Build vs Buy: E-commerce Platform - Cons Playbook

Custom (Build) - Cons

• Higher upfront cost and time‑to‑market; significant opportunity cost.
• Ongoing maintenance burden: on‑call, upgrades, security patching, observability.
• Must keep pace with industry best practices (tax, fraud, SEO, accessibility).
• Compliance is on you (privacy, accessibility, security testing).
• Experimentation velocity depends on your internal tooling and process.

Ready‑to‑Go (Buy) - Cons

• Customization limits; complex needs may require brittle workarounds.
• App/plugin stacking → cost creep, conflicts, and performance drag.
• Vendor lock‑in: fees, policy changes, or account holds impact revenue.
• Multi‑tenant ceilings: rate limits, API quotas, shared infrastructure constraints.
• Data portability and migration friction; limited control over schemas.
• Integration constraints vs. bespoke ERP/warehouse flows.