E-commerce Pricing Rescue: A Case Study

The Challenge

Marcus built a custom inventory management system for his boutique clothing business. He had outgrown off-the-shelf solutions and wanted something tailored to his workflow. Using AI tools, he built it on Replit in just 6 weeks for under $1,000.

The app ran smoothly for 5 months. His monthly hosting cost was a predictable $45. Life was good.

Then Replit changed their pricing model. Overnight, Marcus's costs jumped from $45/month to $350/day. His credit card was declined. When he logged in, he saw he had racked up $2,100 in charges over 6 days.

His business generated about $8,000/month in profit. At $10,500/month in app hosting costs, he was underwater. Marcus was stuck. He could not afford the new pricing, but he also could not run his business without the inventory system.

The Partnership

Marcus reached out in a panic. He had already tried shutting down the most expensive features but could not figure out the cause of the massive costs. He was afraid to turn the app back on but could not manage inventory manually.

We jumped on a call within hours. Our first priority was stopping the bleeding. Together, we:

1. Identified the cost culprits: A background job checking inventory levels every 5 minutes was racking up compute charges 24/7.
2. Created an emergency plan: Temporarily disable the expensive automation, export his data, and prepare to migrate.
3. Mapped out next steps: Move to a fixed-cost platform where he would never face surprise bills again.

Marcus needed to know this would not happen again. We promised complete transparency and a hosting solution where costs would not spiral out of control. This is a core part of our philosophy at AppUnstuck.

The Solution

Week 1: Emergency Stabilization

We safely exported all of Marcus's data. We shut down the Replit app to stop the charges. Then we set up a temporary spreadsheet workflow so Marcus could keep operating while we migrated. It was not elegant, but it kept his business running.

Week 2: Smart Migration

We did not just move the app; we improved its AI system design. We analyzed every feature to understand what Marcus actually needed:

• The inventory checker did not need to run every 5 minutes. We changed it to run once per day, with an on-demand "check now" button.
• The sales analytics switched to a nightly summary instead of real-time updates.
• The supplier integration could use webhooks instead of constant polling, a more efficient design discussed in many cloud architecture guides.

We migrated to a fixed-price hosting platform where Marcus would pay $50/month regardless of usage. No surprise bills. Ever.

Week 3: Testing and Optimization

We worked with Marcus to test every workflow. Everything worked exactly as it had before, but now for a fraction of the cost. We also set up cost monitoring and alerts for his peace of mind, improving the overall AI reliability.

The Results

Marcus has been running on the new platform for 4 months with zero surprises.

Cost Impact:

• ✅ $350/day → $50/month (95% reduction)
• ✅ Saved $10,350/month
• ✅ Recovered $62,100 in the first 6 months
• ✅ Predictable costs forever

Business Impact:

• ✅ Inventory system running smoothly
• ✅ No more panic checking his credit card
• ✅ Can focus on growing the business

Peace of Mind:

• ✅ Knows exactly what he will pay each month
• ✅ Cost alerts in place
• ✅ Can scale without worrying about surprise charges

"I thought I'd have to shut down the whole app. AppUnstuck not only saved me $10k/month, they made the system better. I sleep well now knowing I'll never wake up to a $2,000 surprise charge. Best investment I've made in my business."

— Marcus Rivera, Boutique Owner

Marcus recently added a new feature—customer order tracking. On his new platform, it cost nothing extra.

Key Takeaways

Warning signs you might have pricing problems:

• Your monthly costs are unpredictable or trending upward.
• You are afraid to use certain features because they might cost too much.
• You have been surprised by a massive bill.
• You do not have cost alerts or monitoring set up.

How to avoid platform pricing nightmares:

1. Set up cost alerts on day one.
2. Question background jobs — Do they need to run constantly?
3. Choose fixed-price platforms when predictability matters.
4. Export your data regularly so you can migrate quickly.
5. Get help early — do not wait until you have racked up thousands in charges.

Get Unstuck

Stuck with spiraling costs or platform lock-in? We can help you migrate to predictable pricing and get back to focusing on your business.

Get Your Free Cost Audit →

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This case study represents a common scenario we see with small business apps hit by pricing changes. Client details have been modified to protect privacy.