How much should a custom Shopify store actually cost?

The huge range is real and usually reflects scope, not quality. A styled premium-theme store build runs in the low thousands; a fully custom-coded theme with bespoke design is more; a headless or app-heavy build is more again.

What to look for in a fair quote: a fixed price agreed in writing before work starts (no open-ended hourly), a clear deliverables list, who owns the code afterward (you should), and a realistic timeline. Be wary of both ends — $500 usually means a copy-paste template with no support, and very high quotes often mean agency overhead you're paying for, not better code. Ask every candidate the same three things: what exactly do I get, when, and do I own it.