Hey everyone! I'm a newbie developer and recently completed a full e-commerce website for a client using HTML, CSS, JS for the frontend, and Spring Boot with Postgres for the backend. The site features full product management, user login with OTP, Stripe integration, backend authentication, admin functions, and it's deployed on Railway. It has around 7-8 pages and took me about 65-70 hours to complete. I quoted her $700 because I wanted to be fair as I'm still learning, but I had initially thought of charging about $1000 after checking with ChatGPT on average rates. Now my client is saying that my price is higher than what Shopify costs, and she faced some issues that required her to stay up late working on it herself. She expected my price to be lower than Shopify or else she would have used that instead. Railway hosting costs $20/month, which she also pointed out. My questions are: 1) Was $700 too much, too little, or just right for this amount of work? 2) How do you usually respond when a client compares custom builds to platforms like Shopify? 3) Should I stick to my price or consider lowering it? I'd love to hear your honest feedback since this is my first major freelance project and I want to maintain my friendship with her. Thanks!
4 Answers
Honestly, $700 for that much work seems like a steal. I've seen experienced developers charge significantly more for custom e-commerce platforms, sometimes up to $15,000! It's not surprising that your friend would think a custom solution would be cheaper, but she should know that custom development always comes with a higher price due to the tailored features. You probably undercharged yourself, especially since you built a comprehensive site.
For real! It's important to convey the value of the custom features you provided. Maybe next time, try to emphasize that value upfront.
At first glance, $700 might sound like a lot for some, but with 70 hours of work put in, that's only about $10 an hour. That's pretty low for development work! Clients comparing this to Shopify usually don't understand that custom solutions often come with a maintenance and feature creation cost. You might want to explain this better to your client.
Right? It seems like you could use this experience to negotiate better for future projects. It’s all about setting expectations early on.
Totally agree. I've had clients expect similar things at low prices too, and it's frustrating. Next time, have a quote before starting.
Definitely don’t lower the price. You’ve put in a decent amount of work, and your rate seems more than fair considering your experience level. If your client thinks Shopify would be cheaper, she should have chosen it to begin with. Just remember this for future clients! Set clearer expectations about the pricing of custom work.
Yeah, it’s all about communication. If she wanted to pay less, she should have said that from the start.
Exactly! And if she insists on comparing to Shopify, remind her that the upkeep and tweaks will still cost her time and money.
Custom development will always be more expensive than ready-made solutions. It’s like ordering a tailored suit and expecting it to be cheaper than a mass-produced one. You should focus on the skills you’ve used and remind your friend that custom means personalized service!
No kidding! And if she really needed something specific that Shopify can’t offer, that’s when custom builds shine.
Right! Just ensure your clients know the trade-offs of each option before you start working.
Exactly! Custom work gives a lot more flexibility compared to cookie-cutter solutions like Shopify. If your friend wanted something unique and functional, she should be prepared to pay for that.