How To Sell On TikTok Shop UK
Category
TikTok Shop
Published by
Tom Emmanuel
Read Time
6 Minutes
If you want to know how to sell on TikTok Shop UK, the short version is this: register in Seller Center as a sole trader or a UK company, pass the identity and address checks, list your products and ship from UK stock. TikTok takes a 9% commission on each completed order. Setup takes days. The first few weeks, while your shop is on probation, decide whether it works.
Tom Emmanuel
Founder, Furnace Commerce
How to sell on TikTok Shop UK, step by step
Choose the right seller type first
Seller Center asks you to pick a seller type before anything else: sole trader or individual, privately-owned business, publicly-listed business, state-owned business or charity. TikTok is clear that this choice decides which documents you need and cannot easily be changed later, so pick the one that matches your legal structure, not the one that looks quickest. Sole traders must be 18 or over and verify with a passport or driving licence issued by the UK government, plus a short selfie check holding it. Companies must be incorporated in the UK, with a UK business address, company registration details, a VAT number and a business representative who lives in the UK and can prove it. TikTok says larger enterprises may be allowed a representative based abroad, but that is its call, case by case.
Have your documents ready before you start
Most slow applications are slow because of paperwork. Proof of address has to be a bank statement or utility bill dated within the last three months, and bank statements must be unredacted. ID images must be in colour, legible and uncropped, front and back, in PNG or JPG. Names must match exactly across your ID, your company registration and the account; TikTok's own guidance says discrepancies may delay verification. You will also need payout details for a bank account at a UK institution, your tax details and the address of the warehouse your stock ships from, with proof. Larger companies can hand registration to an authorised user, but a current director has to sign a letter of authorisation. Gather all of it before you open the form and the process is quick.
Your stock has to be in the UK
TikTok Shop UK is a local marketplace. The registration policy requires sellers to store inventory in the UK, ship UK orders domestically and accept returns domestically. Goods must have been imported properly, with the seller accepting liability for import VAT and duty, and TikTok can ask for evidence of where your stock is held, such as an address or a lease. For overseas brands this is the real hurdle. Without a UK company, a UK-resident representative and UK stock, you cannot open a standard UK shop yourself. The workable routes are setting up a UK entity with a UK 3PL, or selling through a UK partner who holds the stock and runs the account. Decide which before you spend anything on content.
Set up the shop, then list properly
You can sign up with a phone number, an email or a TikTok account. Each phone number or email can only register one shop, and if you sign up with a TikTok account, TikTok recommends one aligned with your brand. Once verified you choose a shop name, add a logo and contact details, review everything and submit. Avoid words like "official" or "flagship" in the shop name, and avoid special characters. Then list your products with clear titles, accurate attributes and proper images. A shopper who taps through from a video and lands on a thin listing will not buy. Check TikTok Shop UK's Restricted Products Policy for your category before you list, and make sure your fulfilment can dispatch on time from the first order, because early performance carries a lot of weight. Link the shop to your brand's TikTok account so your own videos and lives can tag products from day one.
Setting up a TikTok Shop takes days. Getting through probation without damaging your shop score is the part that needs a plan.
TikTok Shop UK questions sellers ask
What percentage does TikTok Shop take?
The standard UK commission is 9% of each completed order, and that rate includes VAT. It is calculated on the order value including customer-paid shipping and any platform-funded discount, less refunds, and it comes straight out of your settlement. TikTok says lower rates are available to eligible sellers, including new sellers, electronics and some beauty and personal care categories. If an order is refunded in full, the commission is refunded too. Commission is not your only cost. Creator commission, samples, shipping, returns and any ads come out of the same margin, so work out what is left after all of them before you set prices.
How long does TikTok Shop probation last?
Every new UK shop starts in probation and there is no fixed end date. You begin at Beginner, capped at 30 orders a day and 100 products, then move through Standard (50 orders, 200 products) and Premium (100 orders, 1,000 products) to Pro, where the limits come off. You move up by completing tasks and keeping performance clean: ship on time with tracking, avoid cancellations and returns, keep customers happy. Your Shop Performance Score only appears after 30 orders in 90 days. The practical point: do not book a big creator push in week one. A viral video into a 30-order daily cap wastes the moment.
How many followers do you need to sell on TikTok Shop?
None, as a seller. The UK registration policy sets requirements for identity, business registration, address, bank account and where your stock is held. It says nothing about followers. Followers matter for reach, not eligibility, and for most brands the faster route to reach is working with creators whose audience already matches your customer, rather than waiting to grow your own account. Set up the affiliate programme early, send samples to a small group of relevant creators, brief them clearly on what the product does and who it is for, then let them make content in their own style. A steady group of well-matched creators usually does more than one large name.
How do you become a TikTok Shop seller as a sole trader?
Sole traders are one of the two seller types in the UK policy. You need to be 18 or over, verify with a UK-issued passport or driving licence and a selfie check, give a UK residential address with proof dated in the last three months, and keep your stock in the UK. If you later want to sell into the EU through TikTok's Sell Across Europe option, you have to be registered in the UK first, and TikTok can still decline. Before you launch, our pre-launch checklist covers stock, fulfilment and creators.
Let's work together
Setting up TikTok Shop?
Tell us about your products and stock and we will get your shop through setup and probation properly.