Amazon or Shopify: Where Should an Australian Actually Start?

Everyone curious about selling online in Australia hits the same fork within about a week: Amazon, or your own Shopify store. And almost everyone argues it as a fee comparison — which is the wrong argument, and an expensive one to get wrong. This one is for people who have not started either. No products, no supplier, no store, no seller account. Just working out which door to walk through first. What we cover: • What each actually costs here, in Australian dollars — Amazon's Individual plan at $0.99 excl. GST per item sold and Professional at $49.95 excl. GST a month, plus referral fees that mostly run 6% to 15% depending on category • Shopify's side — Basic at $56 AUD a month billed monthly (or $42 on annual billing), plus 1.75% + 30c on standard Australian card payments, and a 2% third-party transaction fee if you don't use Shopify Payments • Why "Shopify is cheaper" is true on paper and misleading in practice — Amazon's percentage is a finder's fee, not a hosting fee • The cost that appears on neither pricing page: traffic. Every visitor to your own store is one you built or bought, and advertising is money spent \*before* you know whether anyone buys • The trust gap — what you're asking a stranger to do when they land on a website they've never seen • What each platform is genuinely better at: Amazon wins on demand and loses on ownership; Shopify is the reverse • The honest recommendation for a first product, and the one situation where it flips completely More at https://amzproductlauncher.com.au Follow the show for straight answers to the questions people ask before they start, not after. General information only. Not financial, tax, legal or business advice, and it does not take account of your individual circumstances. No income, outcome or result of any kind is suggested or promised. All figures are from Amazon Australia's and Shopify's own published pricing as at September 2026 — both change regularly, so check the current rates yourself. Seek your own professional advice before starting a business.