Shopify Developer

Shopify makes it easy to open a store. It doesn't make it easy to get Canadian taxes right, ship affordably across a country this size, sell in Quebec in French or handle duties for US customers. As a Shopify developer working with Canadian businesses, I build and fix stores with those details handled from the start, so you can focus on selling.

This is for Canadian retailers and makers launching a first store, businesses moving to Shopify from another platform, and existing store owners whose shop has grown messy, slow or expensive to run.

What I build

• New stores on a well-chosen premium theme, customized to your brand and loaded with your products.
• Custom themes for brands that need something a standard theme can't do.
• Migrations from WooCommerce, Squarespace, Wix and other platforms, with products, customers, order history and redirects carried over.
• App cleanup. Unused or overlapping apps removed, and their leftover code taken out of your theme.
• Speed and conversion fixes for stores that load slowly or lose customers at checkout.

Set up for selling in Canada

CAD pricing and currencies

Your store runs in Canadian dollars, with prices that make sense in CAD rather than converted from US figures. If you sell abroad, I'll set up local currencies and decide with you whether to round prices or let them float.

GST, HST, PST and QST

Canadian sales tax depends on where the customer is, not where you are. Shopify can calculate and charge GST, HST, PST and QST at checkout once your registrations are entered correctly, but it doesn't register or file for you. Some provinces, including Quebec and British Columbia, have their own registration rules for sellers outside the province. I'll set the store up to match your registrations, and recommend you confirm the details with your accountant.

Payments

Shopify Payments is available in Canada and handles major cards, Shop Pay, Apple Pay and Google Pay, with payouts in Canadian dollars. Some product types aren't permitted on Shopify Payments, so I'll check yours before launch and set up an alternative provider if needed.

Shipping

Shipping is where many Canadian stores lose money. I connect the right carriers and apps for your products, whether that's Canada Post directly or services like Chit Chats and Stallion Express that are popular with Canadian sellers shipping to the US. Rates, free-shipping thresholds and packaging sizes are set up so your checkout reflects what shipping actually costs you.

A French storefront for Quebec

If you sell to customers in Quebec, French-language rules apply to your store: product information, checkout and customer communications. I set up a proper French version using Shopify's language tools, with professional translation of your key content rather than machine output left unchecked. The Bill 96 guide explains what's required.

Selling to the US and beyond

Cross-border customers hate surprise duty bills at the door. Shopify can estimate and collect duties and import taxes at checkout on supported plans, so customers pay once and know the full cost upfront. US rules for low-value parcels tightened in 2025, which makes this setup more important for Canadian stores shipping south. I'll configure product origin and tariff codes, markets and shipping zones so international orders go through cleanly.

Developer, expert or agency?

If you're deciding whether to hire a Shopify developer or a Shopify agency, the real question is who will do the work and who you can reach when something breaks. With me, the person who quotes your project is the person who builds it and the person who answers when you call. For larger teams that need a full marketing department, an agency may suit you better, and I'll say so. You can see e-commerce work like TeamGear.ca, a custom team apparel store, on the work page.

How it works

1. Short call. We go over your products, customers, where you ship, and what is or isn't working today.
2. Fixed quote and plan. You get a scope, a timeline, a theme recommendation and a list of the apps you will need.
3. Build. The store is built in a development environment, with products loaded and Canadian settings configured.
4. Test orders. Test purchases from different provinces and countries confirm tax, shipping and duties are right.
5. Launch. Domain connected, redirects in place, payments live.
6. Support. Training for your team, plus optional ongoing support.

Fixing an existing store

Many stores don't need a rebuild. They need someone to sort out the tax settings, remove the apps nobody uses, fix the theme code those apps left behind and speed up the product pages. If that's you, I'll start with a review and give you a short list of fixes in order of what they're worth.

After launch

Stores change constantly: new products, seasonal sales, app updates and theme changes. A monthly care plan covers app and theme updates, checkout testing and change time each month. If your email signup is part of your sales plan, make sure it follows the CASL rules for consent.