Ecommerce
How to Sell on TikTok Shop: Requirements, Fees and Setup, Step by Step
Checked against TikTok Shop's official Seller Center pages for the US, Spain and Brazil: who can sell, what each market charges and what gets a shop shut down.
If you want to know how to sell on TikTok Shop, here's the short answer. Sign up in TikTok Shop Seller Center, verify your identity and tax info, link a bank account and list your first product. You don't need a single follower, and TikTok charges a 6% referral fee on each sale.
What most guides skip: that 6% is charged on what the buyer pays, shipping included. And an affiliate commission picked on a hunch can eat a third of your margin. We checked every figure on TikTok Shop's official pages in October 2026.
Below: the setup, the fees in three markets, a margin example and the rules that get shops shut down. More ways to sell online in our ecommerce guides.
On this page
What is TikTok Shop? How it works for sellers and affiliates
TikTok Shop is TikTok's built-in marketplace, where brands, retailers and individual sellers sell products inside the app. Shoppers find a product in a short video, a LIVE stream or the Shop tab, check out without leaving TikTok, and the seller gets paid after delivery.
In one line: a mall inside your For You feed. How does TikTok Shop work for each role? Like this.
| Role | What you do | Key US requirement | How you earn |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seller | List and ship your own products | 18+, US resident, ID and SSN, ITIN or EIN | Sale price minus the 6% referral fee |
| Affiliate | Tag other shops' products in videos and LIVEs | 18+ and 1,000 followers | The commission each shop sets |
What it's not: it's not your own store, because TikTok sets the rules, the fees and the payout timing. That's why it pays to build a website with AI as your home base. And it doesn't pay per view; for that, here's how to make money on TikTok, program by program.
TikTok Shop requirements: who can sell in the US
You must be 18 or older and a US resident, with a government ID, a tax number, a US address and a bank account.
TikTok's official seller guide lists three account types. Pick the one that matches your paperwork:
| Account type | Who it's for | Tax number |
|---|---|---|
| Individual seller | You, selling under your own name | SSN or ITIN |
| Sole proprietorship | A one-owner business that isn't incorporated | The one your business files under |
| Corporation or partnership | A registered legal entity | TIN or EIN |
Accepted IDs are a passport, driver's license, state ID or permanent resident card. Upload clear PDF, JPEG or PNG files under 10MB, and make sure every detail matches your documents. The phone number and email can't already belong to another TikTok Shop account.
Do you need an LLC to sell on TikTok Shop?
No. The individual seller account exists for people selling under their own name with an SSN or ITIN. An LLC may make sense for liability or taxes as you grow, but that's a call for your accountant, not a TikTok requirement.
How many followers do you need for TikTok Shop?
None to sell your own products: you can even register with just a phone number or an email. Followers only matter if you want to promote other shops' products as an affiliate.
How to sell on TikTok Shop step by step
Here's how to sell on TikTok Shop for beginners: create the account, verify, set up shipping and payouts, list a product and link TikTok.
-
Pick a phone number and email just for the shop
Each one can only be tied to one TikTok Shop account.
-
Sign up in TikTok Shop Seller Center
Go to seller.tiktok.com and click Start selling. Use your TikTok account, a phone number or an email, then enter the verification code TikTok sends you.
-
Choose the seller type that matches your taxes
Individual, sole proprietorship, or corporation or partnership. If it doesn't match your documents, verification stalls.
-
Verify your identity and tax info
Upload your ID and enter your legal name, date of birth, SSN or ITIN (EIN for businesses) and address. A green check means you passed.
-
Set up your shop and shipping addresses
Add your shop name, your warehouse or pickup address and your return address.
-
List your first product
Upload photos, a clear title, a description, the price and stock, or connect your Shopify store to sync your catalog.
-
Link your bank and your TikTok account
Payouts go to the bank account on file. Link the TikTok account you'll sell from to tag products in videos and LIVEs, and post at the best time to post on TikTok.
TikTok Shop fees in the US, Spain and Brazil
In the US, TikTok Shop charges no setup fee and a 6% referral fee on most categories, on every completed order.
TikTok's referral fee policy says that fee covers every TikTok Shop fee except shipping and tax. Other markets play by other rules, and if you ever expand, you'll register in each one separately.
| Market | Platform fee | What it's charged on | Source and date |
|---|---|---|---|
| US | 6% on most categories (5% on some fine jewelry and pre-owned) | What the buyer pays, shipping included, plus platform discounts, minus tax | TikTok Shop Academy US, 10/08/2026 |
| Spain | 9% (7% on electronics, appliances and some beauty devices), VAT included | Sale plus buyer-paid shipping, minus refunds | TikTok Shop Academy EU, 09/16/2026 |
| Brazil | 10% + R$4 per item under R$50; 6% + R$6 from R$50 | Price after your discounts, plus a 6% shipping program fee | TikTok Shop Brazil Seller Center, October 2026 |
How much does TikTok Shop take from sellers?
Usually 6% of the order. On a $28 order shipped free, that's $1.68.
If the order is refunded, TikTok gives the fee back minus a refund administration fee of 20% of it, capped at $5 per SKU. On that $28 order, a full refund costs you $0.34. Payouts land in your bank once the order is delivered and the return window has passed, with a $1 minimum. Shipping labels, affiliate commissions and ads, which on TikTok are native advertising, come on top.
TikTok Shop fee calculator: a worked margin example
Your profit is the price minus TikTok's 6%, your product costs, shipping and any affiliate cut. Here's the math on one order.
Our example is made up, and so are its costs: Crumb & Co., a silicone baking mat set sold for $28 with free shipping.
| Line | No affiliate | With a 15% affiliate |
|---|---|---|
| Sale price | $28.00 | $28.00 |
| TikTok referral fee (6%) | −$1.68 | −$1.68 |
| Product cost and packaging | −$7.60 | −$7.60 |
| Shipping label you pay | −$5.50 | −$5.50 |
| Affiliate commission (15% of price, simplified) | $0 | −$4.20 |
| You keep per order | $13.22 | $9.02 |
Think of this table as a TikTok Shop fee calculator you can redo in two minutes with your own numbers. The takeaway: a 15% affiliate costs you 2.5 times what TikTok does and takes almost a third of your margin. To see whether that affiliate and ad spend pays back, run it through our ROI calculator.
How to become a TikTok Shop affiliate
A TikTok Shop affiliate tags other shops' products in videos or LIVEs and earns a commission on every sale.
TikTok's US creator page lists four conditions as of October 2026: be 18 or older, have 1,000+ followers, meet the Community Guidelines and pass an account risk evaluation. The TikTok Shop affiliate program then works in two tiers: from 1,000 to 5,000 followers you're in the Creator Pilot Program, with weekly limits on shoppable videos and LIVEs. At 5,000 you get full access.
| Market | Followers to be an affiliate | Official source |
|---|---|---|
| US | 1,000 for the pilot, 5,000 for full access | TikTok Shop for Creators (US) |
| Spain | More than 500 | TikTok Shop for Creators (Spain) |
| Brazil | 2,000 | TikTok Shop Brazil Seller Center |
The commission isn't set by TikTok: each shop sets it for its products. New affiliates can start with refundable samples or link products they already own using search by image; free samples unlock as you grow. That's how to become a TikTok Shop affiliate without buying a pile of inventory.
What to sell on TikTok Shop: a 5-point test for your product
The best product for TikTok Shop is one that makes its point in a video and survives the fees. Run yours through five tests, with Crumb & Co. as the made-up example:
| Test | What to check | Crumb & Co. ($28) |
|---|---|---|
| Video | You can show it working in 15 seconds | Pass: one shot of cookies sliding off the mat |
| Margin | You keep at least 25% of the price with no affiliate | Pass: $13.22, 47% |
| Affiliate | You still keep 20% at the commission you offer | Pass: at 15% you keep $9.02, 32% |
| Shipping | The label costs less than a sixth of the price | Fail: $5.50 is 20% |
| Cash | You can front the first batch until payouts start | 200 sets at $7.60 tie up $1,520 |
The 25%, 20% and one-sixth lines are our rule of thumb, not a TikTok rule, so move them to fit your business. A failed test is a fix, not a no. Crumb & Co. can fix shipping with a two-pack at $52: if the label stays the same, it drops to 11% of the price.
Check the prohibited list in the next section before you buy anything.
What you can't sell on TikTok Shop and what gets you suspended
TikTok Shop bans illegal, unsafe, counterfeit and recalled products, plus whole categories like alcohol, tobacco, vapes, weapons and drugs.
The Prohibited Products Policy, updated October 20, 2026, goes further than most sellers expect. Vapes are banned even without nicotine, and so are nicotine pouches. Homemade food, live animals, fireworks, butane lighters and pepper spray are out too.
What can you sell on TikTok Shop?
Almost any legal, safe consumer product: beauty, home, fashion, electronics, toys. Some come with extra paperwork, with separate rules for electronics, dangerous goods and California's Proposition 65 warnings.
Then there's your score. Every shop starts with 200 points on its Account Health Rating (AHR), earns 4 points per 200 clean orders and loses points with every violation. At 150 points you can't create listings or join mega campaigns for 7 days; at 100, for 14; at 50, for 28. At 0, TikTok may deactivate your account for good.
TikTok Shop vs Amazon: fees, traffic and which to start with
TikTok Shop charges less per order and sells by discovery. Amazon charges more and sells by search. Start where your buyers already are.
Take the $28 baking mat set from Crumb & Co.:
| TikTok Shop | Amazon | |
|---|---|---|
| Fee on a $28 order | $1.68 (6%) | $4.20 (15%) |
| Monthly cost | None | $39.99 on the Professional plan, or $0.99 per item on Individual |
| How the buyer arrives | A video or LIVE finds them | They start a search |
| Not in the fee | Shipping, affiliates, ads | Shipping, FBA fees if you use them, ads |
Amazon's pricing page, checked in October 2026, lists 15% for most categories, home and kitchen included, with a $0.30 minimum. It's calculated on the price plus shipping.
At 100 orders a month, that's $168 on TikTok Shop against about $460 on Amazon ($420 in fees plus the plan), before shipping, fulfillment and ads. Part of that gap pays for buyers who already want what you sell.
So pick by how people find your product. If they search for it by name, Amazon puts you in front of them. If it has to be seen working to be wanted, TikTok does that. You can run both.
Figuring out how to start a TikTok Shop this week? Paperwork first, then margin, then product checks.
Act as an ecommerce consultant. I sell [product] for $[price] on TikTok Shop US. My product costs $[x], packaging $[x] and shipping $[x]. TikTok's referral fee is 6% of what the buyer pays, shipping included. Work out my margin with no affiliate and with 5%, 10% and 15% affiliate commissions. Tell me the highest commission I can offer and still keep $[x] per order, and give me three 15-second video ideas.
Frequently asked questions about selling on TikTok Shop
Is selling on TikTok Shop worth it?
It is if your product sells itself in a 15-second video and your margin survives 6% plus affiliate commissions plus shipping. There's no setup fee, you need zero followers, and TikTok advertises up to $23,630 in new-seller incentives. The catch: every new shop starts on probation, capped at 50 orders a day and 100 listings at the Beginner level, and the caps rise as you hit fulfillment and listing-quality targets.
Can you sell on TikTok Shop with Shopify?
Yes. TikTok Shop has an official Shopify connection, listed in the US Seller Center menu as Connect Shopify store, so you can bring your catalog over instead of listing every product by hand. TikTok's rules still apply to every synced product: listings go through review, prohibited items get pulled, and each TikTok order pays the referral fee.
How do you sell on TikTok Shop without inventory?
The no-inventory route TikTok spells out is the affiliate program: you promote other shops' products and earn a commission, with no stock and no shipping. If you go the supplier or print-on-demand route instead, remember you're still the seller on record. The referral fee, the delivery promise to the buyer and your Account Health Rating are all on you, even if someone else packs the box.
Is it free to sell on TikTok Shop?
Joining is free, because there's no setup fee, but selling isn't. TikTok charges a 6% referral fee on most categories for every completed order. On top of that you pay for your product, packaging, shipping labels, any affiliate commission and any ads or fulfillment service you add. TikTok fixes the referral fee; the rest depends on your setup. Run the numbers on a single order before you list anything.
Is TikTok Shop legit?
Yes. It's TikTok's own marketplace, live in the US since September 12, 2023, not a third-party site. Sellers verify their identity with a government ID and a tax number before they can list anything, and TikTok only pays a shop after the order is completed and the return window has passed. That doesn't make every shop great, so check reviews and shipping times before you buy.
What is Fulfilled by TikTok?
Fulfilled by TikTok, or FBT, is TikTok Shop's own fulfillment service: you send inventory to TikTok's warehouses and TikTok stores, packs and ships your orders. It's optional. You can also ship orders yourself or hire a third-party logistics company. FBT charges its own fulfillment fees on top of the referral fee, so check them in Seller Center and price them in before you ship a single box.
How do you make money on TikTok Shop?
Pick the path that matches what you already have. Got a product with a healthy margin? Sell it: you keep the price minus the 6% fee, your costs and any affiliate cut. Got an audience but no product? Join the affiliate program and earn the commission each shop sets. Got neither? Start as a seller: zero followers needed. Either way, TikTok Shop pays on sales, not views.