Prebuilt Shopify Stores: What, Where & How to Buy One in 2024

Launching an online store can be a daunting task, especially for start-ups with limited resources. From designing a professional-looking website to ensuring seamless customer service, the checklist can seem endless. To overcome this, many entrepreneurs choose to start with pre-built Shopify stores - a turnkey solution that allows entrepreneurs to bypass many of the initial hurdles and jump straight into the business of selling.

Whether you're a seasoned ecommerce veteran looking to expand your portfolio or a budding entrepreneur eager to start your first online venture, pre-built Shopify stores offer a convenient and efficient way to get started. These ready-made stores come equipped with everything you need to start selling, from a fully designed website and product listings to integrated payment solutions and marketing tools.

In this blog, we'll delve into the ins and outs of pre-built Shopify stores for dropshipping, exploring their benefits, potential pitfalls, and the key factors to consider when choosing the right store for your needs. We’ll also share practical tips for growing your store post-purchase, so you can turn your ready-to-use platform into a thriving ecommerce business. 

What is a pre-built Shopify store?

A pre-built Shopify store is an online store that has been created and set up in advance, often by a professional designer or developer, specifically for use on Shopify. These stores come fully equipped with everything an online store needs, from product listings to payment systems.  Pre-built Shopify stores are popular among entrepreneurs who want to start an online business quickly and may not have the time or technical skills to build a store from scratch. They provide a quicker path to launching an ecommerce business by leveraging a pre-existing setup.

There are many different types of pre-built dropshipping stores available. They mainly differ in terms of functionality, time spent in operation, and types of products sold. 

Turnkey dropshipping stores

Turnkey dropshipping stores are ready-to-use online shops that are already built, optimised for customer experience, and loaded with products. You can start using these stores as soon as they are transferred to you, making them a quick and easy solution for eager dropshipping retailers. 

Customisable dropshipping stores

This process involves hiring a professional to design and build a custom Shopify store tailored to your business. This process is more expensive, but the resulting ecommerce store is more likely to align with your brand voice and suit your exact product and supplier needs. 

Existing dropshipping stores

These pre-built stores are already operational and well-established on Shopify. Whether they have been running for a single year or many years, these stores provide a proven sales history and can include valuable assets such as social media accounts, customer lists, and well-maintained supplier relationships. Because of this, existing stores can be the most expensive option available to dropshippers, though they can also be the most successful. 

Are pre-built Shopify stores suitable for dropshipping?

Pre-built Shopify stores come with a host of benefits for dropshipping businesses. However, there are also plenty of drawbacks for unsuspecting buyers. Here are the key benefits and pitfalls of buying pre-built Shopify stores:

Pros of buying a pre-built Shopify store for dropshipping

Quick setup

Pre-built stores come with everything you need to start dropshipping using Shopify, from the basic site layout all the way to integrated payment solutions. Additionally, pre-built stores often come with product listings and supplier information, making it easier to start a dropshipping business without sourcing products individually. With the right pre-built store, you can start selling within hours of purchase. 

Integrated apps

Many pre-built Shopify stores include integration with popular apps for a variety of functions. These apps can assist with everything from customer service to content management, and they can even help integrate your store with other platforms. For dropshippers, there are specialised dropshipping apps, such as the Dropshipzone Shopify app. These apps allow store owners to easily import products from suppliers and automate inventory management and order fulfilment.

Professional look and feel

Since these stores are pre-designed by experts, they usually have a polished and professional look. A seamless and professionally designed website is crucial for ecommerce merchants, especially dropshippers. In the current competitive climate, first impressions are everything. Having a clear and responsive website and a good user experience is paramount. Studies have shown that 78 per cent of users are more likely to return to websites with intuitive layouts. Conversely, 88 per cent will abandon a brand with a poor website. Just a one-second delay in a site’s load time causes a 7 per cent loss in conversions. By buying a pre-built store, all the design and troubleshooting have been done for you, so customers can experience a well-built site from day one.

Speed up product research

Some pre-built stores come with market research data, suggesting that the products included are trending or have good sales potential. This can save time and effort in the product selection process.

Legal and compliance

Many pre-made Shopify stores come with essential legal pages and settings, which can be particularly useful for new dropshippers unfamiliar with the rules and regulations surrounding ecommerce. Of course, you should always check with your local governing bodies and seek legal advice where you are unsure about your rights and responsibilities as a company or your consumers' rights.

Cons of buying a pre-built Shopify store for dropshipping

Product suitability and suppliers

The products included in a pre-built store may not align perfectly with your target market or brand vision. They might not have been thoroughly vetted for quality, demand, or profitability, which can affect your store’s success. Additionally, pre-built stores may come with suppliers that haven't been fully vetted, leading to potential issues with product quality, shipping times, or customer service. It’s important to fully vet both suppliers and products before committing to buy a dropshipping store. 

Lack of experience/expertise 

Building a store from scratch helps new entrepreneurs learn essential ecommerce skills, including product research, market analysis, and technical setup. A pre-built store might bypass this learning process, leaving owners less prepared for future challenges. Additionally, if the store isn't set up correctly from the start, you may need to invest additional time and resources to fix these issues, negating the benefits of using a pre-built store in the first place.

Competition and market saturation

Pre-built stores often use common templates and designs, which can result in a lack of uniqueness. This might make it harder to stand out in a crowded market, as many other stores could look similar or even identical. Also, since pre-built stores are often sold multiple times with similar product offerings, there is a risk of market saturation, where multiple stores are competing for the same customers with the same products. This is where custom Shopify stores may be an advantage to those who can afford it.

Ongoing costs

Some pre-made stores may come with hidden costs, such as additional fees for access to certain apps, tools, or even supplier databases. There might also be ongoing costs related to marketing, inventory management, or website maintenance. Always check for these hidden fees before buying a website, and ensure you know what you’re purchasing. Note: you must have a Shopify account and a Shopify subscription to use pre-built Shopify stores, so you’ll have to consider their ongoing hosting fees with any purchase. 

Scalability

A pre-built store may not be designed with scalability in mind. As your business grows, you might encounter limitations in the store’s design, functionality, or backend systems, requiring significant upgrades or even a complete rebuild. Depending on your speed of growth, you may find yourself back to square one without the right structural support.

Where to buy prebuilt Shopify stores

Dropship Stores Downunder

Dropship Stores Downunder is an Australia-based company that specialises in creating fully optimised, ready-to-launch Shopify dropshipping stores specifically tailored to the Australian market. It was founded by Aussie entrepreneurs Klint and Grant Parker. These pre-built stores not only provide a streamlined entry into ecommerce, but they come equipped with reliable suppliers offering fast shipping times and quality Australian products. Their packages come with a well-designed Shopify store with premium branding, a custom .com.au domain, SEO optimisation, and a comprehensive product catalogue. You can view a full portfolio of their work on their website, and each listing contains a link to the live storefront and basic niche research data. Their purchase and transfer process is straightforward, and they advertise being able to use your new store within 24 hours. Additionally, they provide full advertising training and ongoing support to help clients successfully launch and grow their online businesses. 

Flippa

Founded in 2009, Flippa is one of the largest and most well-known platforms for acquiring or selling digital properties and businesses. They make it easy to find Shopify stores in various niches that have been tried and tested, and are ready to buy and deploy. A unique feature of this platform is its partnership with SEMrush, allowing them to show site traffic analytics to potential buyers. It also integrates with Google Ads, allowing you to view a store’s profits from paid ads. While Flippa’s collection is vast, not all listings on this platform are created equally. Their curation process is less robust than other platforms, and they do not have a minimum revenue or profit requirement. You’ll need to conduct your due diligence before purchasing to ensure that listings accurately reflect the profit margins and site traffic sellers claim. 

Acquire

Acquire (formerly known as Microacquire) is a platform designed for buying and selling online businesses of any shape and size, including dropshipping stores. Acquire helps buyers directly connect with founders, and they can even help acquire funding (US businesses only). Before purchasing, you can examine a business’s performance metrics such as P&L summaries, acquisition data, customer churn, and overall revenue, ensuring you’re investing in a profitable website. Their streamlined, expert acquisition process makes buying a pre-built Shopify store a safe and reliable experience. 

Dropship For Sale

Dropship For Sale is a website that offers pre-built Shopify stores and templates at extremely affordable prices. These stores come fully set up with niche-specific products, professional branding, and essential integrations, allowing immediate operational capability. Buyers can purchase pre-existing stores or build custom stores using one of the platform’s niche-specific templates. According to their website, sites can be built within 2-8 working days, or you can pay to skip the queue and get a store in as little as 24 hours. Additionally, the platform provides guidance on advertising and optimisation, helping store owners attract customers and grow their businesses. Listings contain an evaluation of the business, but analytics are lacking compared to other marketplaces. Overall, this marketplace is an affordable option for small businesses looking to break into dropshipping.

Dropbuild

Dropbuild is a platform that creates Shopify ecommerce stores tailored to dropshipping. These stores include winning products, reputable suppliers, a premium theme, and essential apps, as well as social media content like video ads and posts to aid in marketing. The platform also offers lifetime support for clients, meaning you’ll receive help every step of the way. There are two types of stores available:

• One-product stores: These stores focus on selling a single winning product. Stores that focus on a single product are less complex but need a strong, authoritative brand voice and presence backing it. Single-product stores are also less trend-resistant, making them more vulnerable to failure.

• Niche stores: Niche stores focus on multiple products within a specific niche. The Dropbuild package offers up to 10 winning products. Niche stores come with more risk and are more complex to run, but they have higher overall success and conversion rates.

All of their stores are beginner-friendly and fully customisable, making this platform a good choice for new dropshippers interested in niche markets.

What to look for when choosing to buy a prebuilt store

When choosing a premade Shopify store for dropshipping, it's essential to carefully evaluate several factors to ensure that the store aligns with your business goals and can meet your needs. Here are some key considerations:

Niche and product selection

Look for stores featuring high-quality products with verified demand. Ensure the store's products align with your target audience and market niche. Do the products have positive reviews or a proven sales history? You can use product research tools such as Nichescraper to determine whether a store’s products are the right fit for you and your target market.  

Supplier information

Verify the reliability and reputation of the suppliers. Look for stores that include information about where products are sourced and how they are shipped. Do suppliers ship products on time and is their quality control reliable? If the suppliers don’t meet your standards, consider choosing another store with enough flexibility to choose your own suppliers and products.

Store design and customisation

Check the quality and professionalism of the store’s design. Assess how easily you can customise the store to fit your branding, including changing the logo, colours, and layout. You not only want your store to look professional, but it should also feel professional. You can use tools such as PageSpeed Insights, Ubersuggest and SEMrush to audit a site’s performance before purchase. 

Legal and compliance

Verify that the store adheres to legal standards and best practices for dropshipping. This means ensuring their products are legal to sell in Australia and your relevant state. Ensure the store also includes necessary legal pages like Privacy Policy, Terms of Service, and Refund Policy.

Technical support

Determine if there is ongoing support available for any technical issues that may arise. Check if there are guides or tutorials provided to help you manage and operate the store. Technical support varies widely between sellers and platforms, but most providers will help with initial setup and integrations.

Cost and value

Compare the price of the pre-built store with the value it offers. You’ll need to consider factors like product quality, design, and any included features. Be aware of any ongoing costs, such as app subscriptions, marketing tools, or potential hidden fees. Don’t forget to include Shopify’s fees in your calculations. 

Reviews and reputation

Research the reputation of the individual seller or company and the platform offering the pre-built store. Look for reviews or testimonials from previous buyers. Does the store align with their expectations? If you’re buying a pre-built store that is already in operation, you’ll also want to check customer reviews. This will determine not only if the products are of acceptable quality, but whether they are selling as well as the store claims. You can even use spy tools such as Koala Inspector to analyse a store before purchasing, from their best-selling products to their chosen Shopify templates. Always check if there is a return or refund policy in case the store does not meet your expectations.

Scalability

Consider whether the store can be scaled as your business grows. Look at the backend setup, the potential for adding more products, and flexibility in expanding marketing efforts. Likewise, if you are just starting out or selling highly specialised or single products, you may not need an overly complex store designed for enterprises.

How to complete the purchase

So you’ve decided on your store. The next step is to complete your purchase. Each platform varies when it comes to the purchasing process, but here are some common steps to follow when purchasing a pre-built Shopify store:

1. Use a secure payment method. Ensure the payment method provided by your platform is secure and your payment information is protected. Avoid making deals or payments off-platform, as this can increase your risk of being scammed and void buyer protections.

2. Transfer ownership of the store. This includes all relevant accounts, domains, assets, contacts and access details. Make sure you not only have access to the Shopify store, but also any social media accounts, supplier accounts and app accounts.

3. Update store details. This means updating any relevant payment and billing details and customising the store to reflect your branding as needed.

4. Test the store. Make sure all promised functionalities are working correctly and the checkout process is set up correctly.

5. Launch and promote your store. Once everything has been tested, you can publicly launch your store and promote it on social media. Take advantage of your grand opening and attract new audiences with a social media marketing campaign and unique promotions, such as limited-time discounts, sign-up bonuses or free shipping. 

   

What next? Growing your prebuilt Shopify store

Growing a pre-built Shopify dropshipping store involves a combination of strategic marketing, optimisation, and customer engagement. Here are some key steps to help you scale and expand your business:

Optimise your store

Optimise your store for search engines by using relevant keywords, optimising meta tags, and creating SEO-friendly URLs. Ensure your product descriptions are clear, informative, and persuasive. High-quality images and detailed specifications can improve conversion rates. Consider starting a blog to target additional keywords and engage customers. Don’t forget to continually test your site performance, improving your user experience as required.

Enhance your product offerings

Regularly add new products to your catalogue, including trending items and high-demand products. This keeps your store fresh and attracts repeat customers. Offer product bundles or packages to increase average order value (AOV) and encourage customers to purchase more items. For single-product stores, you can introduce variants of your product (such as colour or size), implement a loyalty program, or partner with other brands to add value to your offerings.

Marketing and promotion

Create valuable content such as blogs, videos, or infographics to educate and engage your audience. This can drive organic traffic and establish your brand as an authority in your niche. Leverage social media platforms to build brand awareness, engage with your audience, and promote products. Use personalisation and targeted ads to reach specific demographics. Finally, use influencer marketing in your desired niche to build credibility and drive sales.

Customer engagement and support

Provide award-winning customer support through multiple channels, such as live chat, email, and social media. Encourage satisfied customers to leave reviews and testimonials. Remember to follow up on reviews across platforms, both positive and negative. Customers love responsive stores, and the feedback gathered can be used to make improvements to your store and product offerings.

Analyse and adjust

Monitor your store’s performance using analytics tools like Google Analytics and Shopify’s built-in analytics. Track key metrics such as traffic, conversion rates, AOV, and customer acquisition costs. Conduct A/B tests on different aspects of your store, such as product pages, pricing, and promotions, to identify what works best for your audience.

Expand sales channels

Consider selling your products on additional platforms like Amazon, eBay, or social media marketplaces. This can increase your reach and customer base. Thanks to its wide variety of integrations through the app store, Shopify makes this process easy. You can even explore selling to international markets by offering multiple currencies, localised content, and international shipping options. 

Summary

Pre-built Shopify stores are an easy way for new dropshippers to enter the world of ecommerce with minimal hassle and maximum efficiency. Pre-built ecommerce websites come with many helpful features and tried-and-tested structures, decreasing risk. However, this process is not without downsides. Buyers must conduct due diligence before purchase to ensure their ecommerce store functions as advertised and is capable of turning a profit. There are many reputable platforms you can buy pre-built Shopify stores from, so you can find a store at any development stage and budget. Once you’ve purchased a pre-built Shopify store, make sure you update any relevant store details and continually test and optimise your site to ensure its success. Overall, with the right tools and precautions, buying a pre-built Shopify store can fast-track a dropshipping business's journey to success.