Wish is an online ecommerce marketplace where you can buy and sell just about anything. It allows shoppers to buy from their desktop browser or the app on Android and iOS. Sellers can connect with more than 300 million shoppers in over 80 countries.
If you’d like to start selling on Wish in the UK, keep reading to find out more about setting up a store, Wish’s fee structure and how to ship items to customers.
If you’ve got any type of physical item you want to sell, there’s a pretty good chance you’ll be able to list it on Wish. From fashion and accessories to home decor, automotive, gadgets, tools, jewellery and more, there are endless categories to choose from.
As a general rule, you’re not allowed to sell services on Wish. However, custom orders, for example custom artworks, are permitted.
There are also several items that are prohibited from sale, like:
Counterfeit products
Digital goods
Gift cards
Alcohol
Tobacco
Drugs
Plant seeds
Firearms
Pornography
Child car seats
Bike helmets
Dangerous chemicals
How to find products to sell
There are two main approaches when finding products to sell online:
Look for high-demand products. These are those popular and essential goods that most people need.
Look for niche products. These are products designed to meet the unique needs of a specific group of customers.
Market research will help you work out which products are always popular, which are trending right now and where there are any gaps in the market you might be able to fill. As Wish boasts shoppers in more than 80 countries, you’ll also need to consider overseas shipping costs from the UK when choosing products.
You’ll then have to decide whether you’ll source, store and ship products yourself – in which case you’ll have to start comparing suppliers – or whether you’ll use a dropshipping service to take care of warehousing and shipping orders for you.
How much does it cost to sell on Wish
Wish does not charge any:
Listing fees
Ongoing membership fees
However, when you make a sale, Wish charges a commission of up to 15% on the total order cost – it calls this fee a “revenue share”. You can check the revenue share that applies to your sales by visiting the “General Information” section of your account settings menu.
In addition, as of 1 October 2018, new stores that join the platform must pay a US$2,000 registration fee. According to Wish’s FAQ page about the fee, this new charge was introduced to ensure that merchants who sign up to the platform are capable of delivering the best products and services to their customers. However, merchants that “can prove their credibility” may be exempt from this fee.
You can request a refund of this store registration fee when you choose to close your account, but Wish can decline to return the fee at its discretion.
Let’s crunch the numbers
Let’s ignore the store registration fee for a moment and look at how Wish’s sales commission will impact your bottom line. For example:
If you sell a jacket for USD $40 and shipping is $10, the total order value is $50.
You’ll pay a fee of $7.50 for this transaction.
This eats up 15% of the total order value and means you will receive $42.50.
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While it’s possible to make a profit selling on Wish, nothing is certain. Just like any other type of business, selling online comes with a number of risks attached, so there’s no guarantee that you’ll be able to make money selling on Wish.
That said, there are a few things you can do to increase your chances of success:
Research the market. Browse Wish and other ecommerce marketplaces to find out which products sell well and how they’re priced. This will help you choose which products you want to stock and work out how to price them attractively.
Develop a business plan. Don’t just dive in headfirst. Develop a comprehensive plan for selling online, including a full rundown of your expenses and profit expectations, to improve your chances of making money.
Put time and effort into your listings. Using high-quality product photos and creating SEO-friendly listings can help you attract buyers.
Understand shipping costs. One of the major expenses UK sellers on Wish need to consider is the cost of shipping. If you want to find a cost-effective way to sell to international buyers, make sure you compare a range of quotes to find the most affordable shipping options.
Get better exchange rates. Currency conversion fees and disappointing exchange rates can eat into your profit margins, so consider opening an online seller account to find better value for money.
How do I become a merchant on Wish?
If you’d like to start selling on Wish, you’ll need to sign up for an account by completing the following steps.
Navigate to the Wish website and click the menu tab at the bottom left of the screen. You can then click the “Sell on Wish” link followed by “Try Now”.
Enter a name for your store, provide your email address and create a password for your account. Type in the security code and click “Create my store”.
You’ll now need to provide your name, business street address and phone number. You’ll also need to read and agree to the Merchant Terms of Service before clicking “Enter my store”.
You’ll be taken to your account dashboard where you’ll need to complete the remaining tasks required to set up your account. The first task is verifying your email.
Wish will now send a link to the email address you provided earlier. Click this link to confirm your email address.
You’ll be taken to your account dashboard where you’ll need to complete the remaining tasks required to set up your account. The first task is verifying your email.
Wish will now send a link to the email address you provided earlier. Click this link to confirm your email address.
Next, select the payment provider you’ll use to receive payments from Wish. The recommended option is PayPal, so you’ll need to enter the name, phone number and email address for your PayPal account here. The other option is Payoneer.
Take the time to read and agree to the Wish Merchant Terms of Service and Agreement.
Now it’s time to provide proof of ID and the official details of your business.
If you’re signing up as an individual, you’ll need to provide proof of your ID or proof of ownership of your online store URL.
If you’re signing up as a company, you’ll need to provide your business licence ID as well as the name and ID of a legal representative.
How to price your items
There are a few factors you’ll need to consider when pricing your items:
What are my competitors’ prices? Browse Wish and other ecommerce marketplaces to get an idea of how your competitors are pricing their items.
What are my costs? Consider the cost of sourcing, marketing and shipping products from the UK, including Wish’s fees and all other business overheads. This will help you work out a suitable price point to ensure that you satisfy your profit margins.
How much are buyers willing to pay? You can find this info through market research and also through trial and error with your own pricing strategies.
By answering these three questions, you should be able to work out an ideal price point for whatever you’re selling.
What types of payment does Wish accept?
Wish buyers can pay for their purchases via the following providers:
Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, Cirrus and Maestro
Google Wallet (Google Pay)
Apple Pay
PayPal
Klarna
EBANX (Credit Card, Boleto, OXXO)
iDEAL
As an online seller based in the UK, you can receive payments from Wish via two options:
PayPal
Payoneer
How to get paid by international buyers
Regardless of whether you choose PayPal or Payoneer as your payment provider, when you receive payment in a foreign currency, you’ll need to find a cost-effective way to convert those funds into GBP. Unfortunately, Payoneer adds a margin of up to 2% on the mid-market exchange rate, while PayPal converts your money at 2.5% above its base exchange rate.
This can have a significant impact on your bottom line, so you may want to consider opening a specialist online seller account. This is a multi-currency account that allows you to receive payments in multiple foreign currencies and then offers competitive exchange rates when you want to convert into GBP.
Check out the table below for details of the fees and features of a range of online seller accounts.
Disclaimer: Exchange rates change often. Confirm the total cost with the provider before transferring money.
How to organise shipping
There are a few options to choose from when shipping Wish orders:
Fulfillment by Wish. As part of this program, Wish operates multiple warehouses across the United States and Europe. If you sell to either of these regions, using these warehouses to stock your inventory can provide faster delivery and lower shipping costs. However, make sure you’re aware of all fees that apply before selecting this option.
Ship items yourself. The second option is to take care of storing and shipping items yourself. You’ll need to compare the costs and time frames of domestic and international shipping with a range of providers – you can ship with the Post Office if you want, or consider using a courier service like DHL or TNT.
Use a third-party dropshipping service. Another option is to use a third-party dropshipping provider that can warehouse and ship your orders for you.
You can access a list of accepted shipping providers from your Wish account menu.
How do I market my Wish products?
There are a few different ways you can market products on Wish:
ProductBoost. ProductBoost is an advertising tool you can use to increase the exposure of your products and boost sales. You can run multiple campaigns across multiple products, but you’ll need to pay to use this feature.
Promoted Products. Wish regularly selects products that are selling well to include as part of its promotional campaigns. You can increase the chances of your products being selected by adding product size and colour information to your listings, and adding appropriate tags to your items.
Trusted Store program. Sellers with high-quality products and a proven record of on-time deliveries can qualify for the Trusted Store program. This provides benefits such as increased visitor traffic, faster availability of products in search results and a Verified by Wish badge on products that receive excellent customer feedback.
What to watch out for with Wish
There are a few disadvantages to selling on Wish:
Slow payments. When you receive payments from Wish via PayPal or Payoneer, it’ll take five to seven business days for each payment to arrive in your PayPal account.
Exchange rates. Wish lets you sell to buyers in over 80 countries. If you don’t open a multi-currency account for online sellers, the exchange rate margins of PayPal and Payoneer can impact on your profits.
Hard to find essential information. While Wish’s Merchant Help Centre contains plenty of useful information to help you sell online, finding the specific article or information you want can be a time-consuming process.
Difficult to get noticed. There are more than 100,000 merchants on Wish selling millions of products, so it can be difficult to make your store stand out from the crowd.
Shipping tiers. Wish categorises shipping carriers into four separate tiers. Using a non-Tier 1 carrier to ship items, you’ll need to wait longer before you’re eligible to be paid for your sales.
Not targeted at UK buyers. Wish is designed to target international buyers, especially those based in the USA, so it isn’t as geared towards a UK audience. Keep this in mind when choosing products to sell and selecting shipping methods.
Frequently asked questions
Your tax obligations vary depending on whether you sell on Wish as a hobby or as a business. If you simply use Wish to sell household goods you don’t want any more, you probably won’t be classified as running a business. If online selling is a hobby, you generally won’t have to pay tax on your sales.
However, if you’re planning to run it as a business, you’ll need to register with HMRC as self-employed. You have a trading allowance of £1,000 a year before you have to start paying income tax or your earnings. And if your business has an annual turnover of £85,000 or more, you’ll also need to register for and charge VAT.
Yes. The Wish For Merchants app can be downloaded from Google Play or the App Store.
Tim Falk is a freelance writer for Finder, writing across a diverse range of topics. Over the course of his 15-year writing career, Tim has reported on everything from travel and personal finance to pets and TV soap operas. When he’s not staring at his computer, you can usually find him exploring the great outdoors.
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