How to Start Selling Online
in the UK — Step by Step

Step 1 of 5

Choose what you're selling

The product question matters more than the platform question. Most people get this backwards.

For UK sellers in 2026, three models work well:

• →Dropshipping — you sell, your supplier ships. No upfront stock. Works best with a clear niche and strong product pages. Margins are thin; volume and marketing matter.
• →Own products — handmade, printed, or white-labelled. Higher margins, stronger brand, more work to start.
• →Digital products — templates, courses, software. Near-zero fulfilment cost once created. Growing fast in UK market.

Validate before you build: Search your product on TikTok and Google Trends UK. If nobody's searching and nobody's posting content about it, the market isn't there yet — or isn't in the UK. Start where demand already exists.

Step 2 of 5

Choose your platform

For UK starters, the decision is usually one of three:

• →SellKit (£8.49/mo) — cheapest all-inclusive option. SEO, marketing, attribution built in. Best for starters who want to focus on selling, not on managing a tech stack.
• →Shopify (£19+/mo real) — industry standard, massive app ecosystem. Better if you already have tech experience and anticipate rapid scaling. Real cost is 4× the headline price once you add apps.
• →WooCommerce (£20-40/mo real) — maximum flexibility, requires technical skill. Only choose this if you or someone on your team is comfortable managing WordPress servers and plugin updates.

Budget matters less than momentum. The cheapest platform is the one that doesn't become a distraction. If you're spending weekends on plugin conflicts instead of marketing, your platform is too expensive — regardless of what it costs.

Step 3 of 5

Register your business

In the UK, you can start selling without registering — up to £1,000/year (the HMRC trading allowance). Above that, you need to register.

• →Sole trader — register with HMRC online, free, takes 10 minutes. File a self-assessment tax return each year. Simplest option for most starters.
• →Limited company — registered at Companies House (£12 online). More admin, but separates personal and business finances. Consider this once you're consistently profitable.
• →VAT registration — mandatory when turnover exceeds £90,000/year. Optional before that.

Step 4 of 5

Set up payments

UK buyers expect card payments and PayPal as a minimum. Set up both from day one.

• →Stripe — 1.5% + 20p per successful UK card transaction. Most UK sellers start here. Easy approval, supports most card types, fast payouts.
• →PayPal — 2.99% for most transactions. Higher fees, but some UK buyers still prefer it. Add it as a secondary option.

You're also legally required to display a clear returns policy, privacy policy, and terms of service. SellKit includes templates for all three — legally reviewed for UK consumer law compliance.

Step 5 of 5

Drive your first traffic

Don't touch paid ads until you've made at least 5 organic sales. Learn what converts first, then amplify it.

• →TikTok / Instagram Reels — highest organic reach for product content in 2026. Short videos showing the product in use, with a clear link in bio.
• →SEO — longer game, but free and compound. Write one product-focused blog post per week targeting what people actually search. Use SellKit's built-in SEO tools to optimise each page.
• →Track everything from day one — use SellKit's built-in attribution to know exactly which channel drives sales. Don't guess. The data tells you where to double down.