Why are you charging for certification to Shopify partners? It's unfair...

[Explorion]

Why are you charging your partners for providing certification? When we are the one's who are helping people get on Shopify, development, manage and grow their business. By doing this we are already helping Shopify make profits. 

But Shopify seems to be getting to greedy, why can't Shopify offer free certifications to partners like how Google does. 

We partners are already bringing you business, the least you can do is make the certificates accessible to all. Or provide scholarships of sorts. 

Hoping for a positive change. 

[Kimi]

Hi, @Explorion.

Thanks for reaching out in our Community Forums about your concerns.

For context, the aim of our Partner Certifications Program is to create a larger understanding of what is necessary to be a high-quality Shopify Partner. The Program is available for all individuals, both Merchants and Partners alike, to learn and develop the necessary skills to succeed on the Shopify platform, which is why the courses are free for anyone to take.

For Partners wishing to receive certification, at this stage there is a fee involved in order to earn the overall program certification. This is to increase Merchant trust in Partners, as the certification will create a group of vetted, certified Partners for the Shopify ecosystem that we are confident will understand the scope of expectations and work required for Shopify Partners worldwide.

I do understand your perspective and appreciate you sharing your thoughts in wanting to make the certificate more widely accessible. While I can't share any updates or plans for the future of the Partner Certifications Program with you at this stage, I'll send your feedback to the necessary development team so that they're aware of the concerns you've shared with us here in our Community Forums. Be sure to keep an eye out on our Shopify Partner News blog and the Developer Changelog to stay informed on the latest Partner-specific releases to our platform.

[Josh_Uebergang]

Shopify is hardly going to change it's revenue with a $97 price point for a course. I can't speak for Shopify, but with how I think about it and how I know many many other business owners think about such charges, it filters out the wheat from the chaff—the ones who are serious and the ones who are not.