If you're selling anything online—clothes, groceries, spare parts, edibles—you need a working ecommerce store. Patna has developers who can build one. But how much will it cost? Which one should you hire? And what stops most stores from actually making money?

This is not a ranked list of "top companies." We don't do that. Instead, we'll walk you through what you're buying, what it actually costs, and how to spot a developer who will build what you need instead of what they want to build.

What you're actually paying for

When you hire someone to build an ecommerce store, you're paying for several separate things that get lumped together under one quote:

  • The platform. Shopify, WooCommerce, custom code. Each costs differently and has different rules.
  • Design and setup. How your store looks, where the buttons go, how customers search for products.
  • Payment integration. Connecting to Razorpay, Paytm, Google Pay, UPI. Each requires separate setup.
  • Inventory system. Tracking stock, updating when items sell, alerting you when to reorder.
  • Delivery integration. Connecting to Delhivery, Shiprocket, or your own logistics. Automating order-to-tracking-number workflow.
  • Admin backend. A dashboard where you manage orders, customers, discounts, and reports.
  • Post-launch support. Fixes, updates, security patches. Often charged separately or per year.

A cheap quote usually means they're cutting one or more of these. It's worth asking which ones.

Typical cost ranges in Patna

Costs vary wildly by what you're building. Here are realistic ranges:

Shopify-based store

Development cost: ₹25,000 to ₹75,000

You're hiring someone to design the theme, add your products, set up payments, and connect Shopify to a shipping service. The store itself costs ₹29/month to ₹299/month. Payment gateway charges (Razorpay, Shopify Payments) come out of every sale—usually 2-3% per transaction.

Best for: First-time sellers, small catalogs (under 500 products), fast launch needed.

Downside: Monthly fees add up. You don't own the code. Shopify takes a cut of every payment.

WooCommerce store

Development cost: ₹50,000 to ₹150,000

You need hosting (₹300-2,000/month), a WordPress installation, a theme, plugins for payments and shipping, and ongoing updates. The developer is building and configuring more things than a Shopify store requires.

Best for: Medium catalogs, businesses that want to own their code, lower monthly fees over time.

Downside: You have to pay for hosting separately. Security updates are your responsibility. If the developer leaves, you need another one to fix things.

Custom-built store

Development cost: ₹150,000 to ₹500,000+

Built from scratch using code (Python, Node.js, React, Laravel, etc.). Every feature is custom. Hosting costs ₹5,000-20,000/month. You own everything.

Best for: Large catalogs (5,000+ products), complex workflows, unique business logic that off-the-shelf platforms can't handle.

Downside: Takes 2-4 months to build. Much more expensive. You need ongoing developer support for changes. High-risk: if the developer disappears, you're stuck.

Bolt-on solutions

Cost: ₹10,000 to ₹40,000

Some Patna developers add an ecommerce widget to your existing website or business profile. Quick, cheap, but usually limited in features.

In-house, agency, or freelancer?

Freelancer (solo developer): ₹20,000-₹100,000. Fast, cheap, personal. But they get sick, busy, or disappear. No one to call if something breaks after 3 months. Often won't write documentation, so the next person who touches your code will struggle.

Small agency (3-10 people): ₹60,000-₹300,000. More structured. Someone else can help if your main contact quits. They'll probably write basic documentation. Still cheaper than big agencies but more reliable than a solo developer.

Large agency: ₹200,000+. Structured processes, project managers, designers, QA testers. Good for complex builds. Slower, more meetings. You'll pay extra for the overhead. Rarely worth it unless your store is very complicated.

In-house developer: Salary ₹200,000-₹600,000/year in Patna. Good if you'll be changing the site constantly or running a large business. Bad if you need it built fast, and you don't have technical skills to manage them. Most small businesses regret hiring in-house because they end up paying someone to do one project for six months, then have nothing for them to do.

What to look for in a portfolio

When a developer shows you past work, ask:

  • "Is this still running? Can I check it now?" Dead links mean outdated work. A live store means they maintain their work.
  • "Who was the client?" If they won't say, ask why. Some contracts forbid it—which is fine. But if they're vague, they may have built it for themselves.
  • "What payment methods are live?" Look for UPI, Razorpay, Paytm, card payments. If only one method works, that's a risk.
  • "What happens when I add 1,000 products?" Can you search by category? Can you filter by price? Does the site get slow? Speed matters.
  • "Show me the admin panel." Can orders be exported to Excel? Can you upload bulk product data? Is the interface confusing?
  • "Who maintains it now?" If they say "no one," the site might break in six months and no one will fix it. That's not your problem, but it tells you something about their support model.

Red flags and what to avoid

"We'll build it in two weeks for ₹15,000." A functioning ecommerce store takes time. If someone promises fast and cheap, something is being cut. Usually it's security, payment testing, or actual support.

"Unlimited revisions! We'll build it exactly as you want!" Sounds great. In practice, you change your mind 47 times, the developer misunderstands requirements, and six months later it's still not done. Ask how many revision rounds are included and what costs extra.

"We'll handle everything—just give us money." You should understand what you're paying for. If they won't explain, they're either hiding something or not taking you seriously.

"We use the latest technology/AI/blockchain." For an ecommerce store, you want boring, proven tools (Shopify, WooCommerce, simple APIs). Fancy tech usually means higher costs and fewer developers who can support it later.

No written contract or agreement. A handshake deal is a disaster. You need deliverables, timelines, payment schedule, and support terms in writing. If they refuse, hire someone else.

Portfolio only shows design, not function." Pretty pictures are worthless if the checkout doesn't work. Ask to test a past project. Actually buy something (or simulate the checkout). Does it work?

Questions to ask before hiring

  1. "What platform will you recommend and why?" Listen for reasoning tied to your business, not just their preference.
  2. "What's included in your price and what costs extra?" Get a detailed list. Hosting? Maintenance? Revisions? Payment setup?
  3. "How many products can the store handle?" If you plan to go from 50 to 5,000, does the platform still work fast?
  4. "What happens after launch?" Who fixes bugs? What costs per year? What's covered?
  5. "What happens if you leave or we need another developer?" Will you hand over source code? Documentation? Passwords?
  6. "Can you show me a working store you built that's live right now?" Not screenshots—an actual store you can test.
  7. "How do you handle payment gateway setup?" Do they integrate with Razorpay, Google Pay, UPI? Have they done it before? How do they handle failed payments?
  8. "What's your timeline and deposit?" Typical: 30-40% upfront, 30% at midpoint, 30% at launch. Be wary of anyone who wants 100% upfront or 0% until the end.

One last thing: Building an ecommerce store is not the hard part. Getting people to buy from it is. Choose a developer who understands that and is willing to talk about how the store will convert visitors into customers—not just how pretty the design is. If they focus only on looks, you'll have a beautiful store that makes no money.