How to Sell on TikTok in 2026: Two Paths for Solo Sellers

Learn how to sell on TikTok two ways: open a TikTok Shop, or send buyers to your own site and payment link. Compare fees, payouts, and who keeps the buyer.

Entrepreneurship

Sep 29, 2026

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Sell on TikTok two ways: TikTok Shop for shippable products, or your own link for services, local sales, and custom orders.
Individual TikTok Shop sellers must be 18 or older, U.S. residents, and provide a U.S. ID, SSN or ITIN, address proof, and W-9.
TikTok Shop charges a 6% referral fee on most U.S. categories and pays out 1 to 31 days after delivery.
A profile link needs 1,000 followers or a Verified Business Account, so send payment links in DMs until you qualify.
On a $40 sale, you keep $39.20 with JIM Tap to Pay or $37.70 with a JIM Payment Link, paid in seconds.

You can sell on TikTok two ways: open a TikTok Shop so buyers check out inside the app, or post videos that send buyers to your own website, payment link, or market booth. Ship packaged products? TikTok Shop fits. Sell services, local goods, or custom work? Use your own link.

The buyers are there. The Pew Research Center reports that 37% of U.S. adults use TikTok, and in its 2024 study, 62% of adult users said they use the app to look at product reviews or recommendations.

What are the two ways to sell on TikTok?

Pick the path by how your product reaches the buyer. TikTok Shop runs checkout, payment, and payout inside the app and takes a referral fee on each completed order. Selling off TikTok Shop means TikTok brings the attention, and your own tools close the sale.

Question	Your own link with JIM	TikTok Shop
Who it fits	Services, local sellers, made-to-order, market vendors	Packaged products you ship nationwide
Fees	4.99% + $0.30 online, 1.99% in person	6% referral fee on most categories
Who owns the customer	You: the buyer pays on your page and the chat stays with you	The order and checkout live inside TikTok Shop
Payout	Seconds, on your JIM Card	1 to 31 days after delivery
Setup	Free JIM Website, built when you sign up	U.S. ID, SSN or ITIN, address proof, W-9, bank account

Ship packaged goods to strangers across the country? Open TikTok Shop. Most of your buyers live within driving distance, or you sell your time? Skip TikTok Shop and sell from your own link. You can also run both: shop listings for items that ship, and a link plus a booth for everything else.

Decision tree: ship packaged products nationwide, open TikTok Shop; sell services, local, or made-to-order, use your own link

Still choosing what to sell first? JIM's guide to selling products online helps you pick a first channel and price the first sale.

What are the TikTok Shop seller requirements?

To open a TikTok Shop as an individual, you need to be 18 or older, live in the U.S., and verify your identity with a U.S. ID. TikTok Shop's registration guide for individuals (updated May 13, 2026) asks for these items, and every detail must match your documents:

Who can apply: Adults 18 and older who live in the U.S., using an email and phone number not already tied to another shop.
Photo ID: A valid U.S. passport or passport card, driver's license, state ID, or permanent resident card. Upload the full, unaltered document, under 10 MB.
Tax details: The last 4 digits of your Social Security number (SSN), or an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN), plus a W-9 form.
Proof of address: A utility bill, insurance policy, bank statement, or credit card bill that shows the address you type in.
Bank account: For an individual shop, a personal bank account in the exact name you registered with. TikTok Shop calls this a zero-tolerance rule.
Your address shows on listings: U.S. rules require sellers to display a business address on each product page. If you enter your home address, check the Certify box so TikTok Shop shows only part of it.

Check the product rules before you film. The Prohibited Products Policy bans virtual or digital products unless approved in its Virtual Goods category, and the Restricted Products Policy makes fresh and frozen packaged food invite-only (both updated September 1, 2026). A home baker or a lash tech runs into a wall here, which is why the second path exists.

How much are TikTok Shop fees?

Plan on 6% of each completed order. TikTok Shop's category fee table (updated May 14, 2026) lists 6% for most U.S. categories and 5% for selected jewelry and pre-owned categories. Its referral fee rules say the fee covers all TikTok Shop fees except shipping and tax, calculated on the customer payment plus any platform discount, minus tax. If a buyer returns an item, TikTok Shop refunds the referral fee minus a 20% administration fee, capped at $5 per SKU.

The money arrives later. TikTok Shop starts the settlement clock when the order is delivered, not when it is placed, and new sellers start in the slowest tier:

Settlement tier	Payout after delivery	Who qualifies
Introductory	31 days	New or probationary sellers
Standard	8 days	Default for established sellers
Accelerated	5 days	Shop Performance Score of 3.5 or higher
Express	1 day	Shop Performance Score of 4.0 or higher

Source: TikTok Shop Seller Center, Finance & Settlement 101, updated August 10, 2026, accessed September 2026. Budget for a month of inventory and shipping before your first payout lands.

How do you sell on TikTok without TikTok Shop?

Use TikTok for attention and close the sale on your own page. Four setups cover most solo sellers, and all of them run from the JIM app:

Website link in your bio: JIM builds a free website when you sign up, with your product catalog and checkout on the page. A viewer taps your bio link, picks an item, and pays by card. Sales on the site cost 4.99% + $0.30.
Payment Link for DM orders: Someone comments "how much?" or asks for a custom order. Confirm the details, then send a JIM Payment Link by text or DM. They pay by card, Apple Pay, or Google Pay, with no app to download.
Bookings for services: Groomers, lash techs, and tutors can let clients book from the website link. You set services, prices, and hours, and choose whether clients pay online when booking or in person after the appointment.
Tap to Pay at your booth: Post where you'll be this weekend, then take cards with Tap to Pay on an iPhone or Android phone with NFC, at 1.99% per sale and no card reader to buy.
Before you add the link: TikTok lets you add a website to your profile once you have 1,000 followers or a Verified Business Account. In the U.S., that verification asks for an IRS document showing your EIN, and a state business license is not accepted.

Under 1,000 followers and no Employer Identification Number (EIN), the federal tax ID for a business? The IRS says you can get an EIN online for free, and approved applications receive the number right away. Until your link is live, send Payment Links in your DM replies. TikTok recommends a direct link over a chain of pages, so point your bio straight to your JIM Website. The JIM Website guide covers what you can edit, and payment links for business explains when a link beats an invoice.

This path keeps the customer relationship with you. The buyer pays on your page and the conversation stays in your inbox, so your next drop or market date reaches them directly.

How much do you keep on a $40 TikTok sale?

On a $40 item, JIM Tap to Pay leaves you $39.20, a JIM Payment Link leaves $37.70, and a TikTok Shop order leaves $37.60 after the 6% referral fee.

What you keep on a $40 sale: $39.20 with Tap to Pay, $37.70 with a Payment Link, $37.60 with a TikTok Shop order

How the buyer pays	Fee	Fee on $40	You keep	Money available
JIM Tap to Pay (in person)	1.99%	$0.80	$39.20	Seconds
JIM Payment Link or Website	4.99% + $0.30	$2.30	$37.70	Seconds
TikTok Shop order	6% referral fee	$2.40	$37.60	1 to 31 days after delivery

Example: a $40 item with no discounts, tax, or shipping. Fees from jim.com/pricing and the TikTok Shop fee table, accessed September 2026.

Online, the fees land within 10 cents of each other. The real gap is timing: a new TikTok Shop seller waits up to 31 days after delivery, while JIM puts the money on your JIM Card, a Visa prepaid card, in seconds. Instant settlements subject to terms. JIM is a financial technology company, not a bank; banking services are provided by Lead Bank, Member FDIC.

What kind of TikTok videos sell?

Show the work, not a product shot. Videos where people watch you make, fix, or change something give buyers a reason to trust your price. Build each week from these formats:

Behind the scenes: Packing orders, loading the car, setting up the booth before sunrise. Viewers see the person behind the item.
Process videos: Pour the candle, shape the loaf, stitch the seam. Show one full process, start to finish, in under a minute.
Before and after: Grooming, detailing, cleaning, repairs, and hair all make natural before and after clips. Open with the before so people stay for the reveal.
Answer a comment: Reply to "how much?" or "do you ship?" with a video. It answers the next buyer too.
One next step: End every video with one action: "Link in my bio" or "Find me Saturday at the Elm Street market."
Paying creators or sending free products: The FTC says anyone who gets money or free products to promote you must disclose that relationship in the video itself, not only in the caption.

How often should you post on TikTok to sell?

Post on a schedule you can keep for two months, such as three videos a week, instead of a burst of daily posts that stops in week two. Treat that as a working habit, not a platform rule. Film in batches: set up once, record three process clips, and post them across the week.

Judge each video by what it sells, not by views. Count the DMs, bio-link visits, and orders that follow a post, and make more of the formats that bring them.

How do you promote a local business on TikTok?

Tell people where and when to find you in every video. Put your city in the caption, say the market name and hours out loud, and post a reminder the night before each market day. Film the booth, the line, and the product in customers' hands, because that footage shows a stranger what the visit looks like.

Need more places to sell? Ask JIM, the AI agent in the app, to find markets, fairs, and events near you picked for your business type, or for tips to promote your website. It's free and available 24/7. New to booth selling? Start with how to start a flea market business.

A $40 sale keeps $39.20 with JIM Tap to Pay at the market you promote, and $37.70 through a Payment Link or your JIM Website, with the money on your JIM Card in seconds instead of up to 31 days after delivery. Put your free JIM Website in your TikTok bio, send Payment Links in DMs, and take taps at your booth. Create my free JIM Website.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do you need 1,000 followers to sell on TikTok?

Not for TikTok Shop: its registration guide for individuals asks for ID, tax, and address details, with no follower minimum. To put a website link in your profile, TikTok requires 1,000 followers or a Verified Business Account.

How much does TikTok Shop take from each sale?

Most U.S. categories carry a 6% referral fee, and selected jewelry and pre-owned categories carry 5%. TikTok says that fee covers its platform fees except shipping and tax.

Can you sell on TikTok without TikTok Shop?

Yes. Post videos, put your website in your bio, and take payment through your own checkout, a payment link in DMs, or Tap to Pay at a market booth.

Can I sell on TikTok Shop without an LLC?

Yes. TikTok Shop lets you register as an individual selling under your own name, with a U.S. ID, the last 4 digits of your SSN or an ITIN, proof of address, and a W-9.

How long does TikTok Shop take to pay sellers?

TikTok Shop starts a payout 1 to 31 days after the order is delivered, based on your settlement tier. New sellers start in the 31-day tier.

Can you sell services on TikTok?

Yes, through your own link. TikTok Shop centers on shippable products and bans virtual or digital products unless approved, so groomers, tutors, and stylists usually send viewers to a booking page in their bio.

How do I get paid for orders that come in through TikTok DMs?

Confirm the item, price, and pickup or shipping in the chat, then send a payment link. A JIM Payment Link costs 4.99% + $0.30 per sale, and the money lands on your JIM Card in seconds.