Short answer
TikTok Shop UK lets UK-based sole traders and companies sell inside TikTok, and UK creators earn commission promoting products. Sellers need to be 18 or older, with a passport or driving licence, a UK address, UK stock and a UK bank account, and pay a commission fee of 9% per order (VAT included), or 5% on electronics, appliances and some beauty devices. Creators need 500 followers and to be 18 or older; commission is paid to a UK bank account 3 or 15 days after delivery.
What is TikTok Shop UK?
It's TikTok's in-app shop for the UK market, run from its own Seller Center and Academy (seller-uk.tiktok.com) with its own fees and rules. Buyers check out in the TikTok app; sellers list and ship from UK stock; affiliate creators tag products in videos and LIVEs for a commission the seller sets.
The UK rules differ from the US ones most guides describe: a higher fee that includes VAT, a lower follower bar for creators, faster top settlement tiers and HMRC reporting. For the US version, see how to sell on TikTok Shop in the US.
Who can sell on TikTok Shop UK?
| Sole trader | Company | |
|---|---|---|
| Age | 18 or older | No age rule stated for the company |
| ID | A valid passport or driving licence | The same, for the business representative |
| Address | A UK address with proof of address | A UK business address |
| Bank | A UK account in the name on your ID | A UK business bank account |
| Stock | Held in the UK | Held in the UK |
| Returns | Ship and accept returns within the UK | The same |
A 2023 TikTok course page still says only UK citizens can register as individual sellers. The 2026 registration policy asks for a UK address and ID instead and doesn't mention citizenship, so go by the current policy and what Seller Center asks for when you sign up.
What are TikTok Shop UK's fees?
A commission fee of 9% per order, inclusive of VAT, by TikTok Shop UK's fee page (dated 15/09/2025). TikTok's formula is: (net sales + shipping the customer pays + platform discount − refunds) × the rate. So the fee is charged on shipping too, and on the part of the price TikTok's own promotions paid for. It comes straight out of your settlement, and TikTok invoices it monthly.
- 5% categories: TikTok's UK category sheet puts almost all of Phones & Electronics and Computers & Office Equipment at 5% (stationery-type items stay at 9%), along with household appliances, some pre-owned devices and beauty devices such as hair dryers, straighteners, electric toothbrushes and shavers. Cosmetics, skincare and perfume are 9%.
- New sellers can get a lower rate for a period; TikTok's page says it exists but gives no figure.
- No fixed per-item fee appears on TikTok's UK fee pages.
- Creator commission is a separate cost you set, worked out on the product price minus your discount and TikTok's platform discount.
What does a UK order leave you after fees?
We ran a typical own-brand product through our commission calculator's seller logic with TikTok Shop UK's rates in pounds: £19.99, £5.50 to make, £3.20 postage (free to the buyer), £0.50 packaging, 5% returned, over 100 orders. Your costs will differ: postage and packaging here are our assumptions.
| Scenario | TikTok fee | Profit per order (margin) |
|---|---|---|
| 9% fee, no affiliates | £1.71 | £8.36 (44%) |
| 9% fee, 15% commission | £1.71 | £5.51 (29%) |
| 5% fee (a hair tool), 15% commission | £0.95 | £6.27 (33%) |
The creator's 15% is £2.85 an order in both commission rows. The UK fee on this order is £1.71. At the US rate of 6% the same order would cost £1.14, so a UK seller pays £0.57 more per order on a like-for-like basis, before the 5% categories, which come in below the US rate.
Our pick: if you sell a product that could be listed in either a 9% or a 5% category, check TikTok's UK category sheet before you list. Basis: on this product the lower rate adds £0.76 profit per order, £75.96 over 100 orders, with nothing else changed. The rate follows the category the product really is in, so this matters most for things like hair tools and gadgets that sit on the line between beauty and electronics.
When do TikTok Shop UK sellers get paid?
| Tier | Released after delivery | Who gets it |
|---|---|---|
| Introductory | 31 days | New sellers at the first probation level (Beginner) |
| Standard | 8 days | Sellers out of probation, or at its second and third levels (Standard, Premium) |
| Accelerated | 3 days | Shop score 3.0 to 3.5 and over $4,500 (about £3,392) GMV in the evaluation period |
| Express | 1 day | Shop score 3.5 or more and over $30,000 (about £22,613) GMV |
| Deferred | 31 days | Sellers suspected of fraud or risky selling |
The money usually reaches your bank about 3 business days after the settlement period ends. TikTok can also hold part of an order's funds in a reserve for 30 calendar days after delivery to cover refunds and disputes.
Who can be a TikTok Shop affiliate in the UK?
- 500 followers, by TikTok Shop UK's creator eligibility policy (dated 03/09/2026). You keep access unless you drop more than 100 below that.
- 18 or older.
- Use your account from the country it was registered in, and it can't be a government or political account.
TikTok's older UK start page for sellers and creators (last changed March 2024) still says 1,000 followers and a video posted in the last 28 days. The 2026 policy is the newer page, so it's the one we follow; if the app asks for more, the app wins. Either way it's lower than the US bar of 1,000. Our guide to the affiliate program compares the US, UK and Philippines and covers samples and the content rules.
How are UK affiliates paid, and what tax details does TikTok ask for?
- Commission: (revenue − refunds) × the commission rate, at the rate the seller sets.
- When: on the 3rd or 15th day after the order is delivered, depending on the seller's settlement period. TikTok doesn't say which seller tiers give which, so expect 15 days unless you see otherwise in your dashboard.
- Where: to a UK bank account, through Stripe, once you've passed identity (KYC) checks. TikTok starts a payout automatically every 90 days if you have a balance and no restrictions.
- Tax reporting: TikTok Shop UK asks creators who earn commission to give their National Insurance number and VAT status under the UK's reporting rules for digital platforms (MRDP), and to review those details by 31 December each year, or payouts can be blocked.
On HMRC's side, trading income up to £1,000 a year is covered by the trading allowance; above that you register for Self Assessment and declare it. If someone offers you a UK "TikTok Shop" role that needs a fee first, it isn't TikTok: see how to spot TikTok Shop scams.
What didn't we check?
We didn't open a UK shop, so we can't say how long approval takes. The UK seller terms, TikTok Shop's UK buyer pages and the creator withdrawal rules didn't load as text for us, so this page leaves out UK buyer protection and any minimum withdrawal. Postage, packaging and product costs in the example are our assumptions, the new-seller rate has no published figure, and we didn't check VAT rules for sellers based outside the UK.
