Dropshipping still works, even though every year someone claims it’s all over. In 2026, the difference is this: it’s not enough just to set up a shop and wait for orders. You need to set up your payment system properly and know how to account for it. Otherwise, your first visit to the tax office could come as an unpleasant surprise.
In this article, we explain how to accept payments in Poland and remind you about the correct way to settle your taxes when using dropshipping on Shopify.
Which payment methods are available on Shopify in Poland?
Shopify is an American platform. Some payment solutions that work well in the US or the UK have their limitations in Poland. It’s worth bearing this in mind before you start setting up your shop – so you don’t only realise this when you get your first customer.
Shopify Payments – restrictions in Poland
Shopify Payments is Shopify’s built-in payment system. It’s convenient because you don’t need to set up an external payment gateway. The problem is that in Poland it has fewer features than in markets where Shopify has been operating for longer. Some features that are standard elsewhere simply do not work here or require additional company verification.
For many Polish shops, this means one thing: Shopify Payments on its own isn’t enough. This is normal – it’s not a configuration error.
BLIK and Przelewy24 as alternatives
This is where Przelewy24 comes in – thanks to this integration, you can offer BLIK to your customers. For Polish customers, BLIK is often the first choice when making a payment. Not offering it in your shop could reduce sales more than you might think.
Przelewy24 integrates with Shopify as a separate payment gateway – alongside Shopify Payments or instead of it. In practice, the following setup works well: BLIK and card payments go through Przelewy24, whilst Shopify Payments remains as an additional option for customers from abroad.
How much does it cost – commission
Before you choose a configuration, it’s worth working out the costs.
Shopify Payments charges a commission depending on your Shopify plan. The higher the plan, the lower the commission. If you don’t use Shopify Payments as your primary payment method, Shopify charges an additional fee for using a third-party payment gateway. It’s easy to forget this when you’re just starting out.
Przelewy24 charges its own commission, which is independent of your Shopify plan. However, you don’t pay an additional fee for an „external gateway” – because this is still a connected payment method, not a workaround.
The difference in costs depends on how much you sell and which plan you have. It’s worth working this out using specific figures before you settle on a particular option.
How to settle your taxes when dropshipping
This is the area where most people make mistakes. It’s not out of malice – it’s simply that the dropshipping model makes tax matters more complicated than running a standard shop with its own warehouse.
Let’s make one thing clear straight away: we are not tax advisers or accountants. The information below is of a general nature – it is intended to highlight what to look out for, not to replace a consultation with a specialist. Before making any decisions regarding your tax returns, consult an accountant or tax adviser.
VAT on imports from abroad
If goods are sent directly from the supplier (often from outside the European Union) to a customer in Poland, the VAT arrangements depend on where the product is being sent from and its value. For low-value consignments and sales to customers within the EU, the OSS (One Stop Shop) procedure is often used. This allows you to account for VAT from multiple EU countries in a single return – you do not need to register separately in each country.
The general rule is simple. But the details – such as the value of the consignment, the country of dispatch and the country of delivery – can completely change the way the charges are calculated.
PIT/CIT – how to calculate income
In dropshipping, you don’t buy stock to hold in your warehouse. You only buy it once a customer has placed an order. This means that your revenue is the amount the customer pays you. Your cost is the amount you pay the supplier for that product. The difference between these amounts is your profit margin. You pay tax on this margin.
It sounds simple. In practice, however, you need to keep your paperwork in order. Each order should be linked to a specific purchase from a supplier – so that there is no doubt when it comes to bookkeeping, for which we recommend using the services of professionals.
Obligations towards the customer (Omnibus, returns, delivery times)
The Omnibus Directive also applies to dropshipping shops. If you’re running a promotion, you must display the lowest price of the product over the last 30 days – not just the „pre-discount” price set a short while earlier. On top of that, you must provide clear information about delivery times. In dropshipping, delivery times can be longer than in shops with their own warehouses. And the right to a refund applies regardless of where the goods are physically coming from.
Failing to provide this information carries the risk of an unhappy customer. But it also carries the risk of an inspection and a fine.
Let’s make one thing clear: we are not tax specialists. The information above provides a general overview of the subject, not advice tailored to your specific situation. Every case – the supplier’s country, sales volume, and business structure – is different. It is worth consulting an accountant or tax adviser about the specific tax arrangements before you make any decisions.
How to set up a shop for dropshipping
Shopify handles the automation of this model well – provided you set it up properly from the start. Integration with a supplier (via an app that connects Shopify to a wholesaler or a print-on-demand platform) allows you to automatically forward orders. You don’t need to manually enter customer details into the other system.
A well-configured online shop automatically updates its stock levels based on data from the supplier. It sends the customer a tracking number as soon as the supplier generates it. And it handles returns via a clear process. When we build Shopify shops When it comes to dropshipping, it is precisely this automation that we place the greatest emphasis on. It is this automation that determines whether a shop can be run independently, or whether every order requires manual work.
The most common mistakes made by beginners
- Failure to verify the supplier before the start – Check the quality of the photos, product descriptions and actual order fulfilment times directly with the supplier. It’s difficult to rectify these issues once the first customer complaints have been received.
- Price excluding all costs – payment fees, customs duties, application costs. It’s usually only after the first month that you realise the margin is too low.
- No invoices or receipts – The obligation to issue a sales document also applies to dropshipping. Many beginners forget this.
- No Polish customer service – A foreign supplier won’t reply to the customer in Polish. You’ll end up having to deal with all the enquiries and complaints anyway.
Each of these errors costs more if it only comes to light months after the shop has been up and running. It is better to sort them out straight away, at the set-up stage.
If you’re setting up a dropshipping shop and want to make sure that payments and integrations work smoothly from day one – get in touch with us. We’ll take care of the technical set-up of your shop. We’ll leave tax and accounting matters to the specialists in those fields.
