Selling online doesn’t start with a big budget or technical skills. Most people who do well started with a handful of products, a phone, and a first group of customers who already knew them. What keeps you going is doing each step properly, not doing everything at once.

If you want to sell online but don’t know where to start, this guide puts the steps in order, from choosing what to sell to your first customer.

Step 1: Choose what to sell

Products that are easy to start with usually have a few things in common.

  • You know them well, so you can answer questions without looking anything up: the coffee you brew every day, or clothes you pick piece by piece.
  • There is profit left after everything: the product, packaging, delivery and any channel fees.
  • They travel well: nothing that breaks easily, spoils fast or needs to stay cold, unless customers pick it up from you.
  • They have a story: handmade, home-grown, hand-picked or with a clear origin. Customers remember a shop for that, not for being the cheapest.

Three to five products you are most confident about are enough. Listing everything on day one wears you out before you know what customers like.

Step 2: Choose where to sell

In Thailand, the places to sell online fall roughly into three groups, each good at something different.

Channel Good at Worth knowing
Chat and social media (LINE, Facebook, Instagram) Start today, close contact with customers Orders are scattered across chats, you write them down yourself and answer the same questions every day
Marketplaces (Shopee, Lazada) Lots of people already browsing Fees taken from each sale, price competition with the shop next door, and the customers belong to the platform
Your own shop website The shop is yours, your brand is clear, no commission You bring customers in yourself, through social media, chat and regulars

Most beginners don’t need to pick just one. Many shops chat with customers, use a marketplace so new people find them, and keep their own website where regulars order again. To work out what suits you, read Selling on Shopee or your own shop website and How LINE MyShop differs from your own website.

Step 3: Price for real profit

The most common beginner mistake is copying a competitor’s price and finding out later that delivery and packaging ate the whole margin.

Before you set a price, add up:

  • The cost of one item
  • Packaging, such as boxes, tape and bubble wrap
  • The channel’s fees, if any
  • The profit you want per item

Delivery matters just as much: a flat fee, free delivery above an amount, or pickup at the shop. See how to work it out, with examples, in How to set prices and delivery fees without losing money.

Step 4: Take photos people want to tap

Online customers can’t touch the product, so photos do the job of their hands and eyes. You don’t need an expensive camera. A phone and daylight from a window are enough.

  • Shoot near a window during the day, with the room lights off.
  • Use a plain, single-colour background, such as white paper.
  • Take several angles, and one photo that shows the real size next to a hand or an everyday object.
  • Wipe the lens before every shoot.

More tips in Product photos that sell, taken on your phone.

Step 5: Write descriptions that answer questions before they are asked

A good description doesn’t need to be long, but it should answer what customers want to know before they decide: size, material, colour, taste, how to use it and how long delivery takes. Every question answered on the page is a chat you don’t have to answer again.

If writing isn’t your thing, there are now tools where AI drafts it for you. In Tellsell, for example, you send a photo and say or type the name and price in LINE, and AI writes the name, description and category, without adding facts you didn’t give. See what AI can and can’t do in What is selling online with AI?

Step 6: Get paid safely

Most online shops in Thailand take PromptPay, because buyers can scan and pay from any banking app and the money goes straight to the shop’s account. There is one thing to remember.

A slip is not proof that the money arrived. Check your banking app every time before you ship.

Fake slips are easier to make than you’d think. See the warning signs and how to check in How to spot a fake slip.

Step 7: Find your first customer

Your first customers are usually people who already know you. Don’t skip them.

  • Send your shop link to friends, family and existing customers, and ask them to pass it on.
  • Put the shop link in every social media profile.
  • Post new products regularly. Steady beats a burst followed by silence.
  • If you have a physical shop, put a QR code for the shop link on the counter.

A happy customer is the cheapest marketing there is. Ship on time, reply quickly and say thank you for every order.

Step 8: Keep orders from slipping through

Once orders start coming in, notes on paper and scrolling through chats start to fail: orders get missed, sold-out items get sold, and you lose track of who has paid. A system that records orders, keeps stock and alerts you from the start is far less work than switching when you are busy.

Worth looking into once you sell regularly

When selling becomes regular, look into e-commerce business registration with the Department of Business Development and income tax on your sales, so the shop can grow without problems later.

Summary: a checklist before you start

  • Pick 3–5 products you know well and that make real profit
  • Choose your channels, and have a link to your own shop to share
  • Set prices and delivery fees that cover every cost
  • Take bright, clear photos from several angles
  • Write descriptions that answer customers’ questions
  • Take PromptPay, and check your banking app every time
  • Tell the first customers who already know you

If you want your own shop website without starting from scratch, open a shop on Tellsell for free, run it from the LINE you already use every day, and let AI write the product pages. Or see every step in How to open an online shop with LINE in 5 minutes.