Your eCommerce Is Broken, probably (And It’s Not Your Fault - Maybe)

This isn’t just another industry rant. This is 14 years of hands-on eCommerce experience distilled into one harsh reality: most eCommerce development agencies are terrible at their job. And this isn’t just about Magento - this problem extends across Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, custom-built solutions, and beyond. The same frustrating patterns emerge across all platforms, whether it’s SaaS, open-source, or bespoke solutions (which, in my opinion, are the worst mistake a business can make).

In the last four years alone, I’ve witnessed things that would make any business owner’s blood boil. Codebases that are stitched together like Frankenstein’s monster, outrageous price tags for barely functional solutions, and agencies that prioritize selling over delivering. I specialize in Magento, but my network spans across the entire eCommerce ecosystem. And I can tell you with absolute certainty - this is not a "Magento problem." This is an industry-wide epidemic.

If your online store is riddled with bugs, if you’re constantly dealing with half-baked fixes, if you’ve ever paid an agency a small fortune only to end up with a digital dumpster fire… this article is for you.

We’re going to break down why this happens, who’s responsible, and - most importantly - how you can avoid getting ripped off.

eCommerce Platforms Are Not Just Websites Anymore

Let’s clear up a common misconception: running an eCommerce store today isn’t as simple as throwing together a website with a shopping cart. We’re not in the early 2000s anymore when you could hack together some PHP, connect it to MySQL, and call it a day. Those days are long gone.

Modern eCommerce platforms are massively complex systems that need to handle:

• Databases: MySQL, NoSQL, Redis, Elasticsearch - often working together.
• Payment Gateways: Multiple integrations for credit cards, PayPal, Apple Pay, BNPL services, and more.
• Inventory Management: Real-time stock syncing across warehouses, fulfillment centers, and third-party logistics providers.
• Custom Shipping Logic: Carrier-specific rules, dynamic pricing, international restrictions.
• Multi-Currency & Multi-Language Support: Serving global customers without breaking the checkout experience.
• APIs & Third-Party Extensions: CRM, ERP, PIM, marketing automation, AI-powered search - everything needs to connect.
• Security & Compliance: GDPR, PCI-DSS, data encryption, fraud prevention, regular patching.
• Asynchronous Processing: Queues, webhooks, background jobs - ensuring high performance even under heavy loads.
• Marketplace & Channel Integrations: Amazon, eBay, Google Shopping, Facebook, TikTok, and beyond.
• REST API, GraphQL API, and Headless Commerce: Enabling flexibility but also introducing new levels of complexity.

… and this is just scratching the surface.

Yet, despite all this, many business owners still expect eCommerce development to be cheap, fast and easy. Spoiler alert: it’s not.

Then COVID Happened – And Everyone Rushed to eCommerce

COVID-19 changed the game overnight. Suddenly, every brick-and-mortar retailer realized that selling online wasn’t just an option - it was the difference between survival and shutting down. Demand for eCommerce solutions exploded. Everyone needed a store. Now.

And wherever there’s an urgent demand, there are always shady businesses looking to cash in.

Enter the "Developers" – Or at Least People Who’ve Seen PHP Once

Agencies couldn’t scale fast enough, so they hired anyone who could spell ‘PHP.’ It didn’t matter if they had built real-world applications before or just copied and pasted Stack Overflow answers - if you could type

echo "Hello, World!";        

you were hired.

The result?

• Websites that barely work
• Code that looks like it was written by a sleep-deprived intern
• Bugs that get “fixed” by adding more bugs

The industry was flooded with low-quality work masquerading as professional development.

And while all platforms suffered, I personally believe that Magento took the hardest hit.

Why Magento Suffered the Most

Before COVID, Magento was already the go-to platform for serious eCommerce businesses. It was powerful, flexible, and - when done correctly - capable of handling millions in revenue.

But then the floodgates opened. Suddenly, everyone was selling “Magento development services.” Agencies popped up left and right, staffed with unqualified developers who had barely finished an online tutorial.

The result? A tsunami of garbage projects that poisoned Magento’s reputation.

Businesses who had once trusted Magento now found themselves saying:

“I’ll never hire a Magento agency again. The price differences make no sense, and I can’t tell who’s actually good.”

And honestly? I don’t blame them.

The eCommerce Pricing Nightmare: $10,000 vs. $300,000 for the Same Project

One of the biggest reasons merchants lose trust is the insane pricing disparities.

Imagine you’re a business owner looking to build a Magento store. You gather quotes from different agencies. Here’s what you get:

• Agency A: $10,000
• Agency B: $300,000

Same project. Same requirements. How the hell is that possible?

The short answer?

• The $10K agency is outsourcing everything to the cheapest offshore developers they can find. They’ll promise the world but deliver a mess. In the end, you might never start online sales or might to pay a lot lot more to recreate your store.
• The $300K agency might actually be legit - but they’re either inflating their price or including a ton of extras that you don’t need.

Neither option is great for you.

This pricing chaos has made merchants paranoid about hiring agencies at all. And can you blame them? When two "Magento experts" quote prices that differ by 2900%, how do you even decide who to trust?

How to Avoid Getting Screwed

So, what can you do if you need eCommerce development but don’t want to get burned? Here are some hard-earned lessons:

1. Don’t Choose the Cheapest Option – If an agency quotes you a price that seems too good to be true, it is. They’re cutting corners somewhere.
2. Ask for Code Samples – A competent agency will be happy to show you examples of their work. If they refuse? Red flag. If you are a CTO, ask for the Agency profile on GitHub!
3. Get References – Speak with at least three past clients to hear their experiences.
4. Understand the Maintenance Costs – The upfront build is one thing; ongoing updates, security patches, and performance tuning are another.
5. Check Developer Certifications – While not a perfect measure, an agency with Magento or Shopify certifications is generally more credible.
6. Avoid Agencies That Sell "One-Size-Fits-All" Solutions – Your business is unique. If they’re pushing the same package to everyone, walk away.
7. Go to eCommerce Conferences & Network – Meet people who’ve been in the industry for 10+ years and are still thriving. Attend talks, ask questions, and get real insights from veterans who’ve seen it all.
8. Read the Contracts Carefully - Many agencies hide fees, lock you into restrictive agreements, or make it impossible to leave. Watch for auto-renewals, vague “hourly support fees,” and clauses that give them control over your store. If you don’t understand the contract, get a lawyer to review it.
9. And most important point of all - trust the open source experts if you are into open source. If you believe in open-source technology, make sure the agency you want to hire actually cares about open source. Check their contributions, community involvement, and whether they support open-source projects. If you can’t find anything, maybe they’re not as “open-source” as they claim to be.

Final Thoughts

The eCommerce industry is broken. Too many agencies prioritize sales over quality, too many unqualified developers call themselves "experts" and too many businesses get screwed in the process.

But here’s the good news: you don’t have to be one of them.

With the right knowledge and a skeptical eye, you can find competent developers and agencies who actually know what they’re doing. They exist - you just have to know where to look.

And hopefully, this article helps you do exactly that.

Thanks,

Jakub

P.S.: sometimes if is in fact your fault (paritally), but I'll explain why in another article ;-)