The fastest way to sell products online in India is to list on a marketplace that already has traffic; the most profitable is your own WooCommerce store, which costs about ₹6,000 in year one and keeps the customer. Most sellers run both: a marketplace for discovery and a store for repeat orders.
The three ways to sell products online in India, with first-year costs
Marketplaces bring traffic and take a fee on each sale; your own WooCommerce store costs about ₹6,000 in year one and keeps the margin; social selling works when buyers already message you. The table compares what each route costs and what it leaves you to do.
| Route | First-year cost | What you control | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marketplace (Amazon, Flipkart, Meesho, ONDC) | No setup fee; a fee on each sale set by the platform | Reach, and often logistics | Customer data and pricing rules stay with the platform |
| Own WooCommerce store | About ₹6,000: hosting ₹400/month plus a .com domain | Brand, pricing and the customer list | You bring the traffic |
| Own Shopify store | ₹1,499/month billed yearly, about ₹18,000 a year | Managed admin and checkout | App costs, and a 2% fee on Basic with a third-party gateway |
| Instagram or WhatsApp selling | No platform fee | Speed and conversation | Manual orders, no catalog at scale |
A marketplace listing costs nothing to start and gives the platform a cut of every order. The WooCommerce route costs about ₹6,000 in hosting and domain, so it pays for itself once the fees on those orders pass that figure. That break-even is the decision, and the e-commerce website cost guide carries the full line items.
Selling on Amazon, Flipkart, Meesho and ONDC: what a marketplace needs
A marketplace listing needs a PAN, a bank account in the business name, a GSTIN, a verified pickup address and a catalog with weights and dimensions. The marketplace supplies traffic, payments and often logistics, and keeps the customer relationship.
- GSTIN and PAN for seller verification; both are asked for at registration.
- A pickup address a courier can reach, with a working pin code.
- Product data: title, images, weight, dimensions, HSN code and price.
- A price sheet that already covers commission, shipping and returns.
ONDC works differently: it is a network of buyer apps and seller apps rather than one marketplace, so a catalog listed through a seller app can appear in several buyer apps. Meesho and ONDC both suit low-ticket catalogs where buyers compare mainly on price.
Selling from your own WooCommerce or Shopify store
Your own store gives you the customer list, pricing and margin; you bring the traffic. WooCommerce on WebJi hosting costs ₹400 a month plus a domain, and Shopify Basic is ₹1,499 a month billed yearly with hosting and admin included.
WooCommerce is cheaper if you will run updates and plugins; Shopify is faster if you want checkout and admin managed. Either way the store needs a catalog, an Indian gateway, pin-code shipping and a GST invoice. A WebJi store build covers all four and hands over the admin, and the platform comparison sits in our guide to the best ecommerce platforms in India.
Setting up payments: Razorpay, UPI and COD
Connect a payment gateway, complete KYC and enable UPI, cards and net banking before launch. COD converts first-time buyers but adds return-to-origin cost and delays settlement, so cap it by cart value.
Gateway onboarding needs PAN, bank details and a live website, so build the store first and start KYC in parallel. Test a live order in each payment mode and confirm the webhook marks it paid before switching off test keys. UPI deserves its own test because it is the default choice for most Indian buyers; rates and settlement times sit in the payment gateway guide.
Shipping and delivery for Indian online sellers
A courier aggregator gives rate cards by pin code, pickup scheduling and COD remittance without a logistics team. Shiprocket is the common choice; Delhivery and India Post are direct alternatives once volume justifies a negotiated rate.
Two settings decide whether shipping makes or loses money: serviceability, because a pin code you cannot reach becomes a refund, and volumetric weight, because a light bulky parcel is billed on size. Run one full order cycle to your own address before launch: label, pickup, tracking and delivery.
GST, invoices and return policies for online sellers
Marketplaces require a GSTIN for standard listings, and a registered seller must show GST separately with HSN codes on every invoice. A written returns policy and a business bank account are the other two things buyers and gateways ask for.
On your own store, an invoice plugin generates the invoice from the order with the GSTIN, HSN and tax breakup printed. WebJi invoices for hosting and builds are in INR with 18% GST. Keep the return window, who pays return shipping and the refund timeline on one page, linked from the product page and the footer.
A 30-day launch plan for an Indian online store
Five phases in 30 days: validate the product, register the business and start gateway KYC, build the catalog and store, test a live order cycle, then soft-launch to your own list before paid ads.
- Days 1–5, validate. Check marketplace listings for the same product, price and reviews, then confirm the margin after fees, shipping and returns.
- Days 6–10, paperwork. Register the business, open the bank account, apply for a GSTIN if you need one and start the gateway KYC.
- Days 11–20, build. Photograph the catalog, write descriptions with dimensions and materials, load products and set shipping zones, COD limits and GST invoice details.
- Days 21–25, test. Place a real order to your own address in each payment mode, print the label, track the delivery and process one refund.
- Days 26–30, launch. Open to your WhatsApp list and Instagram followers first, fix what the first ten orders break, then start ads on a small daily budget.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I sell my products online in India?
List on a marketplace such as Amazon, Flipkart or Meesho to reach buyers without a website, or open your own WooCommerce store to keep the margin and the customer. Most sellers do both: test on a marketplace, then move repeat buyers to the store.
Do I need GST to sell online in India?
Marketplaces require a GSTIN for standard listings, and it is what lets you print a tax invoice with HSN codes. On your own store, registration depends on your turnover; once registered, the store must show GST separately on every invoice.
Which is better — my own website or Amazon and Flipkart?
Amazon and Flipkart bring traffic on day one and take a fee per sale. Your own store costs about ₹6,000 in year one and keeps the customer list, margin and pricing control, but you bring the traffic. Start where the buyers are, then move repeat buyers to the store.
How much does it cost to start selling online?
A marketplace listing has no setup fee but takes a share of each sale. Your own WooCommerce store costs about ₹6,000 in year one for hosting and a domain; Shopify is ₹1,499/month billed yearly. A studio build runs ₹1,50,000–₹5,00,000.
How do I accept UPI payments on my online store?
Connect a payment gateway such as Razorpay, complete KYC with PAN, bank details and a live website, then enable UPI, cards and net banking in checkout. Test one live order in each mode before you announce the store.
What is the best platform for a small online business?
WooCommerce on Indian hosting for a store you run yourself, or Shopify if you want the admin and checkout managed. A marketplace is better when you have no traffic plan yet. Compare them on cost and how easily you can leave, not on features alone.