Testing Your Checkout: How to Do a Test Sale on Shopify

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. Why Running a Test Sale is Essential for Your Business
3. Method 1: Using the Shopify Bogus Gateway
4. Method 2: Shopify Payments Test Mode
5. Method 3: The Real Transaction Test
6. Testing the Tevello Integration
7. Practical Scenarios: Testing for Different Business Models
8. Addressing Common Issues During Testing
9. Leveraging Your Data and Building Trust
10. Final Best Practices for Shopify Testing
11. Conclusion
12. Frequently Asked Questions

Introduction

Did you know that nearly 70% of online shopping carts are abandoned before a customer completes their purchase? While some of that is due to casual browsing, a significant portion stems from technical friction, unexpected errors, or a checkout process that feels untrustworthy. In the world of digital learning and e-commerce, your checkout isn't just a transaction point; it is the first moment of truth for your brand. If a customer buys a course but doesn't receive their login credentials immediately, or if their credit card is declined for no apparent reason, the trust you worked so hard to build evaporates instantly.

The purpose of this blog post is to provide a comprehensive, step-by-step walkthrough on how to do a test sale on Shopify. We will cover the primary methods available—using the Bogus Gateway, enabling Shopify Payments Test Mode, and performing a real transaction—while highlighting why these steps are non-negotiable for anyone looking to scale a professional online business. Whether you are selling physical goods, digital downloads, or high-value memberships, ensuring your system works from "Add to Cart" to "Thank You" is essential.

At Tevello, we believe that your store should be a "digital learning powerhouse." We recognize that for a merchant, owning the customer data and the brand experience is paramount. That is why our solution keeps your customers on your own URL, leveraging your existing Shopify checkout. By mastering the test sale process, you ensure that this "Native Shopify Integration" functions perfectly, providing the seamless experience your students expect. Our thesis is simple: a rigorous testing phase is the foundation of a reliable, high-converting store that maximizes customer lifetime value.

Why Running a Test Sale is Essential for Your Business

Before we dive into the "how," we must understand the "why." E-commerce is not a "set it and forget it" endeavor. Every change you make—installing a new app, updating your theme, or changing your shipping rates—can potentially impact your checkout flow.

Protecting Your Brand Reputation

First impressions are everything. If a student attempts to purchase your "Advanced Photography Masterclass" and the payment fails due to a configuration error on your end, they are unlikely to return. They might even assume your site is unsecure. Testing allows you to see exactly what the customer sees, ensuring that every button, field, and automated email is polished and professional.

Verifying Automated Workflows

For those using Tevello to deliver digital products, the sale is just the beginning. The real magic happens when the payment triggers an automated workflow. Does the student get their welcome email? Is their account created automatically? Can they see their course content immediately upon login? By performing a test sale, you can verify that these background processes are firing correctly. This is a core part of how we help merchants build digital products that live directly alongside physical stock without creating a fragmented experience for the user.

Auditing Taxes and Shipping

Shopify handles complex tax calculations and shipping rules, but it requires accurate data input. A test sale allows you to verify that taxes are being applied correctly based on the customer's location. If you are selling a hybrid of physical goods (like a printed workbook) and digital courses, you need to ensure that shipping costs only apply to the physical item.

Method 1: Using the Shopify Bogus Gateway

The Bogus Gateway is Shopify’s built-in simulator for payment processing. It is designed specifically for testing without involving real money or actual credit card processors. It is the safest way to "play" with your checkout settings without any risk of being charged transaction fees or triggering actual bank alerts.

Step-by-Step Configuration

To get started with the Bogus Gateway, you must first ensure you are on a paid Shopify plan. While you can build your store on a trial, Shopify requires an active plan to process any checkout—even a test one.

1. Access Payment Settings: Log in to your Shopify Admin and navigate to Settings > Payments.
2. Deactivate Existing Providers: If you already have Shopify Payments or a third-party provider active, you may need to temporarily deactivate them or navigate to the section for "Third-party providers."
3. Choose the Bogus Gateway: Look for an option that says "Choose a provider" or "Switch to a third-party provider." From the list, select (for testing) Bogus Gateway.
4. Activate: Click the activate button. You might be asked why you are switching; simply select "Testing" or "Other."

Executing the Test Sale

Once activated, your store’s checkout is now in a sandbox mode. Go to your storefront and act like a customer.

• Add to Cart: Select a product (perhaps a test digital product) and proceed to checkout.
• Customer Information: Enter a placeholder email address (e.g., [email protected]) and a mock shipping address.
• Payment Details: This is the most important part. To simulate different outcomes, use the following "Card Numbers" in the payment field:
  • Enter 1: To simulate a successful transaction.
  • Enter 2: To simulate a failed transaction.
  • Enter 3: To simulate a provider error.
• Other Fields: You can enter any name (e.g., "Bogus Gateway"), any three-digit CVV (e.g., 123), and any future expiration date.

Analyzing the Result

If you entered "1", you should be redirected to the "Thank You" page. This is your opportunity to check if your Tevello course access was granted. Because we focus on a unified login that reduces customer support friction, the customer should ideally be able to access their dashboard immediately from this confirmation page or via the automated email sent by Shopify.

Method 2: Shopify Payments Test Mode

If you are using Shopify Payments as your primary processor, there is a dedicated "Test Mode" that is even more integrated than the Bogus Gateway. This is the preferred method for most Tevello merchants because it mimics the real Shopify Payments environment exactly.

Enabling Test Mode

1. Navigate to Payments: Go to Settings > Payments in your Shopify Admin.
2. Manage Shopify Payments: In the Shopify Payments section, click Manage.
3. Find Test Mode: Scroll to the very bottom of the page. You will see a checkbox labeled Enable test mode.
4. Save Changes: Check the box and hit Save. You will now see a banner at the top of your admin reminding you that test mode is active.

Testing Success and Failure

Shopify provides specific test credit card numbers for this mode. For example, using a card number like 4242 4242 4242 4242 will generally simulate a successful Visa transaction.

When you run these tests, you aren't just looking at the "Success" screen. You are checking the backend. Go to the Orders page in your Shopify Admin. You should see the order marked as "Paid." If you have Tevello installed, this "Paid" status is the signal our app uses to enroll the student in their course.

If unifying your stack is a priority, start by a simple, all-in-one price for unlimited courses. This allows you to scale your testing and your student base without worrying about escalating costs.

Method 3: The Real Transaction Test

While simulators are great, nothing beats a real-world test using a genuine credit card. This is the final "sanity check" before a major launch.

Why Do a Real Test?

Simulators cannot always account for every variable in the banking chain. A real transaction verifies that:

• Your payment gateway is correctly linked to your bank account.
• The transaction appears correctly on a bank statement.
• The "Success Fees" or "Transaction Fees" (which Tevello never charges on our end) are handled correctly by Shopify.
• Fraud filters are not being overzealous and blocking legitimate sales.

How to Conduct it Safely

1. Create a Low-Price Product: Create a temporary product priced at $1.00.
2. Purchase as a Customer: Open your store in an "Incognito" or "Private" browser window. Use a real credit card that is different from the one used to pay for your Shopify subscription.
3. Complete the Flow: Go through the entire process. Confirm the purchase.
4. Refund the Order: After you have verified that everything worked—including the Tevello enrollment—go back to your Shopify Admin and refund the order. This ensures you aren't out of pocket, though keep in mind that Shopify may not refund the small percentage of the processing fee they took.

Doing this final check is how you move from being an amateur to a professional. It is the same level of care that leads to strategies for selling over 4,000 digital courses natively. When you know the system is airtight, you can market with absolute confidence.

Testing the Tevello Integration

Since your goal is likely to turn your Shopify store into a digital learning powerhouse, the test sale isn't just about the money—it's about the delivery. When a "test sale" occurs, Tevello goes to work in the background.

Verify Customer Enrollment

After your test sale is marked as "Paid" in Shopify, navigate to the Tevello app within your Shopify admin. Go to the "Students" or "Members" section. You should see the test email address you used listed as a student enrolled in the course you purchased. If the student isn't there, check your "Drip" settings or "Product Mapping" within Tevello to ensure the Shopify product is correctly linked to the Tevello course.

Check the "My Courses" Page

One of the primary benefits of Tevello is keeping customers at home on the brand website. During your test sale, log in to the "Customer Account" section of your Shopify store. You should see a "My Courses" or "Learning Dashboard" link. Click it. Does the course content load correctly? Are the videos playing? This "Native Shopify Integration" ensures that your students never feel like they’ve been booted off to a third-party site.

Testing the Community Features

If you have community features enabled in our Unlimited Plan, use your test account to post a comment or update your profile. This allows you to see the social experience from the student's perspective. Ensuring that the community feels welcoming and functional from day one is key to building brand loyalty.

Practical Scenarios: Testing for Different Business Models

Different businesses have different testing needs. Let's look at how specific merchants might approach a test sale.

Scenario A: The Hybrid Merchant

Imagine a merchant who sells premium coffee beans and offers an "Expert Home Brewing" video course. This merchant needs to ensure that when a customer buys both the beans and the course in a single transaction, the checkout calculates shipping for the beans but realizes the course is digital.

By performing a test sale, the merchant can verify that the Shopify shipping profile is correctly ignoring the digital product. They can also verify that the customer receives a physical shipping confirmation for the beans and an immediate digital access email for the course. This dual-revenue stream is a powerful way of generating revenue from both physical and digital goods.

Scenario B: The Membership Site

A fitness influencer might offer a monthly membership for $29.99. In this case, the test sale needs to verify recurring billing. While you can't easily "fast-forward" time to see the next month's charge in a simple test, you can verify that the initial "Subscription" tag is applied to the customer in Shopify. This tag allows Tevello to maintain their access as long as the subscription remains active.

Scenario C: The High-Ticket Consultant

For a consultant selling a €1,000 certification program, the checkout experience must be flawless. They might use retention strategies that drive repeat digital purchases, such as offering a smaller "Intro" course first. Testing the upsell flow—where a customer buys a small product and is then offered a larger one—is critical here. You want to ensure the transition between different price points and access levels is smooth and automated.

Addressing Common Issues During Testing

Sometimes, a test sale doesn't go as planned. Here is how to troubleshoot the most common hurdles.

The "Order Not Found" Error

If you complete a test sale but the order doesn't appear in your Shopify "Orders" list, you likely have an issue with your payment gateway configuration. Double-check that you hit "Save" when enabling the Bogus Gateway or Shopify Payments Test Mode.

The Course Isn't Showing Up

If the order is visible in Shopify but the student isn't enrolled in Tevello, the most common culprit is "Product Mapping." In Tevello, you must tell the app which Shopify Product corresponds to which Course. Ensure that the "Variant ID" or "Product Title" matches perfectly. This is a small technical step that, once set, provides all the key features for courses and communities without any further manual intervention.

Email Notifications Not Sending

Shopify sends the "Order Confirmation" email, but you might also have Tevello sending a "Welcome" email. If you aren't receiving them during your test, check your spam folder first. Then, check your "Notifications" settings in both Shopify and Tevello. Ensure that the "sender" email address is verified; otherwise, many email providers will block the messages entirely.

Leveraging Your Data and Building Trust

Once you have successfully run your test sales, you have more than just a working checkout; you have the confidence to scale. Transparency is a core value for us, which is why we provide predictable pricing without hidden transaction fees. Knowing exactly what your costs are ($29.99 per month for the Unlimited Plan) allows you to calculate your margins with precision.

The 0% Transaction Fee Advantage

Most platforms take a "success fee"—a percentage of your hard-earned revenue. We don't. When you perform your test sale, look at the total. Whether that sale is for $10 or $10,000, Tevello takes $0. This allows you to focus on driving 50% of sales from repeat course purchasers without worrying about your software provider taking a bigger cut as you grow.

Scaling with the Unlimited Plan

As you move past the testing phase, you want a plan that grows with you. Our Unlimited Plan includes:

• Unlimited courses and students.
• Unlimited video hosting (meaning you don't need to pay for external hosting services).
• Comprehensive community features like member directories and social feeds.
• Drip content scheduling to keep students engaged over time.
• Quizzes to validate student learning.

By start your 14-day free trial and build your first course now, you can perform all these test sales and set up your entire curriculum before your first billing cycle even begins.

Final Best Practices for Shopify Testing

To wrap up, here are a few professional tips to keep your testing process clean and efficient.

1. Use a Dedicated Test Email: Use an email like [email protected]. The "+test1" trick allows you to create multiple "unique" customer accounts in Shopify while all the emails still go to your primary inbox.
2. Test on Mobile: Over 50% of e-commerce transactions happen on mobile devices. Don't just test on your desktop. Pull out your phone and run a test sale there to ensure the buttons are easy to click and the layout is responsive.
3. Delete/Cancel Test Orders: To keep your analytics clean, remember to cancel and delete your test orders after you are finished. This prevents your "Total Sales" dashboard from being inflated by fake data.
4. Verify the Payout Schedule: If you did a real transaction test, check your "Payouts" section in Shopify Payments a few days later. This confirms that the money is actually moving from the customer's card to your bank account.
5. Audit the Customer Journey: Don't just stop at the checkout. Go through the "Reset Password" flow, the "Contact Support" flow, and the "Course Completion" flow. Every touchpoint is an opportunity to reinforce your brand quality.

By following these steps, you are doing more than just checking a box. You are building a robust infrastructure that supports long-term growth. Many successful merchants have used these exact methods to achieve see how merchants are earning six figures by treating their store like the professional operation it is.

Conclusion

Testing your checkout process is one of the most high-impact tasks you can perform as a Shopify merchant. By learning how to do a test sale on Shopify—whether through the Bogus Gateway, Shopify Payments Test Mode, or a real transaction—you eliminate the technical barriers that stand between your expertise and your students. A flawless checkout builds trust, reduces support tickets, and ensures that your automated delivery systems work exactly as intended.

At Tevello, our mission is to empower you to own your platform. We provide the tools to turn any Shopify store into a digital learning powerhouse, but the "power" comes from your commitment to a seamless customer experience. With our simple, all-in-one pricing of $29.99/month and 0% transaction fees, you have a partner that rewards your growth rather than taxing it.

Ready to see your digital products in action? You can build your entire curriculum and run as many test sales as you need during your 14-day free trial. To build your community without leaving Shopify, start by reviewing the Shopify App Store listing merchants install from.

Take the time to test today, so you can launch with confidence tomorrow. Whether you are checking merchant feedback and app-store performance signals or mapping out your first module, remember that every successful store started with a single, successful test sale.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I do a test sale on Shopify without a paid plan?

No, you must select a Shopify pricing plan to use the checkout and process a test sale. However, you can still install Tevello and set up your course content while on a Shopify trial. Once you choose a plan, you can enable the Bogus Gateway or Test Mode to verify your setup.

Will I be charged transaction fees for test orders?

No. Shopify does not charge transaction fees for orders placed through the Bogus Gateway or Shopify Payments Test Mode. If you perform a "Real Transaction" test with a live credit card, the credit card processor will likely keep their small fixed fee (usually around $0.30), even if you refund the order later.

How do I know if my Tevello course was delivered after a test sale?

After completing a successful test sale, log into the Tevello app in your Shopify admin. Check the "Students" list to see if your test email appears. You should also check the inbox of the email you used for the test sale to see if you received the automated welcome and access instructions.

What should I do if my test payment is declined?

If you are using the Bogus Gateway, ensure you entered "1" for success, "2" for failure, or "3" for an error. If you are using Shopify Payments Test Mode, ensure you are using the specific test card numbers provided by Shopify (like the 4242... Visa number). If a real card is declined, contact your bank, as they may have flagged the transaction as suspicious.