• If someone wants to test out the system, why limit features? You expect them to market their store with your domain and then switch to their own later? What a pain! Think about it: marketing, search engines, linking!
• Not allowing discount codes is just hurting the new user. Allowing discount codes helps them promote their store. Are you guys trying to help or hinder the new user?

Sorry for not getting back to you earlier here. We used our forums as main means of communication so far.

First of all, there was no announcement because it was not practical in our situation for two reasons:

a) There is no change to any of our existing customers. The only thing which changes to people who use Shopify is that the signup page of our brochure page quotes a different pricing structure. We grandfathered every one of our existing customers for lifetime. This includes people who were in the middle of setting up a store and had no prior sales yet. It did not however include people on demo accounts ( the ones which say that they are automatically deleted ). However we have grandfathered everyone who send us an email with a demo account if the store was about to be launched.

b) Because shopify is free in signup we could not announce this change because it would have meant that people would have set up hundreds of accounts to be grandfathered which they could then sell later on to people who feel that the old pricing system was better.

Speaking of which, i know that the feedback here on the blog is pretty negative but this is by no means a fair reflection of the feedback we are receiving here at jadedPixel. A lot of our customers are saving a good deal of money and expect to save even more when they grow bigger. The only pricing model was prohibitory expensive to some of our clients and this had to be addressed.

That being said, we are incredibly sorry about the inconveniences the switch may have caused to our designers, advocates and pitchers out there. We are establishing a new communication channel with our affiliates so that such changes can be announced in a controlled manner. Not that there are any more such changes in the pipeline, mind you.

Thank you for understanding. We launched with a pricing scheme which was unsustainable in the long run and had to correct the problem. We believe that the shopify software delivers value far greater then its cost and we hope you think the same, especially with the new pricing system.

I agree that would have been a better way to handle the situatio. We all learned a lot about this in the last few days.

Just to give an official line on this: The 3% / 0$ plan will not come back in the near future.

This is what I dont understand Tobi, you guys keep saying that alot of your customers are saving money, but definitely only those who are already earning a good deal. What you dont understand is that the 3% plan was such a huge part of your marketing. The most difficult thing for a company to do is to atleast get people to step in the door, from there on its easier. Why you would not want to make it easy as cake for people to pull the trigger on signing up makes no sense, you are actually turning away the very people who in the future would grow their business to the point where they would not want the 3% anymore due to it being expensive. Why not offer both, and have a crossover point where the customer has to switch over to the new pricing model after a certain amount of income.

Sometimes I just don’t get businesses, they shoot themselves in the foot to get a bug off their shoe. Have fun paying for marketing.

In short: Shopify is waltzing the politicians way. Reduce prices for big players and rise them for the infantry. The mass is paying for the benefits of a privileged society. Or Hobbit, you’re crap; Princess Avarice may I kiss your feed?

I’ve to admit that I’m a bit disappointed, because now the break-even for sale is nearly three thousand bucks per month. Or in other words, by far over one hundred, rahter high priced, sold T-Shirts. Compared to former pricing. Which means the deathblow for future small by side sellers. But perhaps that’s intended to elope with oh, so lovely Princess.

In the end the pricing advantage for by side sellers or startups e.g. compared to BigCartel is definitely blown away now. Somehow that hurts.

I hope you’ll reconsider and allow users to start at 3% / $0 and then move to the monthly plan if their sales warrant it. I for one is looking elsewhere.

This is really disappointing. I just signed on to setup a shop for my friend and went to show him the pricing (thinking it was still the 3%). Needless to say, I’ll be coding up a shop by hand for him now. I was really looking forward to using your shops.

I guess this opens the door for someone to make a shop system priced like the one you used to have.

All I can say is that I’ve been giving many alternate e-commerce solutions a 4-month-long, discerning, objective look—comparing notes, features, options, etc.

You’ve made my decision a lot easier, now, with this new pricing schedule. I can cross Shopify off my candidate list.