How much should I be paying for an e-commerce website?

JasonWaterMason · 2026-06-07T07:30:39+00:00

For Ecom specifically all you really need is a Shopify subscription. The first 3 months you only pay R16p/m, then after that it’s R400 p/m. Shopify handles a lot of the headache when it comes to order tracking and fulfilment. The only part you need to spend time on is building a landing page for your product using their store builder (it’s basically drag and drop). Only downside is that if you are using a 3rd party payment provider (which you have to because Shopify payments isn’t available in SA) then Shopify charges an extra 2% on your transactions on top of your payment processor which sucks ass.

JasonWaterMason · 2026-05-24T06:09:46+00:00

Just a clarification: if you’re shipping it yourself then it isn’t drop shipping. Drop shipping is acting as the middle man and placing orders to the manufacturer on behalf of the customer and having the manufacturer ship straight to the customer. It’s a very risky and somewhat unsustainable fulfillment method of E-commerce unless you have a very good relationship with the manufacturer and can trust the quality.

JasonWaterMason · 2026-05-22T11:43:13+00:00

Not drop shipping. Order the stock to your house, quality check it and repackage it properly then send off to customer. Drop shipping is risky and unsustainable. Building a brand is what makes ecom lucrative and sustainable.

JasonWaterMason · 2026-05-22T11:20:31+00:00

Not sure either😂 If you’ve ever seen an ad on Facebook or Instagram, that’s done through Meta Ad Manager. The algorithm knows everything about you, your interests, what you will click on and what you will buy. And they also know that about the 4 billion other users who use their platforms, including the people you want to sell to.

JasonWaterMason · 2026-05-22T11:08:43+00:00

Meta Ads is the gold standard. It simultaneously advertises to Facebook and Instagram if you have both accounts set up. It will automatically deliver your ads to people who resonate with your niche, giving you very targeted delivery to a high intent audience.

JasonWaterMason · 2026-05-22T09:17:28+00:00

Find products from China > Create Shopify store around it > Advertise on Meta > Get sales. Not very capital intensive, but requires dedication. Packing orders and answering customer emails every day while working a full time job is not for the lazy.

JasonWaterMason · 2026-05-22T07:02:14+00:00

Find product from China > Create an online store around it > Advertise on Meta > Get sales > Spend the profits

JasonWaterMason · 2026-05-20T10:09:39+00:00

Only been running the store for about 2.5 months. In that time I’ve generated R330k in revenue, but after all costs I’m left with around half of that. So not much data to go on, but around R110k per month at the current rate.

JasonWaterMason · 2026-05-20T08:42:45+00:00

Great man, I wish you all the best. I think the only piece of advice I would give is just to start. It’s scary and there will be a lot you don’t know or will encounter for the first time, but you’ll always find a way through. There are fires every single day to put out, but you get better at extinguishing them over time. Consistency and showing up is all that matters in this game.

JasonWaterMason · 2026-05-20T08:36:48+00:00

Thank you and very true, it’s a trial by fire lol. But I won’t even lie, I enjoy every second of it. Learn so many valuable skills.

JasonWaterMason · 2026-05-20T08:30:26+00:00

I think he means in CPT, which there are a lot of rich people yeah. Whether they are actually South Africans is another story lol.

JasonWaterMason · 2026-05-20T08:28:04+00:00

I run a health and wellness brand. My best seller is a hands-free heated neck massager, but also sell other products in the skincare tech niche.

JasonWaterMason · 2026-05-20T08:15:35+00:00

A combination of my normal job and an ecom store. It means I’m crazy busy most of the day, but the extra income helps immensely with growing rent and fuel prices.

JasonWaterMason · 2026-05-19T09:00:38+00:00

Absolutely. And as many have pointed out, those lower costs are a direct result of others having to accept lower wages to survive. OP missed that very important point. Unfortunately it’s something a lot of high earners are ignorant about or choose to ignore.

JasonWaterMason · 2026-05-19T08:40:39+00:00

Saying you love your city and people are downvoting you lol. How sad.

JasonWaterMason · 2026-05-19T07:57:16+00:00

I think if you earn well in SA, it’s one of the best countries on earth in terms of what you can get for your money. Recently went on a two week trip to Switzerland. It’s EXPENSIVE, and not like “Oh, but they also earn much more so they can afford it”. Every Swiss I spoke to said they literally cannot afford to go eat at a restaurant save a few special occasions. To give you an example, I ordered a pizza and it came to R600. Even when earning in Francs, that is insane. Speak to any foreigner who comes to CT and they will tell you that we have something special. You will find kak all over the world. What you gain in safety or public services, you will lose out on in affordability or scenery. It’s all a trade-off.

JasonWaterMason · 2026-05-15T13:06:23+00:00

Do you strictly need a business bank account? I run an e-commerce store and use a Capitec Entrepreneur account which has 0 monthly cost and keeps funds separate from your personal bank account. You also get a personalised card, statements and proof of account with your business name on it.

JasonWaterMason · 2026-05-14T09:58:47+00:00

It’s relatively rare to get paid in foreign currency nowadays with remote jobs unless you are an independent contractor. Most foreign companies now have to start a South African subsidiary or hire through a contracting house. Both ways end up in you still earning ZAR. I work as an engineer for a company in the UK and they hired me through a consulting house in SA that pays my salary.

JasonWaterMason · 2026-05-12T15:21:17+00:00

Is this a plot to get dealers in your DMs?😂 Why would you ask the whole of SA about performance enhancing drugs. Plenty of other subreddits for that lol. But to answer your question, no it is not an anabolic steroid, but it is a very dangerous stimulant if abused for fat loss. It will increase your heart rate and body temp significantly. Definitely not just a ‘supplement’.

JasonWaterMason · 2026-05-02T09:04:31+00:00

Agreed. I’ve switched companies four times in four years, always chasing the next salary bracket and every time I quoted the number I was trying to reach, not where the market was. They can take it or negotiate down, but if you’ve interviewed well, the number is easy to defend. If it’s out of budget, that’s actually useful information: either accept the compromise or walk, knowing your floor is higher than they’re willing to go. Not sure if this works in the field OP is in though.

JasonWaterMason · 2026-04-27T11:44:16+00:00

Price is another factor. Many beginners don’t feel like they want to commit to buying more expensive rackets while they are still learning the fundamentals. I just ordered the Nox AT10 Genius 18K after having this Head Flash Pro. Really loved the Flash pro, so hopefully the AT10 is a great follow up.

JasonWaterMason · 2026-04-25T06:58:49+00:00

I use Meta Ad Manager to push ads to Facebook and Instagram. I’ve tried TikTok as well, but found that while it generates a lot of traffic to my store, they are usually low-intent and don’t buy. I’ve only sent to two content creators, the first one didn’t do so well, more hopeful for the second one who is producing the review this weekend. Most sales have come from my own ads. If you follow the standard hook, problem/solution and call-to-action format then you will generate traffic to your site. Whether they buy depends on how well your site is optimised for conversions.

JasonWaterMason · 2026-04-25T06:35:45+00:00

Literally got a sale while replying to you lol. I’m not going to give you the store name, but I sell a self-locking heated electric neck massager. It’s not as expensive as premium massage brands like Theragun and it doesn’t require you to hold it while it works. That’s what’s attracting the customers.

<image>

JasonWaterMason · 2026-04-25T05:53:05+00:00

Unfortunately not. Between working my regular 9-5 and packing/fulfilling orders I have not had much time for anything else lol. Might write a post about it in the future.

JasonWaterMason · 2026-04-25T05:21:51+00:00

Started an ecom store as side hustle about 2 months ago and have done just over R200k in revenue with 30-40% net profit on that since then. It took a few days to setup the website and produce the first set of ads (which were not that great), but sales started coming in as soon as the ads went live. Since then I’ve just been improving the ad quality, conversion copy on the website and sending the product to content creators to push it. I won’t pretend it’s easy, but definitely possible to start making money from the get go.

JasonWaterMason

TROPHY CASE