Launching a US store for a European brand.
A European brand sells well in the US when the store feels local: prices in dollars, duties and taxes settled before the parcel arrives, fast US delivery, familiar payment options and easy returns. Behind the store, orders, stock and accounting need to run without a second team.
7 min
01
Decide how the store is set up.
There are two common routes on Shopify. One store can sell to the US through Shopify Markets, with US prices, currency and content. Or the brand can run a separate US store, with its own catalog, stock and team access.
A separate store suits a brand that ships from a US warehouse, keeps different prices or ranges for the US, or sells wholesale to American stockists. That is how we set up the US stores for Anti, Chambre 52 and What We Do Is Secret, the Paris perfume houses of Saujet Fragrances Group.
02
Settle duties before the parcel arrives.
Since August 2025 the US no longer lets low-value parcels in duty free, from any country. A customer surprised by a bill at the door often refuses the parcel.
Either ship from stock already in the US, or calculate duties and import taxes at checkout so the customer pays once, up front. Shopify can do both, depending on the plan and how the store is set up.
03
Collect US sales tax where you owe it.
US sales tax is set state by state. A brand starts to owe it in a state once its sales there pass that state’s threshold, and the rate depends on where the order is delivered. Stock held in a US warehouse can create that obligation on its own, in the state where it sits.
Shopify calculates the rate at checkout, but the brand still needs to register and file in each state where it owes tax. An accountant who knows US sales tax is worth having before launch.
04
Make it feel local.
American shoppers expect prices in dollars with no surprises, delivery in days, and checkout with Apple Pay, Shop Pay or PayPal. Sizes, units and spelling should read naturally to them.
The brand’s world should travel whole. For Anti, the US store carries the house’s still lifes and campaigns at full size, so the bottle on the dunes reads the same in New York as in Paris.
05
Run what’s behind the store.
The store is the visible part. Behind it, orders need to reach the warehouse, sales need to reach the accounts, and stockists need a way to order wholesale.
- Orders sent to the US warehouse automatically
- Sales synced to accounting
- A wholesale portal for stockists
- Shipping rates and a clear returns policy
- Samples or minis so new customers can try first
06
Be ready for the rush.
A brand that is new to the US can be found all at once, by a post that travels or a press mention. When a viral moment sent What We Do Is Secret a wave of orders, the store and the warehouse kept up, because both had been set up for it.
A brand that is new to the US can be found all at once.
