# How to Sell on TikTok Shop: Setup, Fees, LIVE Selling and GMV > How to sell on TikTok Shop step by step, what you need to sign up, how much TikTok takes per sale including on LIVE, what GMV means, and how to get your first orders. Canonical: https://scheduleforyou.com/blog/how-to-sell-on-tiktok-shop Last updated: 2026-10-28 Category: TikTok. To sell on TikTok Shop, sign up at **TikTok Shop Seller Center**, verify your identity or business, connect a bank account, list your products and link a TikTok account to sell from. You then sell three ways: product links in your videos, selling on **LIVE**, and paying other creators an affiliate commission to promote your products. TikTok takes a referral fee on each order (around 6% in most US categories at the time of writing, with reports of an increase in 2026), and there's no monthly subscription. Here's the full setup, what TikTok takes, and how to get the first sales. ## What you need to sign up (US) - **Age 18 or over** and US residency for an individual seller, or a registered business (with an EIN) for a company account. - **ID:** a driver's license, passport or state ID. - **Tax details:** your SSN or ITIN for individuals, EIN for businesses. - **Proof of address** and a **US bank account** in the same name for payouts. - **Products you're allowed to sell.** Some categories (supplements, cosmetics, electronics) need extra approval; some are banned. Requirements differ in the UK, EU and Southeast Asia, so start from the Seller Center for your country. ## How to set up TikTok Shop step by step 1. **Register in Seller Center.** Go to TikTok Shop Seller Center, sign up with a phone number or email and choose individual or business. 2. **Verify.** Upload your ID or business documents. Approval usually takes from a day to a few business days. 3. **Add a warehouse address and shipping.** In the US, TikTok's own logistics options now handle most shipping; follow the shipping setup in Seller Center. 4. **Connect your bank account** for payouts. 5. **List products.** Clear photos on a white or simple background, a short title with the key search words, size and material details, and honest shipping times. 6. **Link your TikTok account.** Connect the account you'll post from as an official shop account, so product links appear in your videos and LIVE. 7. **Set up affiliate commissions** (optional but powerful): choose a commission rate creators earn per sale, so others can promote your products. ## How much does TikTok take per sale? | Cost | Typical amount (US, at the time of writing) | | --- | --- | | Referral fee | About 6% of the order in most categories, 5% in a few; some sources report 8% from August 2026, so check your Seller Center rate | | Payment processing | Included in the referral fee in current US terms | | Affiliate commission | Whatever rate you set, often 10% to 20%, paid only on sales a creator drives | | Shipping | Depends on size, weight and the TikTok logistics option | | Ads (optional) | Whatever you spend on GMV Max or other TikTok Shop ads | ### How much does TikTok take if you sell on LIVE? The same referral fee applies whether the sale happens from a video, the Shop tab or a LIVE stream; there's no separate LIVE cut. If another creator sells your product on **their** LIVE, you also pay them your affiliate commission. If you're the creator selling someone else's product, you earn that commission and don't pay the referral fee. Gifts viewers send on LIVE are separate from Shop sales and are paid out as diamonds, explained in our guide to [TikTok galaxy gifts and coins](https://scheduleforyou.com/blog/how-much-is-a-galaxy-on-tiktok). ## What is GMV on TikTok? **GMV** means **gross merchandise value**: the total value of orders placed through your shop, video or LIVE before fees, refunds and returns. A LIVE that "did $5,000 GMV" sold $5,000 of products at checkout, not $5,000 of profit. TikTok uses GMV in Seller Center dashboards, in affiliate programs (creators are ranked by the GMV they drive) and in its ad product **GMV Max**, which optimizes ads for total sales value. To see what you actually keep, subtract the referral fee, commissions, shipping, returns and product cost. ## Why brands use TikTok LIVE to sell - **Questions answered in real time.** Viewers ask about size or fit and you answer on camera, which removes the doubts that stop a purchase. - **Urgency.** Flash prices and limited stock during a stream push people to decide. - **Proof.** Showing the product being used, unboxed or compared is more convincing than photos. - **Reach.** Popular streams are recommended to people who don't follow you. You need to be 18 or over and meet LIVE requirements to host; our guide on [how to go live on TikTok](https://scheduleforyou.com/blog/how-to-go-live-on-tiktok) covers them. ## Getting your first sales - **Post product videos every day.** Show the product in use in the first two seconds, and say what problem it solves. Shop sellers who post daily get far more chances at the For You feed. - **Send free samples to small creators** in your niche and offer a solid affiliate commission. - **Collect reviews early.** A shop with ten honest reviews outsells one with none. - **Post when buyers are online.** Our guide to the [best time to post on TikTok](https://scheduleforyou.com/blog/best-time-to-post-on-tiktok) has the windows. Keeping a daily posting rhythm is the part most sellers drop. Schedule For You can publish your finished TikTok videos and photo posts on a schedule, and the same clip can go to Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts from one draft. Schedule For You doesn't add Shop product links, so add those in TikTok. ## Frequently asked questions ### Do you need followers to sell on TikTok Shop? No, a seller account has no follower minimum. Creators who want to earn affiliate commissions promoting other shops' products do need a minimum, which has been 5,000 followers in the US at the time of writing; the app shows the current requirement. ### Is it free to sell on TikTok Shop? There's no listing or monthly fee. TikTok takes a referral fee per order, plus whatever affiliate commissions and shipping you pay. ### How long does TikTok Shop approval take? Usually one to a few business days after you submit documents. Missing or blurry documents are the most common reason for delays. ### What does GMV mean on TikTok? Gross merchandise value: the total value of products sold before fees, returns and costs. ### Can I sell on TikTok Shop from outside the US? To sell to US buyers you generally need a US entity or residency; otherwise use TikTok Shop's cross-border program or the Seller Center for your own country. ## Related - [All guides](https://scheduleforyou.com/blog) - [Pricing](https://scheduleforyou.com/pricing)