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How to sell on TikTok Shop UK: who can sign up, the steps, the 9% commission and what to sort out first

· 15 min read · Selling on marketplaces

Short answer: To sell on TikTok Shop UK you need to be based in the UK and over 18, and you register on TikTok Shop's UK seller registration page as either an individual or a corporate seller. Individuals verify their ID with a photo and a selfie; businesses also enter their company name, number and registration date. After that you set up your shop and manage products, orders and customer service in the Seller Centre. Selling costs mainly a commission of 9% of the order total, including VAT, worked out on the product price after discounts plus the shipping the customer pays. Products in the Electronics and Beauty & Personal Care categories get an effective rate of 5%. If you work with creators, their affiliate commission comes on top. Because TikTok sales can spike in minutes during a live stream or after a video takes off, stock is the thing to get right before your first order, ideally with one dashboard for stock and orders across the marketplaces you sell on.

Can anyone sell on TikTok Shop UK?

TikTok Shop's "Get started on TikTok Shop UK" page answers this in one line: anyone can use TikTok Shop UK as long as they live in the UK, are over 18 and have the TikTok app on their phone. For sellers specifically, it adds that you need to be located in the UK, and the Commission Rate Policy defines a seller as a third-party trader on TikTok Shop UK based in the UK.

TikTok Shop separates two kinds of seller:

  • Individual seller: a person, not a business entity, offering goods for sale.
  • Corporate seller: a legally authorised business offering goods for sale.

Both must register and apply before they can list anything, and both have to provide information and documents during the application.

Do you need followers? Not according to the official seller steps. The 1,000-follower rule you may have heard about belongs to creators: to earn commission by promoting other sellers' products, a creator needs at least 1,000 followers, a video posted in the last 28 days, to be 18 or over and an account in good standing. As a seller you can open a shop without an audience and reach buyers through the Shop Tab or by working with creators.

How to start selling on TikTok Shop UK, step by step

TikTok Shop describes the sign-up like this.

As an individual:

  1. Register with your email or phone number on the UK seller registration page.
  2. Choose "individual" as your seller type.
  3. Verify your ID: hold your ID up to the camera, then take a selfie with it.
  4. Set up your shop information.

As a business (corporate seller):

  1. Register with your email or phone number on the UK seller registration page.
  2. Choose "corporate" as your seller type.
  3. Fill in your business details: company name, company number and registration date.
  4. Verify your ID by holding it up to the camera and stating your role in the company.
  5. Set up your shop information.

If the person registering is the primary authorised user rather than the owner or a director, TikTok Shop emails the business owner an authorisation letter to sign with DocuSign. Owners and directors do not need to sign it.

Once approved, you manage your shop, inventory, orders, promotions, creator collaborations and customer service in the Seller Centre, on desktop or in the Seller Centre app. The steps above come from TikTok Shop's own guide; the registration screen shows the current requirements, so have your ID and company details ready before you start.

How buyers find your products

TikTok Shop is built into the TikTok app, and buyers check out without leaving it. TikTok Shop names four shopping formats:

  • LIVE Shopping: products pinned in a live stream, bought in real time.
  • Shoppable videos: short videos with a product link that leads to the product page.
  • Product showcase: a catalogue on your profile.
  • Shop Tab: the central shopping area with search, products and campaigns.

You can create the content yourself, or work with affiliate creators, who promote your products and earn a commission on the sales they bring. Many sellers do both: their own videos for steady sales, creators for reach.

How much does it cost to sell on TikTok Shop UK?

The main cost is the commission fee. According to TikTok Shop's UK Commission Rate Policy and its "Platform Commission Fee" guide:

  • The rate is 9%, and it includes applicable taxes such as VAT.
  • It is calculated as: (net sales + customer-paid shipping + platform discount) − (net sales refund + platform discount refund) × 9%. In plain terms: the product price after your own discount, plus the shipping the customer pays. Platform discounts that TikTok Shop funds are added back, so they do not lower your fee.
  • Products in specified Electronics and Beauty & Personal Care categories get a 4-point reduction, so an effective rate of 5%. This depends on the product's category, so a product that is put in the wrong category and moved during review loses the lower rate.
  • Only one reduction applies per product; they cannot be stacked.
  • If a whole order is returned, the full commission is refunded; on a partial refund, only the commission on the refunded items.
  • The fee is deducted from your order settlement, and you get an invoice each month for the previous month.

Other items you may see on your statement, according to TikTok Shop's "Introduction to Seller Fees", are shipping fees (depending on whether you use TikTok Shipping, Fulfilled by TikTok or your own shipping), return shipping fees, affiliate commission and adjustments, for example for policy violations or chargebacks. Affiliate commission is calculated on the product price after discounts, at the rate you agree with the creator.

A worked example

All figures are assumptions for illustration. You sell a scented candle set in a category charged at 9% for £20.00, with no discounts, and the customer pays £3.50 shipping. A creator sold it for you at an agreed commission of 10%.

  • Net sales — £20.00
  • Customer-paid shipping — £3.50
  • Commission base — £23.50
  • TikTok Shop commission: 9% of £23.50 (VAT included) — £2.12
  • Affiliate commission: 10% of £20.00 — £2.00
  • Total fees on this order — £4.12

Without the creator, the fees are £2.12. In a category at the effective 5% rate, the commission would be £1.18. Then come your product cost, packaging and the actual shipping, so it pays to set a minimum price per product before you run any promotion.

Before your first order: a checklist

  • Stock you can actually ship. A video can sell your whole stock in an hour. Count what you have, and keep a small buffer on items you also sell elsewhere.
  • One stock code per product. Use the same SKU on TikTok Shop and on every other channel, so stock and orders can be matched.
  • Correct categories. The commission rate follows the category, so set it up right from the start.
  • Prices that survive discounts. Your own discounts lower the commission base, but also your margin; affiliate commission comes on top.
  • Returns. Plan who handles them and how quickly, because refunds change both your income and your fees.
  • VAT. TikTok Shop's commission already includes VAT. Your own VAT on sales depends on your situation; ask your accountant, as this is not tax advice.

Running TikTok Shop next to other marketplaces

Many UK sellers run TikTok Shop next to other channels. If you also want a classic marketplace, our guide on how to sell on onbuy explains sign-up and plans there, and our guide to ebay fees uk shows what eBay charges business sellers. The more channels you add, the more one stock problem matters: an item that sells out during a live stream is still listed elsewhere until someone updates it. Cancelled orders cost you money and, on most marketplaces, your performance score.

How Pratienda helps

Pratienda is a multichannel dashboard for Trendyol, Hepsiburada and N11, the leading marketplaces in Turkey. It does not connect to TikTok Shop. 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 (SKU) and brings their orders into one list, with customer questions on one screen. The repricer watches competitor prices and suggests new ones without going below 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 TikTok Shop UK?
Mainly a commission of 9% including VAT, on the product price after your discounts plus the shipping the customer pays. Specified Electronics and Beauty & Personal Care products have an effective rate of 5%. Shipping and affiliate commission can come on top.

How old do you have to be to sell on TikTok Shop UK?
TikTok Shop says you must be over 18 and live in the UK. Sellers are verified with ID during registration.

How many followers do you need to sell on TikTok Shop UK?
TikTok Shop's seller steps do not mention a follower minimum. The 1,000-follower requirement applies to creators who want to earn affiliate commission by promoting other sellers' products.

Sources: TikTok Shop UK, "Get started on TikTok Shop UK" (12 January 2023), "TikTok Shop UK Commission Rate Policy" (18 September 2025), "Platform Commission Fee" (15 September 2025) and "Introduction to Seller Fees" (22 August 2025). Information as of 29 October 2026; TikTok Shop may change its fees and rules. This is not legal or tax advice.