Ecommerce, written plainly.
Notes from the team building Orbit — practical, checked-against-the-source writing on running an online shop, with none of the usual filler.
Start here.
The reads to open first — the rules and numbers every UK shop runs on, checked against the source.
UK VAT for online sellers, without the panic
The rolling threshold test everyone gets wrong, what actually changes when you register, and the flat-rate trap — checked against gov.uk, written plainly.
Royal Mail or a courier? Shipping for a small UK shop
Current prices compared properly — the Large Letter trick, the compensation small print, and when each option actually wins. Checked June 2026.
Everything else.
Filed by theme. Read what's useful to you, skip what isn't.
Moving your shop from Shopify without breaking it
What exports cleanly, what you rebuild, the app audit that often pays for the move, and the redirect work that protects your rankings — with honest timings.
Leaving WooCommerce: when self-hosted stops being free
The honest sum of hosting, extensions and maintenance hours, who should stay on WooCommerce, and the migration path if the spreadsheet comes out the other way.
The real cost of a Shopify store in the UK (2026)
Plan prices, the third-party gateway surcharge, the app stack and the staff-account squeeze — itemised in pounds against published prices, checked June 2026.
Abandoned carts: the order you nearly had
Most carts never become orders, and that is normal. What matters is why people leave, what a recovery email actually does, and how to measure what comes back without fooling yourself.
Selling wholesale without a second platform
How small UK wholesalers move from price spreadsheets and emailed orders to company accounts, negotiated price lists, and invoices on terms — and when a dedicated B2B platform still earns its keep.
Sole trader or limited company for your online shop
The old "go limited, save tax" advice died in April 2026. The current maths, the real admin, and when incorporating still makes sense — checked against gov.uk.
Returns and refunds: what UK law actually requires
The 14-day right, the 12-month trap for shops that stay quiet about it, who pays return postage, and the "no returns" sign that’s actually illegal.
UK VAT for online sellers, without the panic
The rolling threshold test everyone gets wrong, what actually changes when you register, and the flat-rate trap — checked against gov.uk, written plainly.
Royal Mail or a courier? Shipping for a small UK shop
Current prices compared properly — the Large Letter trick, the compensation small print, and when each option actually wins. Checked June 2026.
Launching a storefront that feels instant
What "fast" actually means for a store, what we focus on in Orbit, and the handful of things you can control as the merchant.
SEO that ships by default
Sitemaps, structured data, and clean metadata — what Orbit handles without you thinking about it, and what you still need to do yourself.
Checkout quick wins that actually add up
Small changes that reduce friction at the point people bail — the ones we keep re-implementing for clients because they just work.
Inventory and fulfilment without the chaos
A simple operating model that works whether you are doing 10 orders a month or 10,000, and keeps working as you add locations.
Free to start
Launch the store you’ve been meaning to build.
Free to start, fair to stay, and built by people who have been in your shoes.