How to choose a Shopify developer in NZ

What does a Shopify developer actually do?

"Shopify developer" covers a wide range of people. Some set up a theme, load products and turn on payments. Some design and code a custom theme. Some build apps and integrations that connect Shopify to your point-of-sale, accounting or booking system. Before you compare anyone, decide which of those you need. A 20-product store on a good theme is a very different job from a 300-product store with stock syncing to a shop counter.

Write down three things before you talk to anyone: roughly how many products you'll sell, what other systems the store needs to talk to (Xero, a POS, a booking system, a courier), and your budget for the build and for running costs each month.

What does being a Shopify Partner mean?

Shopify's Partner Program is free to join. Being a Partner mainly means the developer can create stores, request access to client stores through Shopify, and earn referral income from Shopify. It isn't a quality badge on its own.

The Shopify Partner Directory is more useful. Listed partners have a public profile with services, past work and reviews from merchants. Treat a listing as a starting point for checking someone, not a guarantee. Plenty of capable NZ developers aren't listed, and a listing doesn't tell you whether they're a good fit for your store.

Agency, freelancer or offshore: which suits you?

Each option can work. The risks are different.

Option	Usually suits	Watch for
NZ agency	Larger catalogues, custom design, integrations, ongoing marketing	Higher cost, account managers between you and the developer, monthly retainers you didn't plan for
NZ freelancer or small studio	Small to mid-size stores where you want to deal with the person doing the work	Capacity and holidays, what happens if they're unavailable, whether they document the build
Offshore developer	Well-defined technical tasks with a clear spec	Time zones, little knowledge of NZ GST, couriers and consumer law, harder to resolve disputes

Whoever you pick, the protections are the same: a written scope, a fixed price, and a store you own.

What should I ask a Shopify developer before hiring?

These 10 questions sort most options out in one call:

• Can I see three live stores you built? Live stores, not screenshots. Ideally NZ stores in a similar category.
• Whose name is the store in? The answer should be yours, with you as the store owner and billing contact.
• Is the price fixed, and what's out of scope? Get the scope and price in writing before you pay anything.
• Which theme will you use, and who pays for it? Paid themes are a one-off cost. Find out if it's included.
• Which apps will the store need, and what do they cost each month? Apps are where running costs creep up.
• How will you set up GST, shipping and payments for NZ? Listen for specifics, not "Shopify does that".
• How many products are included, and who loads them? Product loading is often where timelines slip.
• What happens after launch? Training, a warranty period for fixes, and the cost of changes after that.
• If we stop working together, what do I keep? Everything, ideally: the store, theme files, domain, content and data.
• Who will I actually be dealing with? The person who quotes isn't always the person who builds.

What are the red flags?

The developer owns the store or holds the logins

This is the big one. If the developer creates the store under their own account and keeps the owner login, you don't control your business. Getting it back can mean weeks of emails, or paying to have it transferred. The right setup: the store is created in your name, or built as a development store and transferred to you before launch. The developer then works through a collaborator or staff account you approve and can remove.

The same goes for your domain. Register it in your name with your own login. Your developer can manage the DNS settings without owning it.

Lock-in dressed up as a service

Watch for contracts that make the build cheap but require a long monthly plan to keep the store running, or a custom setup only one person can maintain. A monthly plan is fine when it's optional and you can leave. Ask: "If I cancel, does anything stop working?"

No fixed price

Hourly billing with no cap is a risk for a store build, because scope always grows. A fixed price for a written scope protects both sides. Changes outside the scope should be quoted before they're done.

Hidden costs in paid themes and apps

A quote that looks cheap can hide a paid theme licence, several paid apps and an app for things the theme should do. Ask for a list of every paid theme and app with its monthly cost, so you know your running costs before launch, not on your first credit card statement.

Vague answers on NZ specifics

A developer who can't explain how they'll handle GST, rural delivery or buy-now-pay-later in NZ will leave that for you to discover after launch.

What NZ details should the store get right?

Use this as a checklist when you review the build:

• GST. Prices shown GST-inclusive, which NZ shoppers expect, and tax settings checked against your GST registration. Your accountant should confirm the settings.
• Shipping. NZ shipping zones and rates, a clear rule for rural addresses, a courier option (NZ Post, NZ Couriers, Aramex and others), and a free shipping threshold if you offer one.
• Payments. Shopify Payments for cards and wallets like Apple Pay, plus Afterpay or another buy-now-pay-later option if your customers use it.
• Privacy Act 2020. A privacy policy that says what you collect and why, email marketing only to people who opted in, and a working unsubscribe.
• Consumer law. Returns and refund policies that line up with the Consumer Guarantees Act and the Fair Trading Act.
• Policies and contact details. Shipping, refund, privacy and terms pages filled in properly, plus a real NZ phone number or address.

How do I check a developer's work?

You don't need to be technical. Open three of their live stores on your phone and try to buy something. Is it quick to find a product? Do you know the delivery cost before checkout? Does the page load fast? Run a store through Google's free PageSpeed Insights tool and look at the mobile result. Then read their reviews on Google, Clutch or the Shopify Partner Directory, and ask to speak to one past client.

How much should a Shopify build cost in NZ?

Prices vary a lot depending on design, product count and integrations, which is why a written scope matters more than the headline number. For reference, FOUNDR publishes its prices: a Starter Shopify build is $3,950 (custom theme, up to 25 products) and a Full store is $6,950 (up to 250 products, plus migration with redirects). You can see both on our builds page. Builds can be paid over 3, 6, 9 or 12 months with no extra fees.

On top of any build you'll pay Shopify directly for your plan. The Basic plan is about NZ$65 a month, billed by Shopify, plus any paid apps and card fees on each sale. If a simpler website suits you better than a full store, our website designs start from $1,490, or you can build your own package from a $990 base with an online shop add-on for up to 25 products at $490.

Where does FOUNDR fit?

We're one option: a small Wānaka studio that builds Shopify stores NZ-wide. We build every store in the client's name, publish a fixed price, and handle changes after launch through a client portal. The UKIYO store in Wānaka is the one we show first. If you want a number for your store, try price your project. If we're not the right fit, the questions above will help you find who is.