This was my first time setting up a store on Shopify, so it was mostly trial and error. I launched cremaCraft, a dropshipping store selling espresso and coffee accessories (tampers, WDT needles, distributors, mugs) to US-based customers, sourced through CJdropshipping, and run entirely from the Philippines.
I forgot my own setup steps a week in, so this is my own reference for exactly what I did, in order, in case I need to redo, troubleshoot, or replicate this setup for another store later.
1. Sign up for Shopify
Start with a Shopify account. I signed up during their promo ($1/month for the first 3 months), which is worth watching for since it's the easiest way to test a store idea cheaply before committing to full pricing.
This has to happen first, everything else below (theme, apps, domain, payments) lives inside your Shopify admin, so the store has to exist before you can touch any of it.
2. Update the theme
Before adding products or configuring settings, pick and customize a theme. A generic default theme signals "unfinished store" to shoppers, especially important for a US audience buying from an unfamiliar brand for the first time.
3. Connect CJdropshipping
Connect CJdropshipping to Shopify to import products, this is how the catalog gets built without holding inventory yourself. For cremaCraft, this meant sourcing espresso accessories only (tampers, WDT needles, distributors, mugs), skipping coffee beans and machines, which are heavier, harder to ship reliably, and slower-moving as dropship items.
4. Set up payment gateways: PayPal and PayMongo
Shopify Payments isn't available for merchants based in the Philippines, so a workaround is needed. I connected:
- PayPal, for US customers who prefer it or already trust it
- PayMongo, to cover cards and other local processing needs
Without Shopify Payments, this two-gateway setup is basically mandatory for a Philippines-based store selling internationally.
5. Write your store policies
Under Settings > Policies, fill in the refund, privacy, terms of service, and shipping policy templates Shopify provides. These build trust with first-time buyers and are often required by payment processors like PayPal before they'll fully activate an account.
6. Update shipping settings
Since products ship from CJdropshipping's fulfillment network rather than a local warehouse, shipping rates and zones need to reflect realistic delivery times and costs to the US, not default Shopify assumptions.
7. Update checkout settings
Adjust checkout options (contact method, customer accounts, order processing) to match a US buyer's expectations, small friction points here directly affect conversion rate.
8. Remove the Philippines as a shipping zone
Since cremaCraft targets US buyers, I removed the Philippines from the shipping zones entirely. My reasoning: Filipino shoppers tend to be cautious about buying from an unfamiliar online store, so keeping the zone open invited low-intent local traffic without adding real sales, better to keep the store fully focused on the US market it's built for.
9. Buy a domain via Cloudflare
Bought getcremacraft.com through Cloudflare rather than Shopify's own domain service, mostly for pricing and to keep DNS/caching management in one place.
10. Set up caching and store email
Configured Cloudflare caching for the domain, then set up email for the store, routed to my primary email address so store-related mail lands where I actually check it.
11. Connect the domain to Shopify
Pointed getcremacraft.com to the Shopify store so it loads on the custom domain instead of the default myshopify.com URL.
12. Apps installed after launch
Once the store itself was live, added:
- A messaging app (chat/customer messaging)
- Meta Ads app
- Google & YouTube app
- Google Analytics
- A print/label app, name forgotten, fill in once remembered
Next time
When setting up another store, follow this same order: signup, theme, product source, payment gateways, policies, shipping, checkout, zone restrictions, domain, caching/email, domain connection, then apps.