E-commerce
Online shop development for businesses in Romania, from €4,000
A catalogue with live stock, card and cash-on-delivery payments, courier labels generated from the order, invoices sent to e-Factura and the pages ANPC expects, built around how you sell.
What an online shop in Romania needs
We build online shops for businesses in Romania from €4,000. A shop that sells legally needs more than a basket: a catalogue with accurate stock, card and cash-on-delivery payments, a courier connection, invoices sent through RO e-Factura, and the pages that ANPC (the consumer protection authority) and GDPR expect. Below is what each part involves, so you can compare any quote, ours included.
Checklist for an online shop in Romania
- Catalogue and stock. Products with variants, photos per variant, prices with VAT included, and stock that drops with each order and can sync with your supplier or stock software.
- Payments. Cards go through a licensed payment processor with 3-D Secure authentication, and card details never reach your server. Cash on delivery has its own rules: the courier collects, the money arrives by settlement, and refused parcels have to be tracked.
- Couriers. FAN Courier and Cargus, for example, offer APIs that let the shop generate the waybill (AWB), track the parcel and see collected cash-on-delivery amounts. Access requires a signed contract with the courier, so start that conversation in week one.
- Invoicing and e-Factura. Invoices come from invoicing software connected to the shop. Since 1 January 2025, invoices to private individuals also go through RO e-Factura, and the current deadline is 5 working days from issue. Exceptions and fines are in our e-Factura guide; confirm with your accountant which documents you issue.
- Consumer rights. Terms and conditions, delivery information, the returns policy and the withdrawal form. Customers have 14 days to cancel without giving a reason under Emergency Ordinance 34/2014. Since 19 June 2026, Emergency Ordinance 18/2026 also requires an online withdrawal function, labelled "retrageți-vă din contract aici" (withdraw from the contract here) or equally clearly, visible for the whole withdrawal period, with a confirmation sent to the customer on a durable medium. Missing it carries a fine of 5,000–15,000 lei.
- The ANPC SAL badge. ANPC Order 270/2026, amending Order 449/2022, sets a 250 × 50 pixel SAL badge linking to reclamatiisal.anpc.ro, the national dispute resolution platform. The old link to the EU's ODR platform is no longer needed: that platform closed on 20 July 2025 under Regulation (EU) 2024/3228.
- Cookies and personal data. Consent before analytics and marketing cookies (Law 506/2004), a privacy policy under the GDPR, and a clear list of the companies you share customer data with: the payment processor, the courier, the invoicing tool.
- Accessibility. Since 28 June 2025, Law 232/2022 applies to e-commerce. Microenterprises providing services (fewer than 10 staff and turnover or balance sheet of at most €2 million) are exempt. We build with good contrast, labelled form fields and keyboard navigation anyway.
Custom, Shopify or WooCommerce?
| Criterion | Shopify | WooCommerce | Custom shop |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to start | Low: subscription and theme | Low to medium: the plugin is free, you pay for hosting, theme and extensions | From €4,000 |
| Monthly costs | Subscription, paid apps, sometimes a transaction fee | Hosting, extension licences, updates | Hosting and work on request |
| Couriers, invoicing, e-Factura | Through apps, where they exist | Through plugins of mixed quality | Built for your workflow |
| Best for | Standard catalogue, quick start | Businesses already on WordPress | B2B, configurable products, several warehouses, ERP |
If you sell a few dozen standard products and want to start fast, a Shopify plan or a well-maintained WooCommerce store can cost less in year one than a custom shop. We will tell you so on the call, even if it means we do not work together. Custom code makes sense when you have separate B2B prices, configurable products, stock in several places, or volumes at which subscriptions and apps cost more than your own code. If you are not sure you need online payment yet, a presentation site with a catalogue can be the first step.
What the shop includes
Everything between the order and the invoice
Built for Romanian payments, couriers, invoicing and consumer law.
Catalogue with variants and stock
Sizes, colours and photos per variant, stock that drops with every order, and import from your supplier's file.
Card and cash-on-delivery payments
Card payments run through a licensed processor with 3-D Secure. Cash on delivery gets its own statuses, from dispatch to settlement.
Courier connection
The waybill is generated from the order in the admin, the tracking number goes to the customer by email, and lockers or pickup points work where the courier offers them.
Invoicing and e-Factura
The invoice is issued by the invoicing software you choose and sent on to RO e-Factura. Your accountant gets what they need without retyping.
ANPC, returns and GDPR pages
Terms, returns policy, withdrawal form and button, the SAL badge, a privacy policy and a cookie banner that asks before tracking.
Orders and reports
An order board by status, exports for your accountant, and sales reports by product and period.
How it works
How we build an online shop
- 1
Inventory and quote
We list your products, variants, stock source, couriers and invoicing tool. The quote, with price and deadline, comes out of that list.
- 2
Contracts in your company's name
You sign with the payment processor, the courier and the invoicing tool, and we tell you what to ask for. Approvals take time, so they start first.
- 3
Build and test orders
We run orders end to end: a test-mode payment, the waybill, the invoice, the customer email, a return and a withdrawal from the contract.
- 4
Launch and the first weeks
After launch we watch the first real orders, fix what comes up and show you how to add products and process a return.
Budget
Online shop prices
The price is indicative, negotiable and fixed in writing once we have seen your catalogue. Processor fees, courier rates, invoicing software and hosting are paid to those providers.
Presentation site with catalogue
€600–1,500one-off
A small catalogue with photos and prices, orders by form or phone. No basket and no online payment.
- Products managed from the admin panel
- Order request form sent to your email
- Bilingual Romanian and English
- Final price depends on catalogue size
Online shop
from €4,000one-off
A full shop with basket, payments, courier and invoicing, built around your products and processes.
- Catalogue with variants and stock
- Card payments and cash on delivery
- Courier waybills and tracking
- Invoicing software connected to e-Factura
- ANPC, returns, withdrawal and GDPR pages
Shop automation
€400–1,200per workflow
One automated workflow for a shop you already run, on any platform.
- Supplier feed import or stock sync
- Orders sent to invoicing or ERP
- Weekly sales report by email
What we can show you
We do not have a published online shop in the portfolio yet, so we show you the parts one is built from. The Danube Labs website has an admin panel with no database, bookings in Google Calendar and automatic confirmation and reminder emails, the same kind of flow as an order confirmation. The BAC exam archive searches 3,840 documents grouped by subject, year and session, like a large catalogue with filters. Libertate Digitală, a citizen-journalism platform, takes submissions from contributors through an editorial review workflow, which maps well to orders that move through several statuses. Everything is in the portfolio.
FAQ
Questions, answered
How much does an online shop cost?
A custom online shop starts at €4,000. The price rises with the number of product types and variants, extra integrations such as several couriers or an ERP, separate B2B prices, a second language and migrating data from an old shop. On top of that come running costs paid to providers: payment processor fees, courier rates, invoicing software and hosting.
How long does it take to build an online shop?
Usually 6–12 weeks, and the code is rarely what sets the pace. The payment processor's approval, the courier contract and clean product data (names, variants, photos, prices) decide most of the timeline. If your product data sits in a spreadsheet and the contracts start in week one, the shorter end is realistic. The deadline in the quote depends on those inputs.
Should I choose Shopify, WooCommerce or a custom shop?
Shopify suits a standard catalogue and a fast start, with monthly fees and paid apps. WooCommerce suits a business already on WordPress that has someone to maintain it. A custom shop costs more upfront and pays off with B2B pricing, configurable products, several warehouses, ERP sync or high volumes. On the call we tell you which fits, even if it is not us.
Which contracts and accounts do I need before launch?
You need a company or sole-trader registration, a contract with a payment processor (they usually review the site's terms, returns policy and contact details before approval), a courier contract that includes API access, invoicing software that sends to RO e-Factura, and access to ANAF's online space (SPV). We give you the list on day one, because approvals set the pace.
Do invoices to private customers have to go through e-Factura?
Yes, since 1 January 2025 invoices to private individuals go through RO e-Factura too, with a current deadline of 5 working days from issue. The law lists exceptions, such as fiscal receipts that qualify as simplified invoices, and suppliers identified only by personal number have been exempt since 1 June 2026. Our e-Factura guide has the details; confirm your case with your accountant.
What does ANPC expect on an online shop's website?
Clear company details, final prices with all taxes, terms and delivery conditions, information on the 14-day right of withdrawal with the standard form, and since 19 June 2026 an online withdrawal function that stays visible for the whole period. The SAL badge must link to reclamatiisal.anpc.ro. The link to the EU's ODR platform is no longer required, because that platform closed in July 2025.
Can I add products and change prices myself?
Yes. The admin panel lets you add products and variants, change prices and stock, run promotions and import products from a spreadsheet. Orders, returns and withdrawal requests show up in the same place, with their status. At handover we walk you through a full order and a return, so you can run the shop day to day without calling us.
What happens after the shop goes live?
The code, the domain and every account are yours. Shops need care over time: security updates, new courier or processor versions, and legal changes such as the withdrawal button that became mandatory in 2026. We do that work on request, with an estimate before each job, and the quote states how we handle bugs caused by our work.
Plan your shop with us
Bring your product list and how you ship today. In a free call we tell you which option fits and what it costs.