What an Amazon to Shopify Migration Service Should Include
Most migration services are movers. They get your catalog onto a new store and leave. Here are the 8 things a good one includes, and the questions that expose a bad one.
You hired movers. You needed a salesman.
That's the mistake hiding inside most Amazon to Shopify migration service pitches. The proposal promises your products, images and variants on a new store. And it delivers. Then the store sits there with your listing copy on it, no Prime badge, no reviews and no buyers.
So here's the direct answer. A good service includes these 8 things:
- A catalog import with variants and prices checked by hand.
- A fulfillment plan: Amazon's warehouse, a third party, or you.
- Product pages rebuilt for Shopify, never pasted from Amazon.
- An offer built to raise average order value.
- A fresh review flow running from the first order.
- Tracking tested before the first paid click.
- A per-order profit model, finished before launch.
- Every account and file in your name.
Only the first 2 are moving work. The other 6 are why the store sells.
Moving your catalog is the cheap part. Getting a stranger to buy from it is the job.
What does an Amazon to Shopify migration service actually move?
I read the guides ranking for this keyword before writing this. BSS Commerce, eSEOspace, Top Growth Marketing and My Amazon Guy. They're mostly right about the boxes. Here's how the moving work shakes out when you migrate Amazon to Shopify, largely from BSS Commerce's breakdown.
| Item | Does it move? | What a good service does about it |
|---|---|---|
| Products, images, descriptions | Yes, by CSV, sales channel or app | Checks every variant and price after import |
| Order history | Partly | Tells you what you'd actually use |
| Buyer names and emails | Limited by Amazon's restrictions | Says so in writing, up front |
| Reviews | No | Starts a new review flow on day one |
| Amazon rankings | No | Hands you a traffic plan |
| FBA | Serves Amazon orders by default | Models the fee of each fulfillment option |
One detail worth checking on any import. Shopify's product CSV caps at 15 MB, and sorting the file in a spreadsheet can break the image links, which loses your images. A good service catches that.
Now watch this. BSS Commerce cites migration apps at $50 to $500, one time. So when a proposal lands on your desk, ask what the rest of the invoice buys. If the answer is more moving, you're paying a salesman's fee for a mover.
Why does a pasted Amazon listing die on Shopify?
Because Amazon was doing half the selling, and you never saw it.
Amazon hands the buyer the Prime promise, the review count, the returns policy and the search intent. Your listing only had to win a comparison on a shelf. Put that same copy on your own store and every one of those supports is gone. eSEOspace does say to rewrite titles and descriptions, and that's correct. But nobody I read spelled out what the page has to do once it's rewritten.
It has to answer one question, in the buyer's own words: why would I buy this here when it's sitting on Amazon with Prime?
A cheaper price rarely answers that. A bigger, better order does, one Amazon's shelf can't show.
Here's the math from an animal repellent we took from Amazon to Shopify. See the full case study numbers. On Amazon it sold at $17.95. Net profit per sale was $3.83, after paying for ads and inventory. On Shopify the average order hit $101.38 and net profit per sale was $48.27, also after ads and inventory. Monthly sales went from $8K on Amazon to $30K on Shopify. Real client numbers, not typical results, and not a promise of what your store will do.
After paying for ads and inventory. Client results from /results, not typical and not a promise.
Everyone tells you the win is escaping the fee. Amazon's own pricing page lists 15% for most categories, and yes, that hurts. Our page for Amazon sellers makes that case. But look at what fees did on this product. They dropped from $2.69 to $0.75 per sale. That's $1.94 saved. Ads went from $2.69 to $26.36 per sale, which is $23.67 more.
Fee savings didn't pay for that. The bigger order did. The full case study and the profit-per-sale breakdown walk through every line.
A service that sells you on escaping the 15% fee hasn't done the math on what your traffic is about to cost.
What math should you see before anyone touches your store?
A per-order model, on your product, before kickoff. If a service can't produce one, it's guessing with your money.
Run the math on a store like this, a hypothetical. A $34 product moved over with the listing copy intact. Conversion rate 1.0%, average order value $34. That means revenue per visitor is $0.34. On 10,000 visitors, that's $3,400. Buy those visitors at $0.90 a click and you've spent $9,000. You're $5,600 short before you've paid for a single product.
Now the same hypothetical store with the page rebuilt and an offer that doubles the order. Conversion rate 2.0%, average order value $68. Revenue per visitor is $1.36. On the same 10,000 visitors, that's $13,600. Same $9,000 in ads, and you're $4,600 ahead before product and shipping.
Same catalog. Same import. One store is bleeding and the other has room to breathe.
Then toggle the calculators on our results page between revenue goal and profit goal, because the gap gets wider in profit mode.
Fulfillment belongs in this model too. Amazon's MCF app ships Shopify orders from your FBA inventory in unbranded packaging, and Shopify's help center limits it to US fulfillment and US addresses. AMZ Prep's 2026 table lists one-unit standard fees from $7.34 to $11.75, before a 3.5% surcharge, with peak fees running through January 14, 2027. It's a third-party table, so confirm your SKUs in Seller Central. On that $34 order, an $8.50 fee is 25% of the sale. Our MCF fee breakdown has the rest.
Where does AI help in a migration, and where is it just noise?
I'll be straight, because we build with AI and I have a horse in this race.
AI-written descriptions are table stakes now. Shopify's own Sidekick writes product descriptions from the product editor, and Shopify warns you to review the output for errors. So "we use AI to rewrite your listings" tells you nothing.
Ask what the AI read before it wrote.
A description generated from your bullet points is your spec sheet in nicer clothes. The useful work starts with your buyers' words: the questions they keep asking on your listing and the complaints sitting in your 3-star reviews.
Our own system starts from there. Drop in a product URL, the AI writes the copy, designs the images and builds the page, in less than 15 minutes. Speed isn't the point, though. A fast page with the wrong offer loses money faster.
And one thing AI can't decide for you: what goes in the bigger order. That takes someone who has looked at your margin.
Which promises should make you walk away?
Three promises in these pitches worry me more than any others.
"We'll bring your Amazon customers with you." Amazon restricts buyer data, and BSS Commerce marks names and emails as limited for that reason. Jungle Scout's walkthrough of Amazon's terms covers the ban on marketing contact and on trying to "divert Amazon users to another website or sales process." Top Growth Marketing's plan leans on package inserts, and Jungle Scout's take is that Amazon mostly doesn't penalize them, while the policy text doesn't address them directly. That's a gray area on your account, so read the current Seller Central rules yourself before you print a card.
"We'll import your reviews." A merchant in the Shopify Community asked if importing Amazon reviews is "legal or not," and the one reply said to ask Amazon Seller Support and a copyright lawyer. One review-software blog argues that the review's author usually holds the rights, and describes a seller who says he got a cease-and-desist after copying reviews to Shopify. That's one secondhand story, and I'm no lawyer. Get written permission or start fresh.
"Your rankings will carry over." BSS Commerce and eSEOspace both say they won't. Amazon rankings stay on Amazon.
Then run this scorecard on the call.
| Ask them | A good answer | Walk away if |
|---|---|---|
| Who owns the store, ad accounts and pixels? | You do, from day one | They're under the agency's login |
| What's my profit per order after ads? | A number, on your product | "We'll see after launch" |
| How do you plan to raise average order value? | A specific bundle or offer | "Better design" |
| How do you test tracking? | A test purchase before ads run | Blank stare |
| What happens to my Amazon account? | It keeps running | "Go all in on Shopify" |
Ask who owns the pixel. It's a 10-second question that tells you who the store really belongs to.
Does an FBA to DTC migration mean leaving Amazon?
No. And be careful with anyone who says yes.
The Amazon to DTC case studies make this plain: going direct works as a second engine. It's a terrible replacement for the first one while your Shopify numbers are still unproven. Top Growth Marketing's plan keeps about 30% to 40% of revenue on Amazon even after 12 to 18 months. Keep the Amazon side healthy while the new store earns its place. Your Amazon Brand Store is also a cheap place to test the offers you plan to move.
On timing, eSEOspace puts a full migration at 2 to 12 or more weeks depending on catalog size. Start with one hero product anyway. Don't move 200 SKUs through a page that hasn't proven it can sell one.
Common questions about Amazon to Shopify migration
What should an Amazon to Shopify migration service include? The 8 things at the top of this post: 2 parts moving, 6 parts selling.
Can I transfer my Amazon reviews to Shopify? Treat them as staying on Amazon. Collect fresh reviews from Shopify buyers and use your Amazon reviews as research for your copy.
Can I move my Amazon customers to Shopify? Don't count on it. Amazon restricts buyer data and prohibits marketing contact, so build your list from your own traffic.
How long does it take to migrate from Amazon to Shopify? eSEOspace puts it at 2 to 12 or more weeks depending on catalog size.
Can I keep using FBA inventory after I move? Yes, in the US, through Amazon's Multi-Channel Fulfillment app. You pay per shipment, so run the fee against your order size first.
Should I stop selling on Amazon? No. Keep it running while Shopify proves itself.
What to do next
Before you take another call, write the per-order line for your best Amazon product: price, landed cost, fees, ads, net profit. Then ask every service you're considering to write the Shopify version next to it. The one who can do that is worth talking to.
Book Your Profit Audit
Bring your best Amazon product and we'll show you what it's worth per visitor on your own store, and where a straight copy of the listing would leak. Then we'll show you how to rebuild a high-converting product sales page in less than 15 minutes.
Or go here to check it out → revenueflows.ai
P.S. Movers get your boxes to the new address. Nobody buys anything from a box.
Frequently asked questions
What should an Amazon to Shopify migration service include?
It should include a checked catalog import, a fulfillment plan, rebuilt product pages, an offer built to raise average order value, a fresh review flow, working tracking, a per-order profit model, and ownership of every account and file in your name. Only the import and fulfillment plan are moving work.
Can I transfer my Amazon reviews to Shopify?
Treat them as staying on Amazon. BSS Commerce lists reviews among the things that can't move, and copying them raises copyright questions you'd want a lawyer or written permission to settle. The safer path is collecting fresh reviews from your Shopify buyers and using your Amazon reviews as research for your copy.
Can I move my Amazon customers to Shopify?
Don't count on it. Amazon restricts buyer data and prohibits marketing contact through its messaging system, along with attempts to divert buyers to another site. Build your Shopify list from your own traffic, and treat any service promising to move your Amazon customers as a red flag.
How long does it take to migrate from Amazon to Shopify?
eSEOspace puts a full migration at 2 to 12 or more weeks depending on catalog size, with small catalogs at roughly 2 to 4 weeks. Importing products takes far less time than that. Most of the calendar goes to building pages that can sell.
Can I keep using FBA inventory after I move to Shopify?
Yes, in the US. Amazon's Multi-Channel Fulfillment app ships Shopify orders from your FBA inventory in unbranded packaging, and Shopify's help center limits that app to US fulfillment and US addresses. You pay per shipment, so run the fee against your order size first.
Should I stop selling on Amazon when I migrate to Shopify?
No. Keep Amazon running while Shopify proves itself. A migration should add a second engine with bigger orders, and in our own case studies the Amazon numbers are the baseline the Shopify store has to beat.