Go live checklist

Before you start

• A store that has passed a test checkout, see Test a checkout.
• A quiet half hour. Nothing here is hard; it is a walk through every surface once more.

Where live stores stand. Every store runs on Stripe's test keys today; the connection card says Test mode and real cards are refused. Live stores open when nertia turns on its live Stripe switch, in the ecommerce track's phase 5. When that happens the Test mode badge goes away on its own and the list below is what you run before telling anyone.

1. The connection

On Store, the first card reads Ready with no Test mode badge. If it reads Setup not finished, press Continue setup and finish on Stripe; a live store needs a verified account and a bank account for payouts.

2. The products

Under Products, go down the list:

• No product still tagged sample. The templates seed a fictional shop; delete those or make them yours.
• Every product has a photo, a price you mean and a description.
• Variants are right, with their own prices where they differ.
• Anything you cannot ship today is Sold out, not deleted, so the page stays honest.

3. Shipping and tax

Under Store settings: Ship to lists only countries you will post to, every rate has the amount you charge, and the tax switch is a decision you made, not a default. If Collect tax with Stripe Tax is on, your registrations are set in Stripe. Order email reaches a mailbox you read.

4. The site

Publish. The product, cart and order pages publish with the site, and the header's cart control is on the live address. Open the live site on a phone and walk from a product to the cart.

Check the site's own basics while you are there: the contact page, the footer, the search and sharing settings, your domain if you have one.

5. One real order

Buy the cheapest thing with your own card. Read the order page as the shopper, read the email as the owner, find the order under Orders, mark it shipped, read the shipped email. Then refund it in Stripe and watch the status flip to Refunded. That is the whole loop once.

6. Tell people

The store is live. Post it, and note two things to keep an eye on in the first week: Orders for anything Needs attention, and your Stripe dashboard for payouts and disputes.

Done

A store you have walked end to end with a real card. The Orders tab is where you live from here: Read the Orders tab.

Problems

• Test mode will not go away. Live stores are not open yet. Watch the docs or the Store tab; the badge is the signal.
• A real card was refused. The store is still in test mode. Nothing was charged.
• My plan lapsed and the cart refuses checkout. The store closes with the plan and says This store is not taking orders right now. Pay the invoice under Account and it reopens.