Best AI tools for small UK online shops in 2026
Six AI tools for a small UK online shop, scored on the jobs each covers, set-up, approval, support, a price you can read and track record.
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Guides to the admin that eats a shop's week, and reviews of the software that claims to fix it. 56 guides and 2 reviews so far.
Free toolsBest buysQuestions answeredKey factsGlossaryKey datesCustomer service and returnsFees, payments and postageStock and listingsRunning the shop
Free tools
A return has come in: must you accept it, and what goes backSix questions on the buyer, the reason, the item and the dates, leading to one of eight outcomes with the regulation and the refund that goes with each.A parcel is lost or late: whose loss it is and what to doSix questions on the buyer, the courier, what tracking shows and what the customer wants, leading to one of eight outcomes with the rule behind each.Returns rights checker: what this customer is owed, and by whenEnter the delivery date, the reason and your terms to see whether the customer can cancel, what you must refund, the deadlines, and who pays return postage.Etsy and Shopify fee calculator (UK): what one order costs you on eachEnter the item price and postage to see every Etsy fee on the order, the Shopify plan and card fees for the same order, and the percentage each takes.Returns policy maker for a UK online shopA returns policy for a UK online shop, clause by clause: the 14-day cancellation wording, the exclusions, return postage and the faulty-goods lines.Customer feedback request email makerWhat a UK online shop may do when asking for reviews since 6 April 2025: incentives, happy-customer filters, staff reviews, and a request email to send.Christmas returns notice and dates makerThe dates the 14-day cancellation right and the 30-day faulty-goods right end for orders delivered from Black Friday 2026, with extended-returns wording.Refund deduction email maker for a used or damaged returnWhen a change-of-mind return comes back worn or marked, a UK online shop may deduct the loss in value. The rule, the limit, a worked sum and an email.Admin scorecard for a online shop: the office hours a week that could be prepared by AI and checked by you, job by jobEnter the hours a week your shop spends on customer emails, listings, stock and returns to see which jobs AI could prepare and what stays with you.Black Friday and Christmas checklist26 steps to get a UK online shop ready for Black Friday and Christmas: stock, prices, postage, last posting dates, returns wording and customer service cover.Online shop readiness check: ten yes-or-no questions on returns, parcels, asking for feedback, VAT and listingsTen yes-or-no questions for a small UK online shop on returns wording, late parcels, review requests, chargebacks, the VAT test, postage and EU listings.Product margin calculator for UK online shops: profit an order after VAT, fees, postage and returns, and the most you can pay in advertising for one saleEnter price, product cost, postage, fees and return rate to see the profit on an average order and the most you can spend on advertising for one sale.Reorder point calculator: when to order, how much, and the cash it ties upEnter daily sales, the supplier's lead time and your stock to get the reorder point, the stock-out date, the order quantity and the cash it costs.Return and refund checklist23 steps for one return, from the customer's first message to the refund: which law applies, the three 14-day clocks, postage, deductions and carrier claims."Where is my order?" reply writer, with the note for your own fileMake the reply to a where-is-my-order email from the dispatch date, the service and what tracking shows, with the date you will replace or refund.
Best buys
Best AI tools for small UK online shops in 2026
Six AI tools for a small UK online shop, scored on the jobs each covers, set-up, approval, support, a price you can read and track record.
Best shipping and label software for small UK online shops in 2026
Seven shipping and label tools for a small UK online shop, scored on the jobs each covers, independent ratings, a price you can read and UK carrier choice.
Customer service and returns
A customer paid for next-day delivery and then cancels: how much of the delivery charge do you refund?
A cancelling customer gets delivery refunded, but only up to your cheapest standard option if they chose faster. Five worked orders show the sums.
An order arrives in two parcels two weeks apart: when does the 14-day cancellation period start, and when does it end?
The 14-day cancellation period for online goods runs from delivery, not the order date. Five worked dates show split parcels and missing information.
A customer emails asking for all the data you hold on them: when is the one-month deadline for an online shop, and when does it move?
A subject access request gives an online shop one calendar month from the day it arrives. Six worked dates show the weekend, short-month and clock-pause rules.
Emailing past customers about new products: the ICO's soft opt-in rule for an online shop, with a 3,000-address list sorted
Can an online shop email past buyers about new stock? The ICO's soft opt-in allows it with conditions. See a 3,000-address list sorted by what the rule allows.
Do I have to accept this return, and what do I refund? Six questions for UK online shops
Six questions on the buyer, the reason, the item and the dates, leading to one of eight outcomes with the regulation and the refund that goes with each.
The parcel is lost or late: who pays, and what next? Six questions for UK online shops
Six questions on the buyer, the courier, what tracking shows and what the customer wants, leading to one of eight outcomes with the rule behind each.
Returns rights checker: what this customer is owed, by when, and who pays the postage
Enter the delivery date, the reason and your terms to see whether the customer can cancel, what you must refund, the deadlines, and who pays return postage.
Returns policy template for a UK online shop: the wording the law needs, and the lines that cost you money
A returns policy for a UK online shop, clause by clause: the 14-day cancellation wording, the exclusions, return postage and the faulty-goods lines.
Lost parcel claims for a small online shop: what Royal Mail and Evri pay, the deadlines, and who refunds the customer
What Royal Mail and Evri pay a shop for a lost parcel, the claim deadlines for each, the evidence to keep, and why the customer's refund does not wait.
Black Friday and Christmas 2026 returns: the dates an online shop's 14-day and 30-day windows end
The dates the 14-day cancellation right and the 30-day faulty-goods right end for orders delivered from Black Friday 2026, with extended-returns wording.
What happens if a customer returns an item used or damaged? What a UK online shop can deduct from the refund
When a change-of-mind return comes back worn or marked, a UK online shop may deduct the loss in value. The rule, the limit, a worked sum and an email.
Can I have a no-refund policy for personalised and custom orders? What a UK online shop can refuse, and what it cannot
A UK online shop can refuse change-of-mind returns on personalised and made-to-order goods, but not when the item is faulty. The rule, five orders, and wording.
Return and refund checklist for a UK online shop: from the request to the money back
23 steps for one return, from the customer's first message to the refund: which law applies, the three 14-day clocks, postage, deductions and carrier claims.
"Where is my order?" reply template: five situations, one honest answer each, and the note for your file
Make the reply to a where-is-my-order email from the dispatch date, the service and what tracking shows, with the date you will replace or refund.
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How ready is your firm for AI? Find out in 3 minutes.Take the 3-minute readiness scorecard
How ready is your firm for AI? Find out in 3 minutes.Take the 3-minute readiness scorecardFees, payments and postage
Packing orders at home: the HMRC flat rate of £10, £18 or £26 a month, worked for five weekly routines
HMRC simplified expenses pay a flat £10, £18 or £26 a month for working from home, from 25 hours a month. Five routines worked.
What a part-time packer really costs an online shop: employer National Insurance at 15% above £96 a week, worked for five rotas
Pay is not the whole cost. Employer National Insurance is 15% of weekly pay above £96. Five invented rotas at £12.71 an hour, plus the under-21 case.
VAT flat rate scheme for an online seller: the 16.5% limited cost trader test, worked on four invented shops
The VAT flat rate scheme can cost a shop that buys little stock more than normal VAT. Four invented shops run through the GOV.UK 2% and £1,000 test.
Statutory Sick Pay for your first employee: £123.25 a week or 80% of earnings, which is lower?
GOV.UK sets Statutory Sick Pay at £123.25 a week or 80% of normal weekly earnings, whichever is lower. Five invented pay levels show where the cap bites.
Making Tax Digital for sole-trader online sellers: is the £50,000 turnover or profit, and when are the quarterly updates due?
HMRC counts sales before expenses for the £50,000 Making Tax Digital test. Five invented sellers show who is in, plus the four 2026/27 update dates.
"Was £500, now £350": when an online shop can use a "was" price, and what the discount really is
Can an online shop say "was £150, now £99"? Trading Standards guidance asks whether the comparison is fair. Worked: £500 to £350 is 30% off; £150 to £99 is 34%.
Hiring Christmas packers for an online shop: what the minimum wage rates cost for three temps over eight weeks
Hiring Christmas packers? From April 2026 the minimum is £12.71 at 21 and over, £10.85 at 18 to 20. Three temps for eight weeks: £8,704.80 to £9,151.20.
Gift vouchers and VAT for an online shop: a £50 voucher, single-purpose or multi-purpose, and when the VAT is due
Selling gift vouchers? HMRC splits them into single-purpose and multi-purpose. On a £50 voucher: £8.33 VAT at sale, or £11.67 on a £70 basket at redemption.
The £1,000 trading allowance for Etsy and eBay sellers: take it or claim your costs, worked on two shops
The £1,000 trading allowance replaces your expenses, not adds to them. A shop with £1,800 sales and £600 costs gains from it; £3,000 and £1,400 does not.
Employment Allowance for an online shop: £10,500 off employer National Insurance, and the month it runs out, worked
Employment Allowance takes up to £10,500 a year off employer Class 1 National Insurance. It is claimed each year and runs out above £875 a month.
Late payment of a trade invoice: 8% over base rate and a £40, £70 or £100 fixed sum, worked for an online shop
A business that pays your invoice late owes 8% over base rate plus £40, £70 or £100. A £2,400 trade order paid 45 days late is worth £70 plus interest.
Plastic Packaging Tax: 10 tonnes, 30% recycled and £228.82 a tonne, worked in mailer bags for an online shop
Plastic Packaging Tax starts at 10 tonnes made or imported in 12 months, below 30% recycled, at £228.82 a tonne. In 25g mailers that is 400,000 bags.
Etsy, eBay and Amazon now report sellers to HMRC: the 30-sale and 2,000 euro test, what is sent, and what a shop should check
Online marketplaces send HMRC each seller's sales every January. The 30-sale and 2,000 euro test, what it means for a small shop, and how the dates line up.
Do I charge VAT on postage? How a UK online shop treats delivery charges, with a mixed basket worked through
An online shop's delivery charge usually takes the VAT rate of the goods. What HMRC says, with sums for standard, zero-rated and mixed orders.
Does my online shop have to pay the ICO data protection fee? The £52, £78 and £3,763 tiers and the exemption test
Most small UK online shops pay the ICO £52 or £78 a year, £5 less by Direct Debit. How the three tiers work and when the accounts-and-records exemption applies.
Do I have to include postage in my prices? The drip pricing rules for UK online shops, with the CMA's own delivery examples
Since April 2025 a UK online shop must show unavoidable postage in the total price. What the CMA says counts, and a running total worked through.
Etsy and Shopify fee calculator for UK sellers: what one order actually costs on each
Enter the item price and postage to see every Etsy fee on the order, the Shopify plan and card fees for the same order, and the percentage each takes.
Chargebacks for a small online shop: the £20, the 7 to 21 days, and what the issuer actually reads
What a chargeback costs a UK shop on Stripe, how long you have to respond, which evidence counts for each dispute reason, and how to stop the next one.
VAT threshold for online sellers: adding up Shopify, Etsy and eBay sales against the £90,000 test
The £90,000 VAT test counts every sales channel together, on sales and not payouts. A worked example across Shopify, Etsy and eBay, with the dates to register.
How much does it cost to sell on Amazon UK in 2026? The plan, the referral fee and a year's bill for a small shop
What Amazon UK charges a small shop in 2026: £25 a month or 75p an item, a referral fee of 5% to 15% by category and price, and one shop's bill for a year.
Royal Mail prices from 5 October 2026: what a small shop pays per parcel now, and the one switch worth making
The Royal Mail parcel prices from 5 October 2026, the gap between stamps and tracked online prices, and what a small shop should change in its postage settings.
A2X vs Link My Books prices: what it costs to get Shopify, Etsy and eBay payouts into Xero or QuickBooks
What A2X and Link My Books charge a small UK shop each month, by order count and number of channels, read from both pricing pages on 1 October 2026.
EU €3 customs duty on small parcels: what a UK online shop pays on each order to the EU since 1 July 2026
Since 1 July 2026 the EU charges €3 customs duty per item on parcels worth €150 or less. How items are counted, who is billed, and what a UK shop should do.
Product margin calculator for UK online shops: profit an order after VAT, fees, postage and returns
Enter price, product cost, postage, fees and return rate to see the profit on an average order and the most you can spend on advertising for one sale.
Stock and listings
GPSR checklist for a UK online shop selling to Northern Ireland or the EU: what each listing must show, with a block to copy
What the EU product safety regulation asks of a UK shop that ships to Northern Ireland or the EU: the responsible person, the label, and a listing block.
Reorder point calculator for a small online shop: when to order, how much, and the cash it ties up
Enter daily sales, the supplier's lead time and your stock to get the reorder point, the stock-out date, the order quantity and the cash it costs.
Stocky has gone: what a small Shopify shop should do about reorder points and purchase orders now
Shopify's Stocky app is unavailable after 31 August 2026. Three ways a small shop can replace reorder points and purchase orders, and which fits.
Running the shop
Selling own-brand electrical goods online: when the 5 tonne WEEE line is reached, and what a small producer must do
A shop selling own-brand or imported electricals is a WEEE producer. 4,546 own-brand kettles reach the 5 tonne line; the duties are set out.
Can my online shop add a surcharge for paying by card? What the UK rules say, and what an overcharge costs you to repay
UK shops may not charge consumers extra for most card payments, and other methods are capped at your cost. What the rules say and how to price instead.
Must my online shop tell an unhappy customer about ADR? What section 308 has required in complaint replies since 6 April 2026
Since 6 April 2026 a complaint reply must name any ADR scheme the trader is bound to join. What that means for a small online shop, and what to write.
How quickly must my online shop deliver an order? The 30-day rule, the Christmas dates it ends on, and what a late order lets the customer do
UK shops must deliver within 30 days unless agreed otherwise. The 30-day end date for five peak order days, and what a customer can do if you miss it.
Packaging EPR for a small online shop: the 25-tonne and £1 million tests, how many parcels that is, and what a small producer must report
Packaging EPR only bites at 25 tonnes of packaging and £1 million turnover. See what that means in parcels, and what a small producer reports.
What must a UK online shop's website show about who is selling? The seven items, and which ones your shop needs
The law says an online shop's site must show who is selling: name, address, email, and for a company its number and registered office. Seven items, which apply?
Can an online shop cancel an order placed at the wrong price? What UK sellers can do, and when it is too late
A price typo goes live and orders arrive. When a UK online shop can cancel and refund, when it must honour the price, and what to change in your terms.
What must an online shop's order confirmation email include? The 24 items in the law, sorted into the ones every order needs
UK law says an online shop must confirm each order on a durable medium. We sorted the 24 required items into always, sometimes and never.
How to ask for a customer review without breaking the fake reviews ban: the rules and an email template
What a UK online shop may do when asking for reviews since 6 April 2025: incentives, happy-customer filters, staff reviews, and a request email to send.
How long must an online shop keep order records and customer data? The tax periods, the claim period, and when to delete
A sole trader keeps order records for 5 years after the 31 January return deadline, a company for 6 years. The dates for one order, and what to delete sooner.
Admin scorecard for small online shops: how many hours a week could AI prepare for you to check, job by job
Enter the hours a week your shop spends on customer emails, listings, stock and returns to see which jobs AI could prepare and what stays with you.
Black Friday and Christmas checklist for a UK online shop: stock, postage, returns and cover
26 steps to get a UK online shop ready for Black Friday and Christmas: stock, prices, postage, last posting dates, returns wording and customer service cover.
Can I use ChatGPT to answer customer emails and write product descriptions for my online shop? Four assistants compared on price and data terms
What ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot and Gemini cost a small UK shop, what each says about training on your chats, three prompts to copy and the job to keep.
E-commerce helpdesk prices: what Gorgias, Zendesk, Freshdesk and Re:amaze publish, and what 600 tickets a month costs
We read four helpdesk pricing pages for UK online shops: what each publishes, how AI replies are priced per ticket, and what a 600-ticket month costs on each.
Online shop readiness check: ten yes-or-no questions on returns, parcels, asking for feedback, VAT and listings
Ten yes-or-no questions for a small UK online shop on returns wording, late parcels, review requests, chargebacks, the VAT test, postage and EU listings.