How to Sell on Instagram With or Without a Website

There are two main ways to sell on Instagram today: set up an Instagram shop and tag your products in posts, or send people from your bio and stories to a page where they can buy. Since September 2025, every Instagram shop sends buyers to your own website to pay, so in both cases the sale finishes off Instagram. If you don't have a website, the link route is the one that works.

Pick the route that fits your business

Most small businesses mix them. A maker with an Etsy shop will lean on links and stories. A brand with its own online store can add a shop on top, so its products become tappable in posts. On Shopify, that's how to link Shopify to Instagram. Selling files rather than things? See how to sell digital products.

Instagram Shopping now sends buyers to your website

As of September 2025, every shop uses website checkout. Your shop still has its home page, collections and product pages inside Instagram, but when someone decides to buy, they go to your site. Payment processing inside Shops has ended, and orders, returns and disputes are now handled on your own website, not in Commerce Manager. Meta's page on the change lists everything that went away.

That changes who a shop is for. Meta's commerce eligibility rules say your products must be available for direct purchase from your website, and you give Meta the single domain you sell through (it may ask you to verify it). You also need to:

• Be located in a supported country. The full experience is in the United States. Canada, Brazil, Mexico, the UK, much of Western Europe, Australia, India, Japan, Korea, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand are in an open beta where some sellers may not get every feature. See the full list of supported countries.
• Have an authentic, established presence. Meta says this may include a sufficient follower base, without naming a number.
• Show accurate prices and stock, and make your refund and return policy easy to find.

If you meet those, setup happens in Commerce Manager:

1. Create a Commerce Manager account. To show the shop on Instagram, you need an Instagram business account in your business portfolio. You don't need a Facebook Page if you only sell on Instagram.
2. Submit your shop info for review. Meta says the review can take up to 4 weeks.
3. Set up a shipping profile with at least one shipping speed.
4. Add checkout URL. Your shop stays invisible without it.
5. Click Publish shop.

Tag products in posts, reels and stories

Once your shop is approved, shopping tags are the main payoff. You can add them to reels, stories, photo posts and video posts, and each tag sends the buyer to that product on your website. In a story, the product sticker holds up to 5 products, and you get one product sticker per story.

Two things that trip people up. Instagram no longer lets you put product mentions or links in captions, so tags and stickers are the way. And if you schedule posts through a third-party tool, it can tag products in feed posts only, not in stories or reels.

Sell on Instagram without a website

You don't need a shop, a catalog or Meta's approval to sell. You need a place that takes payment and a link to it. These are the common choices for small sellers:

Stripe is the quickest to start with: how to create a Stripe payment link covers it step by step. Then make the link easy to reach. Instagram lets you add up to 5 links to your profile:

1. Go to your profile and tap Edit profile.
2. Tap Links, then Add external link.
3. Paste the URL and tap Done.

Five links fill up fast once you have a few products, a booking page and an email list. That is why many sellers put one link page in the bio and keep everything on it. Our guide to adding a link to your Instagram bio covers the details, including how to reorder links so the shop comes first.

Take orders and bookings without a checkout

Plenty of Instagram sales start as a message. Pin a post or story highlight that explains how to order, what you charge and how long it takes, so people message you ready to buy. Reply with a payment link rather than asking for card details in a chat.

If you sell appointments or food, business accounts can add one action button to the profile: Book now, Reserve or Order food. Each works through a partner provider, and you need an existing account with that partner before you can pick it. Only one button shows at a time.

Make posts and stories that sell

The selling part of Instagram is mostly the content. A few habits make the biggest difference:

• Show the price. Put it in the caption, on the image or in the story, so nobody has to message just to ask.
• Photograph the product in use. A mug on a desk with coffee in it, a ring on a hand, a print on a wall. Add one clean shot on a plain background for detail.
• Use the link sticker in stories. Swipe up is gone. Tap Stickers, choose Link, paste the product URL and tap See Preview to check it. Anyone who sees the story can tap through. Our step by step story link guide covers custom sticker text and highlights.
• Build drops with the countdown sticker. Name it, set the date and time, and followers who turn on reminders get a notification when it ends. It works well for restocks and new collections.
• Save it to a highlight. Stories vanish after 24 hours, so keep a "Shop" or "How to order" highlight on your profile.
• Point posts to your bio. Instagram no longer lets you add links in captions, so tell people where the link is. See how to add a link to an Instagram post for the options that do work.

Sell from your bio link with Olaa

Olaa gives you one short link, olaa.im/yourname, that opens a page with everything people need to buy from you. On Olaa Pro ($8 a month or $72 a year), you can add products with a photo and price from Stripe, Etsy, Shopify or Gumroad, shown as a button or a buy card. Checkout happens in your own shop, and Olaa takes no cut. You can also add a contact form, email signups sent to Mailchimp, photo galleries and countdowns for a launch. The free plan already covers unlimited links, Calendly bookings that open on the page and a QR code for your counter or packaging.

Setup takes a few minutes and needs no code. See how it looks for a small shop on Olaa for shops, or compare plans on the pricing page.

FAQ

Can I sell on Instagram without a website?

Yes. Instagram Shopping needs a website you sell from, but nothing stops you selling through links. Put a link to your Etsy, Gumroad or Shopify page, or a Stripe Payment Link, in your bio and in story link stickers, and buyers pay there.

Does Instagram still have in-app checkout?

No. Since September 2025, all Shops on Facebook and Instagram use website checkout. People can still browse your shop and product pages on Instagram, but they finish the purchase on your website.

How many followers do I need to sell on Instagram?

Selling through links has no follower minimum. For an Instagram shop, Meta asks for an authentic, established presence and says this may include a sufficient follower base, but it doesn't publish a number.

Why can't I tag products on Instagram?

Product tags need an approved shop, and approval needs a business account, a supported country, a website you sell from and a passing review, which Meta says can take up to 4 weeks. If you post through a scheduling tool, it can only tag products in feed posts, not stories or reels.

What is the cheapest way to sell on Instagram?

Stripe Payment Links and Gumroad have no monthly fee, so you only pay when you sell: 2.9% + 30¢ per US card payment on Stripe, or 10% + $0.50 per sale on Gumroad. Etsy adds a $0.20 listing fee plus transaction and processing fees, but your listings also sit on Etsy's own marketplace.