Cost, timeline, and your credentials for building a CBD store?

Realistic ranges for a CBD/hemp brand at $500k, $5M GMV migrating to or rebuilding on Magento:

• Compliance + payment audit (fixed-fee): $499, ~20h at $25/hr. 5 business days. Covers processor stability, age-gate vendor pick, state matrix gaps, COA workflow, FDA/DSHEA copy scan. Written report + remediation roadmap.
• Magento + Hyvä build (fixed-fee): $4,999, ~200h at $25/hr. 6 weeks. Catalog + Hyvä storefront + high-risk gateway (NMI / Aeropay / ACH) + Veratad ID verify + state matrix + COA download module + Klaviyo wiring.
• Custom enterprise (quoted): multi-brand house, B2B wholesale to dispensaries, in-state delivery integration, multi-MID redundancy, multi-state license overlap. Typically $25k, $120k depending on scope.
• Hosting: $400, $1,500/mo on Cloudways or dedicated. CBD doesn’t have the drop-traffic spikes fashion has, so over-provisioning isn’t as critical.
• Ongoing retainer: $1.5k, $5k/mo for monthly COA reconciliation, quarterly state-law update, MID health monitoring, FDA-letter monitoring.

Credentials: Adobe-Certified Magento + Hyvä developer. CBD high-risk builds shipped (the kind where Stripe deplatforms the client mid-migration and we re-wire to NMI + Easy Pay Direct in a week). I’m honest about the payment pain, no other vertical has it this bad, and pretending Stripe will work is how brands get 90-day fund holds.