Choosing between Shopify and WooCommerce for a handmade leather goods store

[Amelia.B]

I'm launching a small online store for my handmade leather goods and I'm stuck deciding between Shopify and WooCommerce. I have some basic WordPress knowledge, but I'm not a developer, and my priority is having a stable, secure site that can handle inventory, simple customization, and future scaling without constant technical headaches. For small business owners who have made this choice, what were the decisive factors regarding ongoing maintenance costs, payment gateway flexibility, and built-in SEO tools? How steep was the learning curve for managing your store day-to-day, and did you regret your initial platform choice as your business grew?

[Zachary_T]

Shopify is the low-drama choice if you want a stable storefront with less tech headaches. Hosting, security, PCI compliance, and software updates are handled for you, and the platform scales well as you add products. You’ll pay a monthly fee plus transaction costs unless you use Shopify Payments, but the predictability and uptime are worth it if you want to focus on product and marketing rather than site maintenance.