Shopify store build RFP: the pack for any developer you're evaluating

State whether this is a new store build or a migration from an existing platform (WooCommerce, BigCommerce, Squarespace, Etsy, or another Shopify store). Migrations carry data transfer and SEO redirect work that a fresh build does not, and a quote should reflect which one you are actually asking for.

State your product catalog size and complexity: how many products, how many variants per product, and whether you need subscriptions, bundles, or custom pricing rules. These features often require paid apps, and catalog complexity changes both the build time and the ongoing app cost.

State whether you need a custom theme built from scratch or a purchased theme customized to your brand. Both are legitimate choices, but they are priced very differently, and a bidder should quote against your actual preference rather than assume the cheaper option without asking.

Give the developer staff account access on your Shopify admin (created under your store's ownership, with them added as staff, not the reverse), rather than letting them build the store under a partner account only they control.

Supply your brand assets, product photography and descriptions if you have them, and your existing customer and order data if this is a migration, ideally as an export from your current platform rather than requiring the developer to scrape it manually.

Give the developer access to your domain registrar or DNS settings for connecting your domain, and to any third-party accounts the store will integrate with (an email platform, a fulfillment service, an accounting tool), so integrations can be tested before launch rather than discovered broken afterward.

State that your Shopify store is created under your own Shopify account and billing from day one, not the developer's partner account with you added later, since a store built under someone else's account can be harder to fully separate from them later.

State that you own the custom theme code outright if a custom theme was built for you, and that the developer must provide the theme files on request, not just leave them installed and invisible inside the admin.

Add a clause listing every third-party app installed, its monthly cost, and who owns the data inside it, along with a requirement that the developer document any custom code (theme edits, custom sections) added outside of standard app installs, so a future developer can understand what was built and why.

Set a design and structure milestone: theme selection or custom design approved, and site navigation and collection structure approved, before product data is loaded at scale.

Set a staging review milestone with a specific acceptance test: every product page loads correctly with accurate pricing and variants, the checkout process completes successfully in test mode including tax and shipping calculation, and every installed app functions as intended (a reviews app actually collects and displays a test review, for example).

Set a launch milestone tied to a live test: a real test order is placed and fulfilled through the live checkout, payment processing is confirmed working with your actual payment gateway, and if this was a migration, the redirect map from old URLs to new product and collection pages is verified working. Tie final payment to this milestone, not to the store simply appearing online.

Weight total cost transparency heavily, since app fees are where Shopify build quotes commonly diverge after the fact: 30 percent total cost including listed app fees, 25 percent relevant Shopify build or migration experience, 20 percent design and theme approach fit for your brand, 15 percent timeline realism, and 10 percent references.

Score total cost by adding the build price to the first year of listed app subscription costs, not comparing build price alone, since a cheaper build quote with several paid apps can cost more in year one than a higher quote using fewer apps.

Ask references specifically whether the final app costs matched what was quoted at the start, since app scope creep, adding paid apps mid-project without flagging the added monthly cost, is a common and avoidable source of budget surprise on Shopify builds.

Make every bidder answer in writing: Which Shopify apps do you plan to install, and what is each one's monthly cost? Is this a custom theme or a customized purchased theme, and who owns the theme code? If this is a migration, what exactly transfers from my current platform, and what does not?

Also ask: Will the store be built under my own Shopify account from the start? What is your process for testing checkout, tax, and shipping before launch? What happens to my theme, apps, and product data if I want to switch developers after launch?

A bidder who lists specific apps with specific costs, and who names exactly what a migration will and will not carry over, is giving you a quote you can actually budget against. A bidder who gives one flat number with no app breakdown is likely to surprise you with recurring costs after launch.