Starting an e-shop has two parts that tend to get mixed together: authorities and law (trade licence, VAT, mandatory requirements) and the store itself (platform, products, launch). The first part is cheaper and faster than folklore suggests. The second decides whether you'll actually sell. Here is the whole process in the order that makes sense, with figures verified with the authorities, not hearsay.
Quick answer: five steps to an e-shop
- Trade licence, a free trade (volná živnost), initial notification costs 800 CZK electronically or 1,000 CZK in person/by post, field "Wholesale and retail". Any trade licensing office or online.
- Legal requirements, terms and conditions, the 14-day withdrawal right, complaint rules, GDPR, a correctly labelled order button. Details below.
- Platform, for example Shoptet for an ordinary Czech catalogue if it meets your requirements; the comparison of routes is in the platform selection guide.
- Content, products, photos, descriptions and shipping. The most underestimated step: for two hundred products it takes longer than everything else combined.
- Launch and measurement, analytics, price-comparison feeds, a full test order.
Budget: technically you can start for thousands of crowns (platform plan + domain). Realistically, budget by scope, the complete numbers including design and content are in how much an e-shop costs.
Step 1: Trade licence and authorities, cheaper and faster than people say
Which trade licence do I need for an e-shop?
Ordinary retail generally uses a free trade ("Production, trade and services not listed in Annexes 1-3 of the Trade Licensing Act"), field of activity Wholesale and retail. No professional qualification is required for this category; general statutory conditions still apply. Electronic registration costs 800 CZK initially and 400 CZK for a further notification. In person or by post, the fees are 1,000 CZK and 500 CZK respectively. See the Czech public administration portal.
If you sell specific goods (food, alcohol, pharmaceuticals, weapons…), special rules apply, check those before you buy stock, not after.
When do I have to register for VAT?
For turnover registration of a person established in Czechia, since 1 January 2025 a two-tier system applies (turnover is counted per calendar year, not over the last 12 months):
| Turnover per calendar year | What happens |
|---|---|
| over 2,000,000 CZK | normally from 1 January of the following year; a timely application may elect the day after crossing the threshold |
| over 2,536,500 CZK | you become a VAT payer the very next day after crossing it |
This is statutory domestic turnover, not every receipt. The application is due within 10 working days of crossing the threshold. Other registration grounds and identified-person status require separate assessment. Details are published by the Czech Financial Administration, and with VAT, an accountant pays off before the thresholds become a problem, not after.
Do I need to handle EET (electronic sales records)?
The original EET was abolished on 1 January 2023. That historical fact is insufficient for future operation: in 2026 the Financial Administration is publishing EET 2.0 preparations with a planned 2027 start. Before launch, check the effective legislation and its impact on your payment types; this article does not establish the new duty for your business. Current Financial Administration information.
Step 2: What an e-shop must contain legally
This is where new stores most often slip, and where fines hurt. The minimum checklist:
| Obligation | Specifically |
|---|---|
| Identification | name, company ID, registered office, contact, visible, not buried five clicks deep |
| Terms and conditions | understandable, available before ordering; adapt them to actual operations and verify permission to use the source |
| Prices | final prices including VAT and all fees; shipping cost before the order is completed |
| Order button | it must be clear the order obliges payment (e.g. "Order and pay", the Civil Code has required this explicitly since the 2023 amendment) |
| Withdrawal | consumers generally have 14 days from receiving goods to withdraw; a separate 14-day period after withdrawal applies to sending or handing the goods back. Statutory exceptions apply (§ 1829, § 1831 and § 1837) + a model form |
| Complaints | consumer-goods complaints generally within 30 days unless a longer period is agreed; statutory defect liability differs from a voluntary warranty |
| Out-of-court dispute resolution | information about the Czech Trade Inspection Authority (ČOI) |
| GDPR | processing information and legal bases; prior consent for non-essential cookies if used |
I'm not a lawyer, for terms and conditions, a one-off investment in legal review beats an internet template. This is an indicative sales checklist, not every obligation for every product category.
Step 3: Choosing a platform, requirements first, brand names second
Just a signpost here, because the detailed comparison has its own article:
- Selling in CZ/SK and want to launch fast → Shoptet. Czech integrations (Zásilkovna, Heureka, payment gateways) come out of the box; the full path from registration to launch is in the Shoptet from scratch guide.
- Selling across countries and currencies → Shopify; the Czech specifics are in Shopify for the Czech market.
- B2B price lists, non-standard processes or custom logic → a custom e-shop.
Decide by catalogue, volume and integrations, not by what a friend happens to use.
Step 4: Content, the step that sets your launch date
Getting the platform running takes days. What actually determines the launch date:
- Product data, names, descriptions, parameters, categories. For 200 products, expect dozens of hours; for XML/CSV imports, get advice on the structure first.
- Photos, own and licensed supplier photos should accurately show the product. They don't need a studio; they need consistency.
- Shipping and payments, carriers, pricing logic (free shipping threshold), a payment gateway. Negotiate carrier contracts in parallel with content work, not after it.
- Non-product pages, about, contact, FAQ. These are exactly the pages that decide trust at the first order.
Step 5: Launch and measurement
Before going live:
- A test order through the whole flow including payment and emails.
- Analytics, conversion measurement from day one; without data you won't know what to fix.
- Price-comparison feeds. Heureka and Zboží.cz can bring the first customers sooner than SEO.
- Basic SEO, meaningful category names, unique descriptions, a working sitemap. The checklist is in the SEO guide for e-shops.
And treat launch as the start, not the finish, the first months show what customers actually search for and where the flow squeaks.
Frequently asked questions
How much does starting an e-shop cost?
The bureaucratic part is cheap: initial notification is 800 CZK electronically or 1,000 CZK in person/by post. The rest depends on the route: a self-built store on a ready-made template starts in the thousands of crowns (platform plan and domain), and a store built by a professional on Shoptet or Shopify starts at €3,200 with me. The complete cost breakdown including running costs is in how much an e-shop costs.
Can I sell without a trade licence?
Ordinary ongoing retail for profit generally requires the relevant trade authorisation. Selling your own used belongings is not automatically a business. Assess the actual activity and any special authorisation before starting; a first order alone is not a universal legal test.
When do I have to become a VAT payer?
At statutory domestic turnover over 2,000,000 CZK per calendar year, registration normally starts on 1 January of the next year, with an earlier start available through a timely application; crossing 2,536,500 CZK makes you a payer the very next day. Since 2025 turnover is counted per calendar year. Cross-border sales have their own rules (OSS), that's a topic for your accountant.
How long does starting an e-shop take?
The trade licence takes minutes to a few days. Getting the platform running takes days. The real timeline is set by content: weeks for dozens of products, longer for hundreds. From decision to launch, plan realistically for 4-8 weeks.
Do I need stock to start?
Not necessarily, dropshipping or made-to-order both work without a warehouse. They have catches (margins, delivery times, and complaint liability stays with you). Availability is also one of the things that decides conversion, "in stock, ships today" sells.
Sources and links
- Czech Financial Administration, VAT payer changes from 1 Jan 2025, the two-tier 2,000,000 / 2,536,500 CZK thresholds
- Act No. 89/2012 Coll., the Civil Code, § 1829 (14-day withdrawal), rights from defective performance
- Act No. 455/1991 Coll., the Trade Licensing Act, free trades
- Czech Trade Inspection Authority (ČOI), out-of-court consumer dispute resolution, inspection practice
Withdrawal and return periods: ČOI, nákup přes internet.