keep reading to find the right option for you.

Let’s get into it. 

Where to Buy Prebuilt Shopify Stores

We’ve split the list into two sections. 

The first section includes ten turnkey and custom Shopify options. The second section covers seven places to buy existing and established e-commerce stores.

If you don’t have time to read the entire article, here is a quick overview of our 19 recommended places to buy Shopify stores.

1. Dropship.io - Best Overall

2. Adsellr - Best for One-Product Turnkey Stores

3. Dropship Stores Downunder - Best for Australian Sellers

4. Lemon.dev - Best for European Fashion Stores

5. Dropship For Sale - Best for Testing Different Niches

6. Brandafy - Best for an Affordable Turnkey Store

7. BeBiggy - Best Alternative for Custom Stores

8. Dropbuild - Best Ranked Shopify Store Builder

9. Ecomency - Best for Buying Stores on Sale 

10. BigBuy - Best for European Sellers

11. Freelancer Marketplace - Best for Custom Stores

12. Motion Invest - Best for Lower-Priced Content Sites

13. Flippa - Best for Safely Buying Existing Shopify Stores

14. BuySellEmpire - Best for Low Multiples

15. Empire Flippers - Best for Buying Reliable and Established Stores

16. Acquire - Best for Detailed Store Metrics

17. Website Closers - Best for Financing Options

18. Quiet Light - Best for Experienced Buyers

Turnkey and Custom Shopify Stores

We’ve grouped turnkey and custom Shopify stores together as there is often an overlap.

Many turnkey Shopify store sellers also sell a custom option.

1. Dropship.io - Best Overall

The best place to buy your prebuilt shopify store is from dropship.io/stores, that said, I am a bit biased.

But even with that in mind, let's take a look at the facts. You will get a fully-optimized e-commerce stores in under 24 hours for just $49.

With a track record of over 102,000+ dropshipping stores launched, the dropship.io team of e-commerce experts provides a remarkably cost-effective entry point into the online market.

And there's more — your store comes with 30 handpicked, profitable products. This selection isn't based on gut feelings but on solid evidence.

Leveraging the extensive analytics from the dropship.io software, the team selects products that have demonstrated success.

This approach ensures that the products in your store are not just labeled as "winners" but are truly set up for high sales performance.

What's on Offer:

• Easy Website Solution: For those wary of the complexities involved in setting up an online store, this service provides a branded, ready-to-sell website. The emphasis on branding and design suggests a deep understanding of the importance of first impressions in online retail.

• Curated Product Selection: The addition of 30 profitable products, each accompanied by crafted descriptions, is a significant boon. This approach not only saves time but also instills confidence in the potential for immediate sales

• Logistics and Fulfillment Partnerships: Access to trusted shipping partners addresses one of the most significant challenges new e-commerce businesses face—efficient, cost-effective delivery. This inclusion points to a well-rounded service that extends beyond just website setup

• Automated Order Processing: The promise of backend automation for order fulfillment highlights a commitment to operational efficiency, enabling owners to focus on growth rather than day-to-day management.

• Support and Guidance: With 24/7 access to award-winning customer support, clients are not left to navigate their new venture alone. This level of support, particularly from a team with seven-figure e-commerce success, is invaluable for newcomers.

The Process:

1. Website Setup & Product Addition: Just order your eCommerce website from us for $49, and we'll not only set it up but also populate it with 30 sell-ready products.
2. Efficient Order Fulfillment: For example, sell a makeup brush on your site for $39.99, and our integrated supplier will ship it globally for just $9.99.
3. Profit & Expansion: With this system, you're poised for high returns with minimal oversight. Reinvest in what works, and watch your store grow!

The prices is also unlikely to stay this low, so check it out before it's too late.

2. Adsellr - Best for One-Product Turnkey Stores

Adsellr offers two off-the-shelf turnkey Shopify store options.

These are a one-product store and a 25-product store.

Both options allow you to choose a niche from 13 options. These include beauty, electricals, apparel, luxury goods, health, pets, eco-friendly, aromatherapy, furniture, custom products, medical, kitchen, and fitness.

The one-product store costs $389 and includes the following:

• Optimized product pages
• Seven-page website
• Optimized sales funnel
• Mobile optimized website
• Premium Shopify theme
• Basic SEO optimization
• Reliable supplier connections with fast shipping
• Premium branding
• DSers integration

The 25-product store costs $789 and has everything the one-product store includes, as well as the following:

• Review and track your order pages
• Graphics designed by the in-house creative team
• Instagram account with 10,000 followers
• Access to over 30 premium Shopify themes
• Email marketing setup
• SEO-optimized web content

As well as the off-the-shelf options, Adsellr can also create custom Shopify stores built around your product. The price for this isn’t available on the website, but you can contact the team for options and prices. 

If you’re looking for other services, Adsellr can offer the following:

• UGC Ads - Adsellr works with over 100 creators to create ad content. The creators can make Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok ads for your product or service.
• Facebook Ads Management - Adsellr started as a creative agency. They specialize in creating content to generate sales. Adsellr can manage all aspects of your Facebook ads.
• CRO Checklist - Adsellr has created a checklist with 291 points that can help you improve your store's conversion rate and average order value. 

3. Dropship Stores Downunder - Best for Australian Sellers

Dropship Stores Downunder sell prebuilt Shopify stores. They all have Australian domains and use reliable Australian suppliers. It is an excellent option if Australia is your target market.

You can view the store domain and log into each store to preview it. 

For example, this mobile accessories store is currently available for sale. You can open the Shopify site and see the pages, layout, design, and preloaded products.

Being able to do this gives you a real feel for the store and whether it’s right for you.

Each store includes the following:

• Fully optimized store
• Authority domain
• Premium branding
• Australian suppliers
• Solid profit margins
• Product catalog
• Ad training
• Support and guidance
• Community network

The prices are not available on the website. But you can contact Dropship Stores Downunder for all the details on the store you’re interested in.

As well as providing the store, Dropship Stores Downunder has partnered with the top-rated advertising and marketing trainers on Udemy. 

These experts provide detailed courses and masterclasses on Google ads, Facebook ads, digital marketing, and social media performance and growth tricks.

Learning from these experts will give you the best possible chance of launching the store successfully and generating sales.

4. Lemon.dev - Best for European Fashion Stores

Lemon.dev is a web agency that aims to help entrepreneurs in the fashion industry integrate with their suppliers. They now offer services for all e-commerce businesses. 

The main product they offer is a Shopify theme called Liv, which is a turnkey solution.

Liv costs €1990 and includes the following: 

• Customizable theme
• Automatic category creation
• Category mapping
• Automatic page creation
• Mega menu setup
• Browse at lightning speed
• Automatic photo adjustment
• Mobile responsive version
• Color swatches
• Homepage sliders
• Google Tag Manager configuration and installation
• Set up apps and plugins
• European VAT support
• Wishlist
• Instagram feed
• Product star rating
• Currency change
• Basic SEO
• Social media links setup

Although they claim they have services for all e-commerce businesses, the theme is still best for the fashion industry. 

This is because one of the main theme benefits is the category creation and mapping and mega menu setup. These are ideal for multiple sizes, styles, and products, most commonly used on clothing sites. 

They also only have four supplier integration options listed on the site. All four of these options are fashion and designer suppliers. 

Lemon.dev also offers a custom service. This cost €6999. It includes everything Liv has, as well as the following:

• One-to-one design session
• Theme color palette
• Professionally designed logo 
• Special support
• Custom developed pages

5. Dropship For Sale - Best for Easily Testing Different Niches

Dropship For Sale sells turnkey dropshipping stores in two ways.

The first is a done-for-you solution. This is on a membership basis and costs $99 per month. 

You start by selecting a niche. There are several niches available, including jewelry, coffee, vitamins, cosmetics, men’s grooming, skincare, clothing, and many more.

The team then works on your custom store and delivers it to you. 

The membership includes the following: 

• Store setup and design
• Professional logo and graphic design
• A store with high-quality products from trusted suppliers
• Coaching and support
• Domain with free SSL certificate
• Unlimited graphic design and store revisions

The main benefits of having a membership over an instant purchase are unlimited graphic design and store revisions.

With a membership, you can also change your store at any time. So, let’s say you start with a skincare store, but it’s not working. Dropship For Sale will allow you to request to change your store to a new niche, like clothing. 

The unlimited graphic design includes social media ads, website graphics, logos, and more. 

The second option is the premade stores. These are prebuilt stores that can be instantly transferred to you. These have a one-time fee of $997. 

For $997, you get the following:

• Website design and graphics
• 130 products that ship worldwide
• US-based products imported and automated through Spocket 
• Automated product inventory sync
• Optimized website
• Professional logo
• Contact and legal policy pages
• Domain and SSL certificate

Like Dropship Stores Downunder, Dropship For Sale also allows you to open the available stores. So you can get a feel store, view the design, and choose the right one for you.

6. Brandafy - Best for an Affordable Turnkey Store

Brandafy offers two turnkey dropshipping store options. 

These are standard and platinum. 

With both options, you can choose any niche for your e-commerce store.

Brandafy’s standard option is one of the most affordable turnkey stores available at $17. 

The standard store includes the following:

• Lifetime support
• Standard theme
• Logo design
• 20 top-selling products
• Shopify store setup
• Niche and product research
• Payment gateway integrations
• Trust badges and conversion apps
• Legal pages and shipping setup

You can also pay extra for additional products, a branded logo, and revisions.

The platinum store costs $997 and includes the following:

• Lifetime support
• Premium theme
• Premium niches
• Branded logo design
• 45 top-selling products
• Lifetime EcomUpstart course access
• Custom store options 
• Two revisions 
• Shopify store setup
• Niche and product research
• Payment gateway integrations
• Trust badges and conversion apps
• Legal pages and shipping setup

Again, you can pay extra for more products and additional revisions.

If you’re an experienced seller and want to create a custom store, we would recommend the platinum option. However, if you’re new to dropshipping, the standard store includes everything you need.

7. BeBiggy - Best Alternative for Custom Stores

BeBiggy sells three turnkey Shopify store options.

These are standard, premium, and exclusive Shopify stores. 

Each option has a variety of prebuilt stores in different niches, including fashion, electronics, jewelry, sports and fitness, toys and games, and much more.

You can view a demo of each store and check the preloaded products.

The standard store costs $119 and includes the following:

• Ready to go Shopify dropshipping store
• 24-hour delivery
• High-quality design
• Mobile optimized
• Unlimited one-click product import
• Automated order processing
• Free worldwide shipping
• Up to 100 products
• Edited product names and images
• Highly reliable suppliers
• Lifetime support
• Custom domain support

The premium stores cost $299. They offer similar features to the standard store, but a few are upgraded. The upgraded features are the following:

• Unique and high-quality design using a premium theme
• Fully automated inventory and order processing
• Products shipping from the USA and fast USA and Canada shipping
• Over 100 high-quality products
• Highly reliable USA-based suppliers

The exclusive option is a custom store. It costs $499. 

You’ll get all of the features offered on the standard plan, but the team will build you a custom store as per your specifications. The only difference is that delivery takes three days rather than 24 hours.

The standard option includes everything you need. But if your primary target market is based in the US and Canada, then the premium store option might be best for you as you can offer fast shipping.

As well as selling turnkey Shopify stores, BeBiggy also sells training stores and has a blog with tons of helpful dropshipping tips and tricks.

8. Dropbuild - Best Ranked Shopify Store Builder

Dropbuild is one of the best-ranked turnkey Shopify store builders available, with over four stars on Sitejabber, Trustpilot, and Reviews.io. 

The Dropbuild experts can create turnkey Shopify stores in any niche. 

The store examples look professional and sleek and use a premium theme. Professional stores allow you to compete with some of the big brands. 

There are two turnkey store options available. The first is a one-product store, and the other includes ten products. 

A one-product store costs $449 and includes the following:

• Lifetime support
• Niche research
• Video ad and ad copy
• Facebook ad strategy and target audience
• Premium Shopify theme and apps
• Branding, logo, and icon
• Responsive design 
• Payment processor
• 15 posts for social networks
• SEO and speed optimization
• Top suppliers

A ten-product store costs $599 and includes everything the one-product store does. 

But instead of one video ad, ad copy, ad strategy, and target audience, you get ten (one for each product). It also includes 30 posts for social networks and ten top suppliers.

9. Ecomency - Best for Buying Stores on Sale

Ecomency sells a variety of prebuilt Shopify stores. 

The price of the stores ranges from $100 to $239. 

The cheaper stores were originally released in 2021 and are on sale. As the $239 store was created in 2023. 

The stores are also in different niches. The cheaper option sells outdoor wear, and the more expensive option is a pet supplies store.

However, both stores include the same features. These features are the following:

• Professionally designed and responsive Shopify store
• Between 15 and 50 products
• Customized theme
• Professional logo
• All required Shopify apps
• SEO optimized title
• 30-days of support

Ecomency does charge for store customizations.

They don’t offer custom projects, so Ecomency would only be suitable if you like one of the stores available on the site.

10. BigBuy - Best for European Sellers

BigBuy calls itself the all-in-one e-commerce partner. 

They specialize in dropshipping and wholesale selling in Europe.

They help brands and suppliers expand their online sales and provide resellers and dropshippers with tons of products at wholesale price, with no minimum order. 

They also manage the fulfillment and integrate with Shopify.

BigBuy is most suitable for European sellers due to the product locations. BigBuy ships worldwide. However, its website states that shipments sent outside the EU can be subject to restrictions and customs. It is also likely to have longer shipping from Europe to the USA.

BigBuy offers Dropshipping Shop 360. This is a prebuilt turnkey store that is synchronized with BigBuy for products, suppliers, and fulfillment.

All of the turnkey stores cost €790. You can select a store based on your niche. The niches available are perfume, home appliances, sexshop, watches and accessories, kitchen, fancy dress, computers, licenses, or a customized catalog. 

Each shop includes the following:

• Synchronized dropshipping shop, including responsive design, multi-language catalog, design templates, and your own domain and hosting.
• Blog
• Creation and design of newsletters and banners
• Synchronization with BigBuy. This includes up to 30,000 products with stock, price, order, tracking, and shipping cost synchronization.

11. Freelancer Marketplace - Best for Custom Stores

Rather than using a dedicated site that sells Shopify stores, you can hire a freelancer to build you a Shopify store and find winning products. 

There are tons of places you can find Shopify developers, designers, and researchers. But two of our go-to platforms are Upwork and Fiverr. 

Upwork and Fiverr are both marketplaces for finding freelancers. 

Both platforms’ freelancers have portfolios of their previous work, details of their capabilities, and reviews and ratings from previous jobs. All of this information can help you select the right freelancer for the job. 

On Upwork, each project is custom, with the freelancers listing an hourly rate. In contrast, Fiverr’s freelancers create projects or gigs. Each project is priced individually. 

However, on both platforms, you can contact the freelancers to discuss your project in-depth and set your expectations, price, and time frame.

Buying Existing Shopify Stores

You can buy existing Shopify stores from all of the following marketplaces.

Many of the marketplaces will act as a broker between the buyer and seller. Providing security and authenticity for both parties.

12. Motion Invest - Best For Lower-Priced Content Sites

Motion Invest sells a variety of online content sites.

The content sites generate income in various ways, including AdSense, Amazon, eBay, etc.

Unlike many marketplaces, Motion Invest sells sites that generate as little as $1 per month. Most other marketplaces require a minimum of around $10,000 in sales per month to list.

So, it’s a good place to look for smaller and less established sites.

You can open the marketplace and use the filters to find Shopify stores that meet your criteria.

You can see the store's niche, monthly income, asking price, monetization method, monthly visitors, the multiple they’re charging for the store, a brief store profile, and an income trend chart. 

To view the store's URL and more details, you need to register for an account. 

Motion Invest carries out checks on each site, but it’s recommended to still carry out your own due diligence before buying a site. 

Once you’ve found a store to buy, Motion Invest will help with the transfer process.

13. Flippa - Best for Safely Buying Existing Shopify Stores

Flippa is one of the most well-known marketplaces to buy and sell websites and businesses. 

You can search Flippa for Shopify sites. Currently, they have over 5000 sites available for sale. 

The filter options allow you to select dropshipping as the monetization method, making it super easy to find sites you might be interested in. 

For each site, you can see the age, monthly profit, profit margin, and page views. You can also see whether or not the listing is verified. 

A verified listing means the Flippa vetting team or a broker has checked the site's performance. 

You can also contact the seller directly through Flippa. Contact through Flippa ensures you are protected, as all communication can be easily referenced.

Flippa offers tons of other services to ensure the sale is smooth. You can work with the in-house team or use one of their recommended brokers. Flippa has an entire team of advisors to ensure sellers and buyers receive a fair price and secure payment.

14. BuySellEmpire - Best for Low Multiples

BuySellEmpire is a smaller marketplace than some of the others on the list. 

They currently only have 12 businesses for sale, compared to Flippas 5000+. 

The multiple asking price for each site is also a lot lower than other sites. This suggests many of the sites are looking for a quick sale. While this might mean you can grab a bargain, it might mean the business is less established, or there could be a potential issue.

Each business for sale has a brief description and shows the asking price, revenue, income (we assume this is profit), and expected workload.

There are no buyer fees on BuySellEmpire, all of the fees are paid by the seller. 

BuySellEmpire does carry out ‘rough’ due diligence on each site listed. However, it is recommended that you do your own checks on the business buy. However, they do offer an exclusive due diligence period with the seller. This can be between 7 and 21 days. During this time, you can check the business in-depth. You can view the revenue, margins, traffic, ads, payments, and anything else.

Sadly, BuySellEmpire can't handle the migration. However, they do provide post-sale training to help you transition into the new business.

15. Empire Flippers - Best for Buying Reliable and Established Stores

Empire Flippers is a marketplace to buy and sell e-commerce businesses.

It would be our first choice due to their rigorous checks. 

They reject a large number of businesses that apply to list on their marketplace, as they only accept businesses that are turning over a profit. This means that any site you buy will instantly start making you money.

You can search by niche or use the monetization and price filters to find the right business for you.

For each business, you can see the asking price, monthly net profit, revenue, monetization method, monthly multiple, margin, business creation date, and details of the business.

There is also a chart that shows the revenue and profit over time. The charts are an easy way to see how the business is performing, whether it’s seasonal, the growth or decline in earnings, and make estimates about the future of the business.

You can contact Empire Flippers to access the site's URL and proof of earnings and ask any questions to the seller.

Empire Flippers has a team of M&A brokers who help with the transfer of ownership and control of businesses. This makes buying a business easy, safe, and secure.

16. Acquire - Best for Detailed Store Metrics

Acquire is a marketplace to buy and sell a startup. 

To view the available listings, you need to create a free account. 

You need a paid plan to contact sellers and access bigger and better start-ups. Paid plans range from $390 to $780 annually.

Acquire lists a variety of business types, including SaaS, marketplaces, mobile apps, Shopify apps, Crypto, e-commerce, and agencies. 

Unlike Empire Flippers, the businesses don’t need to be established. Acquire lists a variety of businesses, including those that don’t generate any revenue and those with negative profits. 

You can use the filters to find the business for you. Each business has a detailed description. The description includes the business model and potential growth opportunities for the new owner. 

Each business also has detailed financial information available, a profit and loss summary, and audience metrics. 

If you choose to buy a business from Aquire, they can help you apply for financing if required. 

17. Website Closers - Best for Financing Options

Website Closers is one of the oldest business marketplaces on our list, operating since 1998. They have represented over 2000 business owners on deals up to 100 million. 

They list a variety of businesses, from TikTok brands to digital marketing agencies. 

You can search for the type of business you want to sell and click on the listings to view the businesses in-depth. 

For each business, there is a profile that details how the company runs and operates, why they’re selling, and their asking price, cash flow, income, year started, and number of employees. 

For more information, you can contact Website Closers directly. 

Website Closers offer M&A deal services, ensuring the transaction goes smoothly and safely.

Website Closers also has relationships with banks, investors, private equity groups, and more. They can help you buy a business using financing and will guide you through the lending process if required.  

18. Quiet Light - Best for Experienced Buyers

Quiet Light sells Amazon, e-commerce, SaaS, content, and membership businesses.

The selection is smaller than some of the other sites, but there is still a variety of businesses available. 

Most of the businesses currently available are priced in the millions. So, it’s definitely a marketplace for more established buyers rather than first-time buyers.

You can search the marketplace and view the revenue, income, and asking price for each site. You can also see how they run and how much work is required. For a full business summary and profit and loss statements, you can submit your interest to Quiet Light. 

There is also a detailed interview available with each business owner. This can give you an insight into what it takes to run the business.

Each business listed has a dedicated advisor. All of the advisors have experience buying, selling, and building online businesses. The advisors can help guide you through the entire buying process and will ensure the transaction goes smoothly.

What Types of Prebuilt Shopify Stores Can I Buy? 

We’ll cover three types of prebuilt Shopify stores that you can buy.

These are a turnkey Shopify store, a custom Shopify store, and an existing Shopify store.

Turnkey Shopify Store

A turnkey Shopify store is a premade Shopify store that’s ready to go.

As soon as you purchase the store, you can start promoting the products to make sales.

It’s called a turnkey store, as you can essentially turn a key and start selling.

The store will be built and optimized, with potentially winning products added.

Turnkey stores should provide supplier connections and have automated fulfillment software installed, like DSers.

Buying a turnkey store eliminates the need for product research, supplier sourcing, and store building.

Pros and Cons of Buying a Prebuilt Turnkey Shopify Store

Pros

• Easy to get started
• The store is optimized for mobile
• Product research is done for you
• No supplier research is needed
• It might save time and money as you don’t need to learn to do product research, build a store, etc.
• All of the design decisions are done for you. The site should look professional already.
• You’ll avoid making basic mistakes as everything is set and ready to go.

Cons

• Limited control over the product you’re selling, the supplier, the fulfillment process, and the store design
• The turnkey seller's idea of a winning product might be different from yours. You don’t know how many others they sell the same ‘winning product store’ to.
• It can be difficult to create your own ads and campaigns if you don’t know or understand the product.
• It can work out more expensive to buy a store rather than learning to do it yourself.
• The responsibility is still yours to ensure you can legally and ethically sell the product (check country-specific restrictions and laws) 

Custom Shopify Store

A custom Shopify store is when you hire an expert to design and build your store. 

It’s perfect for creating a unique and professional store that doesn’t look like an ‘off the shelf’ or ‘cookie cutter’ store.

Experts offer different levels of service and can create a custom package depending on your needs. They offer anything from a basic setup to a complete custom design and build.

Most experts can offer design suggestions and advice, but ultimately, they will build exactly what you’re looking for.

The expert is only responsible for designing and building the store. You manage the product research, suppliers, advertising, fulfillment, and everything else required to dropship.  

Pros and Cons of Buying a Prebuilt Custom Shopify Store

Pros

• Get a beautifully designed and custom store.
• The expert will likely provide helpful tips for creating the best store.
• Saves time learning to build a store.
• The expert works from your ideas, and you can request changes until it’s perfect.
• Can purchase different services and different prices based on your needs

Cons

• More expensive than building it yourself
• It might be difficult to find the right expert and service.

Existing Shopify Store

You can buy an existing and established Shopify store from another seller. 

The store will have a proven sales history, profit, and sales data.

The store will have everything set up and ready to go. This makes it easy to continue where the seller left off. 

The purchase should include an optimized store, supplier relationships, employee details, social media, email lists, advertising information, and anything else required to run the store successfully.

Pros and Cons of Buying a Prebuilt Existing Shopify Store

Pros

• The seller provides sales and profit data, so you know exactly what to expect from the business.
• Already an established customer base. You can use this to drive repeat orders and determine who to target with your products.
• The store has an existing reputation, so you don’t have to start from the ground up. The brand or business should already be known, with reviews and social proof. This can help potential customers trust you.
• Everything is set up and ready to go. Although it's a big learning curve, the procedures and processes should already be in place. 
• Tested and confirmed winning products, so no need to waste money testing products.

Cons 

• It’s expensive. Buying a prebuilt Shopify store is often expensive, as sellers usually charge based on their profit history. 
• Although you buy with all the knowledge you can, there is always a chance of something going wrong or problems to fix.
• It can take a while to get to grips with everything involved in running the business.

What Should I Look for When Buying a Prebuilt Shopify Store? 

It depends on the type of store you’re looking to buy. Here are some top tips for buying each type of store.

Top Tips for Buying a Turnkey Shopify Store

• Look at the inclusions. Each turnkey Shopify seller will include slightly different things. For example, some will only include the store and product pages. Others will have the supplier selected and automation software installed. Compare the inclusions and price they’re charging.

• Ask how they find their winning products and whether it matches your expectations. A winning product to one person isn’t a winning product to another. We recommend making sure your expectations align before purchasing a prebuilt store.

• Ask about revisions. Most turnkey Shopify store sellers will allow you to make a certain amount of changes to the store. This is crucial to building a store you like and that you’re comfortable running and managing. Ask what kind of revisions can be made and how many times.

• Consider the support provided after purchase. It can be overwhelming running a Shopify store for the first time, so guidance and support after you purchase your store is key. Some sellers will provide an entire package, along with a period of time you can contact them to ask any questions. Others won’t provide any support after the transaction is complete.

• Find out how they find their suppliers. Your supplier can make or break your store. You should ask about expected processing and delivery time to check this matches your expectations. We also recommend asking about product quality, packaging, any expected price changes, and the software they use. 

If you need more information on choosing and vetting a supplier, we have an entire article that covers everything you need to know.

Top Tips for Buying a Custom Shopify Store

• Ask for example stores. The site builder should be able to provide samples of the stores they’ve built before. We like to look for a freelancer with versatile work in a style we like.

• Look at reviews. Other buyer's experiences will give you an insight into the expert's work. 

• Compare prices and inclusions. Each site builder will price their work differently. The price will often reflect their experience and project inclusions. Work out exactly what you need and the level of work required.

• Contact the seller before placing an order. You can contact the freelancer with any questions you have. You can ask whether they can complete the project within your budget and timeframe. This will also give you an insight into their communication skills and whether it will work for you.

Top Tips for Buying an Existing Shopify Store

• Look for a store or niche you’re interested in or know about. It’s pretty overwhelming stepping into a new business, so it’ll make it much easier to transition into running the business if you already know about the products or services. 

• Consider using a marketplace and broker for the sale. The broker will carry out due diligence on the business you’re buying and provide support throughout the sale. This can make the buying experience far more seamless, as well as safe and secure.

• Validate the numbers. Is the business worth the listing price? Businesses can be hard to value as there is so much more than profit to consider. Look at different aspects of the business and what’s included, such as brand recognition, business age, monetization methods, social media following, repeat customer rate, etc.

• Carry out your own checks. We like to look at the industry and growth opportunities of the business. Look at the industry as a whole and whether it has longevity and any potential issues, such as regulations, seasonality, etc.

What to Do After Buying a Prebuilt Turnkey Shopify Store

A turnkey store is essentially set up and ready to go. However, there are still a few things you’ll probably need to do to ensure you hit the ground running.

These are our recommendations for what to do after buying a prebuilt turnkey Shopify store.

1. Update your Shopify account.

Once you’re happy with your turnkey store, you will be handed the ‘key’ (or passwords) to the Shopify store and email account.

The first thing you’ll need to do is update the passwords.

You will also need to set up a payment processor.

A payment processor allows you to accept payments. Shopify has its own payment processor, Shopify Payments. Shopify Payments allows customers to checkout with their credit cards. 

If you want to make the checkout process even easier for customers, you can also connect with other payment processors, like Apple Pay, Amazon Pay, and several others.

2. Register your business

You’ll likely need to register your business once you start making sales. 

You might also need to get insurance, open a business bank account, register for the correct taxes, and obtain specific licenses.

Although we’ve set up our own businesses, we’re certainly not qualified to give real advice. So, reach out to a professional for accurate information.

3. Marketing and traffic

The one thing that turnkey Shopify stores don’t come with is customers. And arguably, it’s the most important aspect. 

You need to work out how to generate traffic to your store and convert that traffic to customers. 

This could be done in a variety of ways, but the most common for dropshipping is running Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok ads. 

Alternatively, you could use email marketing, your organic social media channels, influencer marketing, or other paid ads.

Frequently Asked Questions 

Is It Worth Buying a Prebuilt Shopify Store? 

It really depends on your budget, knowledge, and time expectations.

Prebuilt turnkey Shopify stores can save so much time. Turnkey Shopify stores do the product research, supplier finding, and store building for you. 

However, you still need to run the store and generate traffic and sales. 

You also don’t have any control over the products you’re selling or the criteria the product meets to be considered a ‘winner.’ This might mean that the products in your turnkey store aren’t as profitable as the products you would find yourself.

Is It Smart to Buy a Prebuilt Dropshipping Store? 

It’s difficult to say.

A prebuilt store will save you time. But with no control over your products or suppliers, it might be difficult to generate the same profit as you would have with your own product research.

Is It Easy to Make My Own Shopify Store?

Yes. Shopify is super easy to use, even with no coding or design knowledge.

There are tons of templates available, and Shopify uses click-to-edit and drag-and-drop tools. 

So, even for beginners, you should be able to build a basic Shopify store. And if you get stuck, you can use the Shopify help center, reach out to support, or hire a freelancer for help.

Final Thoughts

Hopefully, this article has helped you decide whether a prebuilt store is right for you and where to buy one. 

Our recommendation is to launch your Shopify store with Dropship.io for just $49 and get a branded site with 30 profitable products, automated processes, and 24/7 support. With over 102,000 successful stores, Dropship.io is your shortcut to e-commerce success.

Start now and join the ranks of successful online entrepreneurs. Click here to check it out.