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How to sell on OnBuy: sign-up, plans, fees and the rules after your first order

· 14 min read · Selling on marketplaces

Short answer: To sell on OnBuy in the UK you sign up for an OnCommerce seller account, the platform behind OnBuy; there is no separate OnBuy account. The process has four steps: register with a short form (OnBuy says it takes under 10 minutes), get verified by uploading ID, business documents and payout details, list your products by matching barcodes, creating new listings or connecting a channel manager, then go live and get paid. You choose a monthly plan (from £25 on Standard) and pay a sales fee on completed sales, 15% for most products and lower in some categories. OnBuy does not sell its own stock, so it never competes with you on price. If OnBuy is one of several marketplaces you run, plan early for one dashboard for stock and orders across marketplaces, because overselling is the first problem that hits multi-channel sellers.

How to sell on OnBuy, step by step

OnBuy's own "Sell on OnBuy" page sets out four steps:

  1. Register. Fill out a short form about your business. During the application you choose your country of business registration; under the Seller Terms it must be on OnCommerce's list of supported countries, and you must be able to open a business bank or building society account there.
  2. Get verified. Upload your ID, business documents and payout details. OnBuy contacts you when you are ready to sell. The Seller Terms also mention a non-refundable application fee: if your application succeeds, it counts as your first monthly subscription.
  3. List your products. Match existing products by barcode, create new ones, or connect your channel manager. Clean barcodes and stock codes save a lot of time here.
  4. Sell and get paid. Pick the countries you want to sell to and go live. Payments are released about 7 days after the expected delivery window, and you choose when to withdraw.

Once approved, your products can go live on OnBuy, and eligible products may also appear on easyShop and Comet, the other retail brands in the OnCommerce network, through the same account.

Can anyone sell on OnBuy?

OnBuy is built for businesses. The Seller Terms ask for a country of business registration and a business bank account, and they require your business name, company registration number and registered office (where applicable), your trading and returns address, and any VAT and tax identification numbers to be shown and kept up to date. If you are not trading as a business yet, sort that out first.

Where you are based and where you sell are separate questions. According to OnBuy, you may sell into a market from elsewhere if your products and delivery meet that market's requirements. One account reaches OnBuy customers in 21 countries.

OnBuy seller fees: plans and sales fees

OnBuy's pricing has two parts: a monthly plan and a sales fee on each completed sale. There are no listing fees and no separate transaction fees. All fees are subject to VAT where applicable.

Monthly plans (as read on 25 October 2026):

  • Standard — Monthly price: £25; What it adds: API and integrations, on- and off-site advertising tools, no extra listing fees
  • Partner — Monthly price: £69 (normally £129, offer until January 2027); What it adds: Priority support, dedicated store, custom collections, store search, comparison tables, seller showcase on product pages
  • Professional — Monthly price: £249 (normally £499, offer until January 2027); What it adds: Professional seller badge, your logo sitewide, customisable store, product carousels, "Buy it Again" option

Sales fees are charged on the total price including delivery, as one percentage based on the product's category. Your exact rate is shown in the Seller Control Panel before a product goes live. The rates effective from 4 February 2026 include:

  • 15% standard fee for most products
  • 7% consumer electronic devices and large appliances
  • 8% games consoles
  • 10% beer, wine and spirits
  • 13% tools, DIY and equipment
  • 20% jewellery (watches excluded)

Other fees in the UK:

  • Minimum fee: at least £0.25 per product sold.
  • Refund fee: when you refund, you pay an admin fee of 20% of the sales fee on the refunded amount, between £0.25 and £5.00 per line item. The Seller Terms give this example: a £20.00 refund on a 12% category costs £0.48.
  • Disputes: £6.50 per dispute and £14.00 per chargeback, in line with the Seller Terms.

Example (an assumption for illustration): you sell a £40 kitchen item with £4 delivery in a 15% category. The sales fee is 15% of £44, so £6.60 plus VAT where applicable. Your plan fee comes on top every month, whatever you sell. The logic is the same on every marketplace: price, minus fees, shipping, VAT and product cost. We walk through it for Turkey's largest marketplace in our guide to the trendyol commission rate.

Is it worth selling on OnBuy?

That depends on your margins and volume, and only your own numbers can answer it. A few points to weigh, all from OnBuy's own terms and pricing:

  • Fixed cost first. The plan fee is paid monthly in advance, whether or not you sell. Work out how many sales it takes to cover it before you pick a higher plan.
  • Fee level. Most categories pay 15%, with lower rates in electronics, appliances, consoles and drink.
  • No own stock. OnBuy does not sell its own products, so you do not compete with the platform itself.
  • Reach. One account covers OnBuy's 21 markets and, for eligible products, the other OnCommerce brands.

The rules once you go live

OnBuy's Seller Terms (version 3.1.0, updated 19 October 2026) set clear dispatch rules. These are the ones that catch new sellers out:

  • Handling time: you set it in the Seller Control Panel, up to a maximum of 10 days, and orders must be dispatched within it.
  • Delivery timeframe: you choose one between 1 and 30 days. If you miss the timeframe the customer chose, OnBuy can refund the customer on your behalf.
  • Unshipped orders: an order not marked as dispatched within 30 days is cancelled and refunded automatically.
  • Pricing errors: if you spot one before dispatch, contact the customer, cancel the order and refund within 2 days. Once dispatched, the price stands.
  • Tracked delivery: you carry the risk until delivery. With an untracked service, if delivery cannot be proven, OnBuy can require a refund or replacement.
  • Prices include VAT: you price products on a delivered duty paid basis, inclusive of VAT.
  • Check the panel daily for new orders, cancellations, refunds, disputes and customer messages.

VAT on OnBuy in the UK

Under the Seller Terms, collecting and paying VAT is your responsibility, except where the OnCommerce company is the deemed supplier. GOV.UK explains when that happens: the online marketplace is liable for VAT on imported goods with a consignment value of £135 or less, and on goods of any value located in the UK at the point of sale when the seller is not established in the UK. For UK sales where OnCommerce is the deemed supplier, it issues the customer's VAT invoice. If you are a UK business, you deal with VAT on your own sales as usual. Ask your accountant how this applies to you; this is not tax advice.

Running OnBuy next to other marketplaces

Few sellers run OnBuy alone. When the same product is on OnBuy and another marketplace, stock that is not updated everywhere turns into oversold orders, and cancellations hurt your performance metrics, which OnBuy may share with customers. Three habits help:

  • Give every product one stock code (SKU) and use the same code on every channel.
  • Keep barcodes clean, because OnBuy matches existing products by barcode.
  • Use a channel manager or integration to keep stock in step; OnBuy's Standard plan already includes API access and integrations.

How Pratienda helps

Pratienda is a multichannel dashboard for Trendyol, Hepsiburada and N11, the leading marketplaces in Turkey. It does not connect to OnBuy. If you sell in Turkey as well as the UK, Pratienda keeps your stock in sync across those three marketplaces, matches the same product on each by its stock code and brings their orders into one list. Customer questions arrive on one screen, and the repricer suggests prices above your floor price, never changing them without your approval. Starter is $59 a month (tax excluded); the repricer is in the Pro plan.

See Pratienda →

FAQ

How much does it cost to sell on OnBuy?
A monthly plan (£25 on Standard; Partner and Professional are discounted to £69 and £249 until January 2027) plus a sales fee on each completed sale, 15% for most products, with a £0.25 minimum. There are no listing fees. All fees are subject to VAT where applicable.

Do I need a separate OnBuy account?
No. You create one OnCommerce seller account, which handles your products, orders and payments on OnBuy and, for eligible products, on easyShop and Comet.

When do OnBuy sellers get paid?
OnBuy says payments are released about 7 days after the expected delivery window, and you choose when to withdraw from your balance.

Sources: OnCommerce/OnBuy (United Kingdom): "Sell on OnBuy", "Pricing and seller fees", "Seller terms" (version 3.1.0, 19 October 2026); GOV.UK, "VAT and overseas goods sold to customers in the UK using online marketplaces". Information as of 25 October 2026; OnBuy may change its fees and rules. This is not legal or tax advice.