How to Turn Your Instagram Shop Into an Online Store (2026 Guide for Indian Sellers)
Since September 2025, Instagram sends every Shop purchase to your website. Here is how to move your catalogue off DMs and onto your own store, with the real costs.
In this post · 6 sections
You sell hand-embroidered chikankari kurtas from Lucknow on Instagram. About 40 orders a month at ₹1,450 each, every one of them closed in DMs: a "price?" comment, a size chart sent as an image, a UPI QR, a payment screenshot, then an address typed out by hand. It works, but each order takes four or five messages, and you only find out how many buyers drifted off when you scroll back through the inbox.
Turning an Instagram shop into an online store means moving that checkout off DMs and onto a website you control. You list your products on the site with prices, sizes and stock, connect a payment method (a gateway like Razorpay, direct UPI or cash on delivery), set delivery charges, and put the store link in your bio so buyers can order without messaging you. Instagram stays your shop window; the website takes the order and the payment. Since September 2025 Meta sends every purchase from Facebook and Instagram Shops to the seller's own website anyway, so a website is no longer optional for selling on Instagram at scale.
Key takeaways
- As of September 2025, Shops on Facebook and Instagram use website checkout only. Buyers browse on Instagram and pay on your site.
- Meta's commerce rules require a shop to list products for sale from a website domain you own, so a store with a custom domain is the starting point.
- The setup is the same on any platform: clean up your catalogue, choose a platform, import products, connect payments, set shipping, check GST, connect a domain, swap your bio link.
- Razorpay's standard fee is 2% per successful domestic payment, plus 18% GST on that fee. On a ₹1,450 kurta that is ₹34.22.
- Keep DMs for questions and custom orders. Send the store link instead of a QR code for everything else.
Why do you need a website if you already have an Instagram shop?
Because Instagram no longer takes payments for you. Meta's help page on changes to Shops and checkout says that as of September 2025, Shops on Facebook and Instagram use website checkout: buyers can still browse your shop, collections and product pages on Instagram, but they are sent to your own website to complete the purchase. Payment processing, order management, returns and disputes inside Commerce Manager have been discontinued.
Meta's commerce eligibility requirements also ask that your Instagram professional account represents your business and your domain: the products it lists must be available to buy directly from your website, you give Meta the domain you sell from, and you may have to verify that you own it.
So the realistic choice for an Indian seller is not "Instagram shop or website". It is "DMs as checkout" or "a website as checkout". Here is how the three set-ups compare.
| Selling in DMs only | Instagram Shop (Meta) | Your own online store | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where the buyer pays | Your UPI ID or QR, sent in chat | On your website (website checkout since September 2025) | On your website |
| Payment confirmation | Buyer's screenshot; you check your bank app | Depends on your website | Gateway confirms automatically; direct UPI still needs a manual check |
| Order record | Chat history | Kept on your website, not in Commerce Manager | Order dashboard |
| Needs a website domain | No | Yes, one you own | Yes (a platform subdomain works to start) |
| Can run ads to a product page | No, ads land in a chat | Yes | Yes |
| Abandoned-cart follow-up | Only if you remember | Depends on your website | Depends on the platform |
| Who keeps the customer list | Your phone | Your website | Your website, exportable |
What is selling through DMs actually costing you?
DMs feel free because no platform takes a cut. The cost shows up as time and as orders that never close. Run the numbers for the Lucknow seller with your own figures in place of these (they are an example, not a benchmark):
| Item | Assumption | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| Orders closed | 40 at ₹1,450 | ₹58,000 in sales |
| Chat time per closed order | 12 minutes (price, size, payment, address) | 8 hours |
| Enquiries that never pay | 1 in 4 enquiries, 12 minutes each | 13 more enquiries, 2.6 hours |
| Checking UPI screenshots against your bank app | 2 minutes per order | 1.3 hours |
| Total time on order admin | About 12 hours |
If even three of those 13 lost enquiries would have bought from a product page with a "Buy now" button, that is ₹4,350 of sales a month. The point of the table is not the exact number. It is that the cost of DMs grows with every order, while the cost of a store is mostly fixed.
How do you turn an Instagram shop into an online store? Step by step
These steps apply whichever platform you pick. Budget a weekend for a catalogue of 30 to 60 products.
1. Clean up your catalogue before you move it
Instagram posts are not product listings. Before you import anything, make a simple sheet with one row per product: name, price, sizes or colours, stock, weight and packed box size. Captions often say "DM for price" or list three prices for three sizes, and those need to become a fixed price per variant. Drop sold-out one-offs unless you plan to restock them.
2. Choose a platform by total cost, not sticker price
Compare the subscription, any platform fee on each sale, and the payment gateway fee together. A "free" plan with a 5% transaction fee costs more than a flat plan once sales grow. We worked through the numbers for Instamojo, Dukaan, Shopify and Wix in the hidden cost of free online store builders.
3. Import or add your products
Some platforms import posts from a public Instagram profile, others need a CSV or manual entry. Either way, check every product after import: the price, the variant names, the main photo (crop out text overlays from Reels covers) and stock. Then rewrite the caption into a proper description: fabric, fit, care, size guide, delivery time. Buyers who land from an ad will not have seen the caption thread where you answered those questions.
4. Connect payments
You have three options in India, and most stores offer two of them:
- A payment gateway such as Razorpay. Cards, UPI, netbanking and wallets, confirmed automatically. Razorpay's pricing page lists a flat 2% platform fee per successful domestic transaction, no setup or annual fee, and 18% GST on the fee (not on the order amount). Activation needs KYC and a website that passes its checks, which is easier once your store has a returns policy, contact page and real prices.
- Direct UPI to your own UPI ID. No gateway in the middle, but you confirm each payment yourself, exactly as you do now.
- Cash on delivery. Many Indian buyers still expect it, but the courier charges a COD fee and refused parcels cost you freight both ways. Set an order-value limit.
Here is what the gateway costs on the Lucknow seller's orders:
| Razorpay, standard plan | One ₹1,450 order | 40 orders (₹58,000) |
|---|---|---|
| Platform fee at 2% | ₹29.00 | ₹1,160.00 |
| GST at 18% on the fee | ₹5.22 | ₹208.80 |
| Total gateway cost | ₹34.22 | ₹1,368.80 |
| Share of the sale | 2.36% | 2.36% |
You pay this on any platform that uses Razorpay, so treat 2.36% as a cost of selling online and price for it.
5. Set shipping charges you will not lose money on
The most common mistake when leaving DMs is copying the "₹50 shipping" you quoted in chat into a flat checkout fee. Couriers bill the higher of the actual and volumetric weight, in 0.5 kg slabs, and charge more for farther zones. Work out your real cost per parcel first; our guide to calculating shipping charges in India has the arithmetic and a free-shipping threshold test.
6. Check whether you need GST before the first out-of-state order
A website makes it easy for a buyer in Pune to order from Lucknow, and under Section 24 of the CGST Act an inter-state supply of goods requires GST registration whatever your turnover. Read GST for online sellers with their own website before you open orders to the whole country, or restrict delivery to your state until you are registered.
7. Connect a domain
Launch on the platform's free subdomain if you want to start today, then connect a domain you own, bought from any registrar. Meta asks for the domain you sell from, and a buyer typing your brand name into Google should land on it.
8. Switch Instagram over to the store
- Put the store URL in your bio, and add product links to Story stickers and Highlights such as "Shop" and "Size guide".
- Change your saved DM replies from "Here is the QR" to "Here is the link, you can pay by UPI or COD."
- If you use an Instagram Shop, make sure each product's checkout URL points to the matching product page on your store.
- Pin a post announcing the store, and tell regular buyers directly.
What should a store do that DMs cannot?
When you compare platforms, these are the features that replace DM work rather than just looking nicer:
- Variant-level stock. If the M in mint green sells out, the button stops working. No more "sorry, that one's gone" after the buyer has paid.
- Automatic payment confirmation through a gateway, and refunds from the dashboard.
- Invoices generated for each paid order, with GST details if you are registered.
- Courier integration for labels, pickups and tracking, so buyers stop asking "where is my order?"
- Abandoned-cart reminders for buyers who reached checkout and left.
- Analytics that show which posts and ads lead to paid orders, using Meta Pixel and Google Analytics.
- A customer list you can export, so your best buyers are not only names in a chat list.
How this works in Selzix
Selzix starts with your existing catalogue. You can review selected posts from a public Instagram profile and import them as draft products, then check names, prices and images before publishing. If you already have a public Shopify catalogue, Selzix can import it with images, options and variants. Products, categories, variants and stock are managed from the seller dashboard.
You build the storefront from one of eight brand kits in a visual editor, preview desktop and mobile, and publish. The store goes live on a Selzix address straight away, and you can connect a domain you own with guided DNS setup and SSL.
For payments, Indian stores connect their own Razorpay account or offer direct UPI with their own UPI ID or QR, and can enable cash on delivery with order limits and an optional fee. Money settles to your own account and Selzix charges no transaction fee. For delivery, you set shipping charges and PIN-code delivery zones, then fulfil yourself or connect Shiprocket or Delhivery for labels, pickup and tracking. Indian stores get GST tax invoices with HSN codes and a GST return report, plus eligible abandoned-cart reminders, product reviews, customer segments with CSV export, and Meta Pixel and Google Analytics settings.
The limits are worth knowing before you start:
- The Instagram import works from a public profile and creates drafts. You still review every price and variant, because captions rarely contain clean prices.
- Selzix does not move your DM history, past orders or customer list from Instagram, and it does not sync products back to a Meta catalogue for product tags.
- Direct UPI payments are not verified automatically; you confirm each one from Orders.
- Cart reminders currently cover eligible signed-in customers, not every visitor.
- Domain registration, Razorpay fees and courier charges are separate from the Selzix plan.
There is a 14-day free trial with no card required, then one flat plan paid monthly or yearly that does not renew automatically. Current India pricing, including any live offer, is on the pricing page. If you are weighing it against keeping things in chat, the Selzix vs selling on DMs page sets out the trade-offs, and the features page lists what each tool needs to be set up.
Frequently asked questions
Can I still sell on Instagram after I open a website?
Yes. Instagram stays your main source of buyers. You keep posting, going live and replying to comments; product links and your bio send buyers to the store to pay. Since September 2025, purchases from Instagram Shops finish on your website in any case.
Do I need GST registration to open an online store?
Not to open one. You need it once your turnover crosses your state's limit, or as soon as you ship goods to a buyer in another state, because Section 24 of the CGST Act makes inter-state supply of goods a compulsory registration trigger. Until then, limit delivery to your own state.
Is a payment gateway worth 2% when UPI to my own ID is free?
For most sellers past a few orders a day, yes. Razorpay charges 2% plus GST on the fee, but it confirms payment automatically and supports cards and netbanking. Direct UPI costs nothing per order but leaves you checking screenshots against your bank app. Many stores offer both.
How long does it take to move an Instagram shop to a website?
The store itself can be live the same day on a platform subdomain. Plan a weekend to clean up 30 to 60 products, write descriptions and test checkout. Razorpay activation and domain DNS can take longer, so start those early.
Will my Instagram followers actually buy from a website?
Followers who already trust you will, especially when the link takes them straight to the product they saw. A store mainly helps with buyers who do not want to message a stranger: they can see the price, sizes, delivery charge and returns policy without asking.
Ready to move your Instagram catalogue onto your own store? Start a 14-day free trial. No card needed.