Opening a Store on TikTok Shop, Shopee or Lazada: Where Should You Start?

Compare TikTok Shop, Shopee and Lazada by product type and skills, learn how to work out costs before pricing, and follow a step-by-step plan for your first store.

You have a product ready to sell, maybe homemade snacks, clothes or goods from your family's factory, and you are stuck on the same question: should you open on TikTok Shop, Shopee or Lazada first? The answer is not which platform is better. It depends on your product, the time you have and the skills you are good at.

How marketplaces differ from social commerce

Shopee and Lazada are marketplaces. Customers arrive intending to buy: they search, compare prices and order. TikTok Shop is social commerce. Customers see products while watching videos or live streams and buy because the content draws them in. This difference decides where you spend your effort. One side rewards a strong storefront, pricing and reviews. The other rewards content creation.

Comparing the 3 platforms

TikTok Shop

• Good for: products that show well on video, such as food, fashion, beauty and items with an interesting way of use.
• Strength: a clip or live stream that takes off can bring strangers to your shop even when it is new.
• You need: regular video content and readiness to go live or work with creators.

Shopee

• Good for: products people already search for, everyday goods and affordable items.
• Strength: customers arrive ready to buy, with promotional tools such as discount codes and campaigns around key dates.
• You need: searchable product names and photos, competitive prices and fast chat replies.

Lazada

• Good for: brands that want to look credible and higher-priced products.
• Strength: the LazMall zone for brands and official stores.
• You need: complete product information, brand documents if you want to join LazMall, and accurate stock management.

Choosing by product type

• Products people need to see to want (food, fashion, beauty): start with TikTok Shop.
• Products people already search for (household items, gadgets): start with Shopee.
• Branded or higher-priced products: consider Lazada and LazMall.
• Handmade or niche items: your own social channels together with one marketplace.

Work out costs before setting prices

Every platform charges fees, such as category-based commission, payment fees and fees for some programmes. Rates change with platform policy, so always check each platform's seller centre before pricing. A simple formula that works anywhere:

Your selling price must cover product cost + packaging + platform fees + discounts you plan to give + the profit you want.

Many new shops lose money because they copy competitors' prices without deducting fees and discounts. Read more in 7 reasons online shops fail and on tax in tax essentials for online sellers.

One store that really sells beats three stores you have no time to look after.

When to expand to more platforms

1. Sales on your first channel have stabilised and you know which products sell.
2. You have a stock and order system that stops you overselling.
3. You have someone to help with back office, packing and chat replies.

Where to start: a 4-week plan

1. Week 1: choose one platform based on your product type, register as a seller and read all the fees.
2. Week 2: list 5 to 10 products with good photos and descriptions.
3. Week 3: run a small promotion or make a product video.
4. Week 4: see which products get views and real orders, then adjust.

Courses on Plants.work Learn that help: Opening a TikTok Shop for new sellers, Product tagging on TikTok Shop to sell more easily, Opening a store on Shopee and How to open a Lazada store for beginners. If you want to sell abroad, see Selling on Alibaba.com for beginners and the export guide for new SMEs.