Costs and pricing
How to compare ecommerce platform quotes with a scope sheet
Use a scope sheet to compare ecommerce platform quotes, matching inclusions, assumptions and exclusions before you book a trial.
What to take away
- Normalise every vendor quote into the same numbered line items before you read the totals.
- Record inclusion, assumption and exclusion for each line, in the vendor's own words.
- Convert monthly and annual fees to one twelve month figure in pounds, excluding VAT.
- Flag any line priced as a range, a starting figure or a daily rate.
- Close evidence gaps on skills and customer research before you book a trial.
Build one normalised scope sheet first
To compare ecommerce platform quotes properly you need one sheet. The same method works for agency or implementation quotes for Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, Adobe Commerce, Wix and Squarespace; it does not assume their fees or included work are identical. One vendor may bundle hosting into a build fee, while another prices payment fees separately.
A single sheet with fixed line numbers places both entries in the same row, so the differences appear before any trial.
Start with the work you intend to buy: design, build, data migration, integrations, hosting, support and training. Give each item a reference number. Then copy each vendor line into the matching row using their wording rather than your own summary.
Treat the result as a platform quote comparison template you can reuse at each renewal.
Copy this header into a spreadsheet, then add one row for each scope line. Keep the vendor wording exactly as quoted and fill in the unit, quantity and billing period as well as the price.
| Line reference / scope line | Vendor wording | Status: included, extra or excluded | Assumption | Unit | Quantity | Billing period | Fee ex VAT | 12-month total ex VAT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Build and theme work | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Data migration | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Integrations | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Hosting | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Payments and tax | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Support | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Training | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
The scope lines that move a quote most
| Scope line | What to record | Why the price moves |
|---|---|---|
| Build and theme work | Hours, template count, revision rounds | Revisions are often charged per round |
| Data migration | Products, customers, orders, redirects | Volume and data quality set the effort |
| Integrations | Named systems, method, licence payer | Middleware licences are frequently excluded |
| Hosting | Traffic band, storage, staging copy | Overage sits outside the base fee |
| Payments and tax | Provider, rates, VAT display | Gateway fees and tax display affect margin |
| Support and training | Hours per month, response times, channels | Response targets change the retainer |
Most disputes trace back to migration volume, integration licences, traffic bands and support hours. Ask each vendor to confirm those four in writing. A line marked excluded is not automatically a problem, but it must be priced somewhere else.
For a like-for-like comparison, ask every vendor to price the same expected traffic band; otherwise a hosting or service allowance may differ between quotes.
What two quotes can reveal for a 4,000-product shop
For a 4,000-product shop, the details given here show what the sheet can reveal, but do not include fee amounts. The lower-priced quote excludes data migration and sells support in blocks of ten hours; the other quote's entries are not stated.
| Scope line | Lower-priced quote | Other quote | Follow-up |
|---|---|---|---|
| Data migration | Excluded | Not stated | Ask both vendors to price the same migration scope. |
| Support | Sold in ten-hour blocks | Not stated | Record the rate and billing basis for each quote. |
| 12-month total | Fee amounts not stated | Fee amounts not stated | Leave pending until each fee is itemised; do not infer a total. |
This makes the missing information visible without treating an exclusion or an unpriced block as a comparable cost.
- Copy both quotes into the sheet and keep the vendor wording unchanged.
- Convert monthly fees to a twelve month total by multiplying the quoted monthly amount by 12; count annual and one-off charges once. Use pounds excluding VAT. If a fee is missing or given only as a range or starting figure, mark the total as pending rather than inventing a number.
- Mark each line as included, extra cost or excluded.
- Write down each vendor assumption about catalogue size, traffic and data quality.
- Return the sheet and ask for written confirmation on every gap.
A quote becomes comparable only when the same work sits on the same line number.
For UK ecommerce platform selection, that written confirmation is the evidence trail you keep.
Rulings that shape what a quote must cover
Distance selling rules cover returns, cancellation and pre-contract information. A quote that leaves returns handling out has missed work that someone will still have to do. The distance selling rules in the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 set those duties.
Customer records moved during migration sit under data protection requirements, including the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018. Ask each vendor which party will act as controller, where consent records will be stored after cutover, and how its approach aligns with Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) guidance.
Payment and tax treatment can differ between quotes. Identify the payment provider—for example, Shopify Payments, Stripe or PayPal—and record the quoted rates and billing basis rather than treating providers as interchangeable; no rates are supplied here. Record whether quoted figures include VAT and how each platform shows tax at checkout. VAT treatment also varies between platforms.
Settling evidence gaps before a trial or survey
If training or platform administration is in scope, record the roles, tasks and handover required, then ask every vendor to price the same work. The planning template is England-specific, so use it only where that scope is relevant.
If customer research is in scope, the survey collection routes page compares methods under shared privacy, accessibility, export and exit gates. Record the selected route and requirements in each quote request so vendors scope the same work.
Common questions
How many quotes should I compare?
Two is workable and three is better. The sheet matters more than the count because it forces each vendor onto the same line numbers.
What if a vendor will not itemise the quote?
Ask for a breakdown using your line numbers. A refusal leaves you unable to compare, which is itself useful evidence.
Do I need a trial before comparing quotes?
No. Settle inclusion, assumption and exclusion first, then run a trial only on the lines that stay unclear.
Should the sheet show VAT?
Show both figures. Keep one column excluding VAT for like-for-like platform pricing and one including VAT for cash planning.
