Users express significant frustration with Shopifyâs steep learning curve and lack of clear, step-by-step setup guidance. The original poster cancelled their first attempt, finding Amazon easier despite its own challenges, and criticizes Shopifyâs documentation for discussing features without providing actionable âhow-toâ instructions.
Common complaints include:
Documentation talks about features rather than explaining specific setup steps
Help resources feel overwhelming (âinformation snowstormâ) rather than beginner-friendly
Difficulty completing basic tasks like customizing storefronts and uploading images
Chat support often provides generic links instead of solving specific problems
No accessible phone support (replaced by chat-only)
Platform requires technical knowledge or hiring expensive experts
Shopify staff responses:
Acknowledge the learning curve and request specific questions
Recommend the Help Center, Launch Checklist, and free Dropshipping 101 video course
Offer 24/7 human support via authenticated channels
Actively solicit detailed feedback for platform improvements
Community suggestions:
Experiment with admin settings hands-on
Search YouTube for visual step-by-step tutorials
Start simple: load products and do test orders before perfecting everything
Consider hiring Shopify experts if budget allows
Multiple users report abandoning Shopify after weeks or months of struggle, with some comparing it unfavorably to WordPress or Wix for ease of use. The discussion remains open with no clear resolution, though one helpful tutorial link was shared.
Summarized with AI on October 26.
AI used: claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929.
I note that a lot of people are asking this same question I have.
I ended up cancelling my first attempt at Shopify, and found the difficulties of selling through Amazon were at least surmountable. PLEASE give me a simple way to figure out Shopify.
Shopify gives tons of links that are like a snowstorm of information, but nothing that actually helps me!
If I am missing something that provides the simple (yes, SIMPLE!) information I need, instead of even more stuff that just talks ABOUT features without actually giving me specific, useful, HOW TO information, then please let me know.
PLEASE STOP WITH YOUR INFORMATION SNOWSTORM!!! JUST KEEP IT SIMPLE! EVEN TRYING TO ASK A SIMPLE QUESTION MAKES ME NEED TO CORRECT ERRORS, AND âCHOOSE A LABELâ. Are you trying to make me stick this simple question into your junkmail box?
Thank you for joining us in the Shopify Community.
I apologize you havenât received the level of support you were hoping for. There is always a learning curve when using new platforms, and we would love to help you.
That being said, it doesnât look like you have asked a specific question here. Can you please elaborate on what specific issue you are having? That will make it much easier to support you.
Thank you for replying. Problem is⌠How can I give you a SPECIFIC question, when I cannot get past the first step of setting up a Shopify store? Here is an example of one of your âhow toâ pages, but when you read it, please note, it talks ABOUT things, but does not tell me exactly what to do.
If I do not understand what to do, how can I give you any specific question? I did ask for guidance for the specific steps to take to stet up a store, but you have not given me any guidance, and I cannot find any, only this vague page: https://www.shopify.com/blog/start-online-store
Is there not any place where there is very basic, helpful, SPECIFIC âhow-toâ guidance?
If Shopify has a problem, it is that Amazon (which is also not easy to set up!) is easier to get started on.
I need step-by-step guidance, not Shopifyâs talking ABOUT the great things that can be done on its platform!
Surely, I am not the only one unable to ask the âspecific questionâ you want, because I cannot get past Step 1.
I can definitely see how the provided article is confusing. The issue is that is a piece of blog content, rather than a step-by-step guide, although it was marketed as such.
Instead, I would direct you to our Help Center which is much more useful. If you find written examples more useful you can use our Launch Checklist. However, if youâre like me and prefer video explanations, I recommend utilizing our Dropshipping 101 course. The course is 100% free and walks you through each step. Itâs roughly 2 hours in length.
I hope that helps! In the meantime, if you get stuck along the way, you can reach us by phone by requesting a call-back and one of our support advisors can walk you through each step!
@dcalciferol I used to help a lot of people get set up on Shopify, hereâs what Iâve found to be most useful:
Once you have your store access, go through every page in the admin area and experiment to see how things work (create a product, collection, etc then see how it looks on your site).
If you run into challenges along the way, do a google search. If you canât find the answer, then post the question in the forums here.
Iâve seen many people set up their store without any technical knowledge, you just have to invest some time. If you have the budget you can hire an expert (experts.shopify.com) to do anything you need. If youâre on a tight budget, I recommend setting up everything you can on your own, then create a document with bullet points on the remaining things youâd like to hire out.
Iâve seen people start and launch their entire store without hiring, so itâs definitely doable. I think your frustration might be holding you back (if youâre writing in caps it likely means your angry / yelling, if thatâs the case, remember that anger is not useful when trying to overcome a problem, keep a clear head and positive mentality and you will eventually overcome the hurdles youâre facing).
Another idea, if youâre looking for more of a walkthrough guide instead of information, try Youtube. That can be a good way to see how to do things step by step and with visuals.
In my opinion, the simplest way to learn Shopify is to open your store, load some products, then do a test order. You can do that within an hour. Donât worry about things being perfect. From there start adjusting things as you want, and learning what all the settings do.
Anything you want to do in a Shopify store is accessible and with solutions online, you donât need to do any coding, just configuring settings pretty much.
I agree, it would be much better if the important things like customizing your store and adding products were simple like they said it was, but it isnât and you have to scramble around looking for youtube videos on how to do it. If you need help you have to pay for it and thatâs before you even have your store set up. Iâm dumping it. My account has been inactive for 3 months because itâs so frustrating and the way itâs set up is too complicated. They could, at the very least help you set up your store and start generating some kind of currency before having to pay them for help. If I want a professional site built Iâll spend the money on it but this was supposed to be for anyone to set it up. Itâs just another way for them to make money. Iâm out.
I completely agree. Shopify needs to STREAMLINE everything. I could not agree with you more. Iâve used WIX for many years and I can remember grasping things A LOT quicker and easier from the beginning. I agree with not even knowing where to start. Shopify, Wix has taken a better approach at considering their many types of customers⌠ones who are very advanced to ones who know nothing and still want to get started. Having never used Shopify, Iâve spent hours attempting to help a friend use the platform and its just not user friendly at all. Iâm trying. Dcalciferol, I get it.
It sounds like youâre trying to speak to a crazy person. That is condescending. For me Shopify is a failed experiment. I had a store linked to social media but every sale I made was based on my personal interaction only, Shopify added nothing to my sales process or business. It added *no leads. Bigger problem though is that there was no human support for set up. And its not an easy set up.
Your feedback is absolutely important, and we use it to make necessary changes to the platform!
That being said, in order to provide your valuable feedback to our team I will need specifics. Can you provide what specifically you find challenging when using the platform? The more information the better!
Just look at the alienation of this communication - itâs not a string
including my original comment that I would need to reference for the
response youâre requesting. This UX is an example of the problem.
Also, needing to type above a specified line is a problem solved 20 years
ago by the inventors of the self-sorting email string.
However, that you would ask if you can help me only after I have given up
and closed my store, is unfortunate for both of us.
I think your platform is an excellent opportunity for me and my clients but
youâre impossible to work with. The inability to speak to a support-human
makes the Shopify platform utterly useless. But you did collect 2 years of
billing while you waited for me to give up. Heck of a business model for
you.
All that said - I expect youâre an AI disguised as a human.
Thanks for hopping back in! The message you are responding to was directed to @NeedHelpwthis .
I see you made a reply to @JoesIdeas who ultimately did not respond to you.
I am definitely not AI and would have been happy to help had I see a reply to my response to @dcalciferol !
As you had a store previously, if you can remember any specifics regarding the UX you found difficult, that would be fantastic. As each individual has different learning, comprehension, and visual preference, we do our best to make things easy, but ultimately canât be perfect for everyone. That being said, if you can provide specifics our team will absolutely consider them for future improvements.
Essentially, we canât fix something if we donât know what needs to be fixed. Thus, we would love specifics into what you find troublesome regarding the UX so we can make the platform better for everyone.
Hi Skye, Iâm glad youâre a human and that you want to help. Unfortunately,
itâs too late. I closed my store yesterday and I will not be reopening it.
I am in the process of creating a marketplace for my municipality and I am
looking at all options - including Shopify.
Is there active, human support to help me (us) through the Shopify process
or should I look elsewhere? To be very clear - Iâm NOT looking for an
agency to do the work, I will do it myself, but I will require active,
human support.
Iâm glad you are still considering Shopify! Can you tell me more about the marketplace? I will be up front and let you know creating a marketplace via Shopify could be tricky. Iâd love to hear more though!
In regards to human support; yes! All our support advisors are human, and are available 24/7. If a situation requires us to open your account to provide support you will need to use the authenticated channels such as Live Chat and Email. Which I agree, the Help Center could use some work.
However, we also have support via the Community, Facebook & Twitter. These channels donât have access to your account, but with the help of screenshots and detailed information, we can absolutely support you.
I AGREE Itâs EXTREMELY difficult. Iâm on my second attempt and now thinking about trying a different platform. It is supposed to be easy for normal people to set up a store but nope, clearly not!! lol
Hi there are 2 problems with Shopify and any other E comm site. 1. the answers in the Help sections are writing by a developer or someone who use to work for the government in the help section. The Help section should be basic enough for a 12 year to work his or her way through it. Shopify is nothing more than a dressed up Wordpress and no place to go. A.I. is fast approaching and will eat Shoplifts lunch. Shopify maybe a âBugatti Chiron:â But you need to shift 18 gears before you move it out of the driveway. Where is the 1. step, 2. step, 3. step âŚ?? Shopifyâs Help videos want to entertain you, on Youtube. More Videos with 1. step, 2. step, 3. step ⌠would be a big help..
My brick and mortar business has been running for over 13 years. Thereâs no doubt that this is a challenge (paticularly having to deal with the German bureaucracy) but it has been easier and a whole lot profitable than shopify).
I feel that shopify needs to understand that shopify is a tool that can be applied to a business as opposed to a business being applied to shopify. It is a messy process that is continuously being updated but not cleaned up, organised and designed.
A major frustration is the pointless chat support. I used to be able to communicate over the phone and the job was dealt with within less than 10 minutes. They got rid of phone communication and we can only communicate though chat. I ask a question and the support copy and paste the irritating reply that they here to help etc etc⌠But then all the do I copy and paste links to shopify pages and when i look at the pages it doesnât sort out the issue.
It feels the support does not care or understand the problems a customers may have. I feel the support does not understand retail, or they have just a very simple aesthetic concept of retail. If it was up to me I would demand a certain amount of experience in retail before being able to start working for shopify as opposed to a office based team. âComputer says noâ
When I last spoke to the support I had to battle to get some suggestions for an inventory count app (which they had never heard of). The suggestions didnât cover what I asked for. I questioned why the support is so pointless as it seems I knew more than them. The person I spoke to replied saying they do what they are told to do and also there office is closing this month and they are all fired. So itâs clear that shopify is cutting down the staff to replace the humans which depressingly makes sense nowadays as people are not willing to take the responsibility of their position.
I recently had 3 people from shopify from different countries visiting me to try and understand how they can improve shopify in Europe, it was great to have human interaction. I just really hope that shopify will take the criticism from retailers and not just listen to the office staff.
Fingers crossed this will improve otherwise I can see shopify going in the wrong direction.