What is TikTok Shop?

What is TikTok Shop, and how does a sale happen?

On a classic marketplace you search, compare and then buy. On TikTok Shop the order runs the other way: you watch, get interested, tap and buy. The product reaches you through content instead of a search bar.

The whole journey happens inside TikTok, so TikTok attributes sales to the video or LIVE that led to them. A seller can see which creator, which video and which LIVE session sold which product. A creator can see which of their posts earned commission.

Where do people buy on TikTok Shop?

Products reach buyers in three places:

• Short videos: a creator or the brand posts a video with a product link attached.
• LIVE streams: a host shows products in real time and viewers buy during the stream. Our guide to TikTok LIVE shopping covers how a stream runs.
• The Shop tab: a storefront inside the app where people browse, closer to a classic marketplace.

For the US in 2025, Momentum Works reports that videos drove about half of TikTok Shop sales, the Shop tab about 36% and LIVE about 14%, with LIVE’s share growing year on year. Comparable public figures for the UK and the EU are scarce, so treat the split as a US picture.

Who does what on TikTok Shop?

• Sellers open a shop, list products and handle orders. A seller can be a brand or a retailer.
• Creators promote products from any shop through the affiliate program and earn a commission on each sale they drive. They hold no stock and ship nothing.
• TikTok runs the platform, takes payment and charges sellers a fee per sale.
• Partners and agencies work for either side: they run affiliate programs for sellers, represent creators or handle logistics.

The affiliate link between sellers and creators holds the system together. A seller decides what commission to offer, and any eligible creator can pick the product up and start selling it. How TikTok Shop commission is calculated explains the math, and TikTok Shop affiliate plans explains the three ways a seller can set the offer.

What does TikTok Shop cost a seller?

A sale that a creator drives carries two costs for the seller:

• A referral fee to TikTok, a percentage of the order that differs by market and category. TikTok’s Seller University lists 9% (including VAT) as the standard UK rate. In Ireland, Spain, France, Germany and Italy the rate rose from 5% to 9% on 8 January 2026 (ChannelX), with lower rates for some electronics and beauty-device categories (ChannelX; TikTok’s Ireland rate table). In the US, TikTok’s public table shows 6% for most categories; one agency, Be Bold Digital, reported a rise to 8% for most non-food categories from 4 August 2026, which TikTok’s public table did not show when we checked in October 2026. Check the rate for your category in your Seller Center.
• The affiliate commission to the creator, which the seller sets. The seller pays it only when a creator drives the sale.

Shipping, returns, ads and samples come on top, depending on how the seller runs the shop. How much it costs to sell on TikTok Shop works through a UK example.

How big is TikTok Shop?

Momentum Works estimates TikTok Shop’s global GMV (gross merchandise value, the total value of goods sold) at about 64.3 billion US dollars in 2025, up 94% on the year before, across the 16 markets it counted for that year. The US was the largest single market at 15.1 billion dollars. Southeast Asia together reached 45.6 billion, as TechNode Global reported.

Sellers do not share that growth evenly. Momentum Works’ research found that more than half of US TikTok Shop stores recorded no sales at all in 2025. Having a shop is not the same as having sales; the report does not say why.

Is TikTok Shop available in your country?

Local sellers can register in the UK and eight EU countries (Ireland, Spain, France, Germany, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands and Poland), the US, Mexico, Brazil, Japan and six Southeast Asian countries. TikTok announced Austria for June 2026, but TikTok’s EU seller policies still list eight countries. In the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye, local sellers cannot register yet. In Saudi Arabia, EcomCrew reports that shoppers can buy from cross-border sellers abroad, but there is no local shop or Seller Center. For the UAE and Türkiye we found no confirmation that buyers can order.

The list changes often, so we keep it on one page: Where TikTok Shop is open shows each market with its source and the date we last checked it.

What does it mean for creators and brands?

If you are a creator, you earn commission when people buy through your content, with no stock, shipping or customer service to handle. Your results depend on the products you pick and on content that makes people want to buy. Start with how to become a TikTok Shop creator.

If you are a brand, the affiliate program around the shop needs the right commission, the right creators, samples and steady content. Start with how to sell on TikTok Shop.

Rules change. TikTok Shop updates fees, rules and market availability regularly. When in doubt, check your Seller Center or Creator Center.