Start where your buyers already shop and where you can begin this week: WhatsApp and Instagram if people already know you, a marketplace if you need buyers, then your own store. A quick map: the free WhatsApp Business app with a catalog and a UPI or Razorpay payment link suits a local shop or maker; Meesho charges 0% commission and takes sellers without a GSTIN within their own state; Flipkart charges 0% commission below ₹1,000 and on fashion but needs a GSTIN except for books; Amazon needs GST except for exempt goods and shows zero referral fee on over 12.5 crore products; your own Shopify store (₹1,994 a month) keeps the customer data and margin, but you must bring the traffic; Zoho Commerce, from ₹599 a month billed yearly, includes an ONDC sales channel. Ship with an aggregator such as Shiprocket, whose Lite plan is free. The rule: one marketplace for new orders and one channel you own, WhatsApp or a store, for repeat buyers.
Part of Ecommerce on eChai Explore.
9 resources, 7 India-specific, 9 link-checked.
Shows how a small budget is split across product, registrations and channels for an Indian home-based ecommerce start.
On youtube.com by Konnection Business 11 min
Flipkart's own fee page: 0% commission on products under ₹1,000 and on the whole Fashion category, a fixed fee set by your seller tier, and the payment cycle.
From seller.flipkart.com by Flipkart 5 min
Amazon India's own fee schedule: referral fees by category (many at 0% up to ₹1,000), closing fees by price band and fulfilment channel, weight-handling fees, the 7 September 2026 closing-fee change, and a revenue calculator.
From sell.amazon.in by Amazon 15 min
A fulfilment-company's-eye view of the website-vs-marketplace decision, which is useful precisely because it centres on the operational (not just marketing) implications of each path.
From Flowspace by Flowspace
WhatsApp's free app for small businesses: a business profile, catalog, greeting and away messages and quick replies on one phone number, the right first step before paying for the API.
From business.whatsapp.com by WhatsApp 3 min
WhatsApp Business on eChai Explore
Meesho's own seller page: what you need to register (GSTIN, or an Enrolment ID/UIN if you are not GST-registered, plus a bank account) and how listing, shipping and payment work.
From supplier.meesho.com by Meesho 4 min
Shopify's rupee prices for India: Basic ₹1,994 a month (₹1,499 billed yearly), Grow ₹7,447 (₹5,599 yearly), Advanced ₹30,164 (₹22,680 yearly), plus 2%, 1% or 0.6% on sales through a third-party gateway such as Razorpay.
From shopify.com by Shopify 5 min
Zoho's online store builder: Standard ₹599 a month billed yearly (₹999 list), Professional ₹1,799, with 0% transaction fee and an ONDC sales channel on every plan; plugs into Zoho Books and Inventory.
From zoho.com by Zoho 4 min
Zoho Commerce on eChai Explore
Shiprocket's plans: Lite is free and averages ₹45 a shipment for up to 5 orders a month, Business ₹199 a month (about ₹41) for 5 to 50 orders, Advanced ₹499 a month (about ₹39) for 50 to 200.
From shiprocket.in by Shiprocket 3 min
