I Opened a TikTok Shop. Here’s What I Wish I Knew First.

It was probably a mistake. But like all mistakes, there are good lessons to learn from it. And I feel that from this experience, you can decide whether the TikTok shop is the right fit for you. There is even a questionnaire at the end!

Humans Don’t Have Horns came out in August 2025, and since then, I’ve been in full experimental mode, trying a bunch of different ways to get it into readers’ hands. I’ve shared about my TikTok influencer campaign. So far, it has been my biggest marketing success, especially since some influencers still keep recommending Humans Don’t Have Horns. Which I am forever grateful for.

Overall, I received a good amount of attention for my book on TikTok, despite not having many followers.

If you’re on TikTok and still not following me, you can change that now.

So, trying to sell my book on the TikTok shop felt like a natural next step.

This is what I’ve learned:

The business account

To sell through TikTok Shop, you need a business account. To me, the biggest disadvantage of a TikTok business account is that you can’t use most audios.
You can only use TikTok’s authorized audios. In a platform based on trends and vibes, this sucks. Some operate with two accounts once they open the shop. Also, keep in mind that you need to provide a lot of your information to TikTok to become a seller. So start by asking yourself if you’re good with opening a business account.

The seller center app is limited in functions and quality. Use the desk version

The good news: opening a shop costs nothing

TikTok doesn’t charge you to open the store. So this was a low-risk experiment. You will pay with time, though, a valuable resource for sure.

I do not have inventory in my garage

This is a huge factor. I print on demand. I’m not sitting on big inventory because I’m trying to keep risk low, which is very common with indie authors, especially in their early career stages, as I am.

And this is where TikTok Shop gets tricky, because the biggest advantage of TikTok Shop is also the thing that didn’t really work for me,

TikTok affiliates are the key

TikTok has affiliates, which means you can upload products and let other creators promote them. You can pay them up front, or you can offer a percentage commission. The seller center makes this very easy to navigate.

That affiliate system is probably the biggest advantage TikTok has over other platforms. If you can get creators to talk about your book while you sleep, that is the dream.

But affiliates want products they can sell at scale. I didn’t want to pay anyone up front to promote my books. I was willing to offer a percentage instead. And I assumed that would be enough, but then I realized that I’m not a good fit for affiliates. The affiliates will work on a commission-only basis if you have a large volume of products to sell.

It actually makes sense.

I do see indie authors with active TikTok shops that work without affiliates, but they usually have 10K+ followers.

The books I did sell

The sales are all through my profile, and no affiliations, which is good because I didn’t pay commission. But also, it kept my reach low.

I never sold the signed copy by itself. What sold was the PR box, an influencer-style experience. It includes the book, goodies, and beautiful packaging, and it feels like an event. It even sold at a decent price.

I don’t come cheap

I didn’t want to lower my paperback price because I felt it could get messy with the platform I print on. But the moment you enter TikTok Shop, you enter a competitive marketplace.

There are a lot of big publications and authors with inventory who can run discounts without flinching.

If you can’t compete on price, you need to compete on something else: packaging, uniqueness, or audience loyalty.

Returns

Another issue I didn’t like at all: I could not figure out how to prevent returns.

Maybe there is a way, and I missed it. But from what I saw, you can’t simply choose “no returns” the way many indie authors would want to.

I avoid physical distribution in big stores to begin with, because I don’t want to risk the costs of returns.

I did take the risk because I only listed a few books. But on a bigger scale, that might have been a big problem for me.

Livestream pressure (and the faceless creator problem)

TikTok is really pushing livestream. As a faceless creator, I don’t do livestreams.

TikTok offers great rewards to creators who promote in the specific ways TikTok wants. If that fits you, it’s amazing. If it doesn’t fit you, you can still make it work, but you’re swimming against the current.

The constant penalties

Honestly, I had not sat down and read every line of the small print. And I found their rules overwhelming. There are so many regulations: I got flagged for using imported audio, then for using photos instead of a video. You get the idea.

The uploaded a video, and in the caption, I mentioned other platforms where I sell my book. TikTok gave me a penalty and said they were delaying my payments by 90 days.

After they delayed my payments, I just stopped posting with the shop link, and I haven’t had a sale since. I didn’t close the shop. But I neglected it completely. It just stresses me out too much at this point.

Sure, I can overcome this, learn the system. But that requires time that will probably be best spent elsewhere.

So… was it worth it for me?

It was fun. It was interesting. I learned a lot. But it was not the best use of my time, sales-wise. TikTok Shop asks for a level of operational commitment that is bigger than “just list your book.” I still haven’t closed my TikTok Shop. But after the constant red flags, I stopped actively pushing it.

Your turn: Is a TikTok shop a good fit for you?

Ask yourself the following question:

1. Do you have inventory and can offer affiliates a real opportunity to scale and sell more than a few copies?

2. Can you afford a significant amount of returns?

3. Are you able to offer your books at a competitive price, including discounts throughout sales TikTok promotes?

4. Do you feel able to keep up with the changing policies and rules, and to comply with them?

5. Are you willing to show your face and do livestreams?

6. Do you have a significant audience?

If you answered yes to most questions, TikTok Shop can be a great opportunity for you.

If you answered no to most questions, I recommend dedicating your time and effort elsewhere.

This is the Part where I make an ask

Publishing indie books takes a lot of time and resources. The ugly truth is that book sales at current royalty rates rarely cover the cost of a high-quality book production.

Your paid subscriptions help me fund immaculate editing, cover art, audiobook production, and everything that allows The Crown of Blood and Magic trilogy to exist outside my brain.

With my paid subscribers (and street team), I share my entire development process of Book Two in The Crown of Blood and Magic trilogy: writing updates, spoilers, and the messy, honest progress that doesn’t make it into public posts.