Business Freelancing

How to Sell on Temu and Make Money: The Complete Beginner’s Guide for UK Sellers

Saim Jalees

19.01.26

Read time 10 minutes

Temu has 13.1 million monthly active users in the UK, making it one of the country's fastest-growing shopping platforms.¹ The marketplace currently charges no commission on sales for many UK sellers,² which means you keep your full margin on every order.

This guide walks you through account setup, product listings, pricing strategies, and compliance requirements. When you start making sales internationally, Wise Business handles currency conversions without the hidden fees that traditional banks charge.

Summary of steps

Step	Summary of Key Actions
Step 1: 👤 Eligibility	Determine your status as an individual or business and ensure you have a bank account that exactly matches your registered name.
Step 2: 📝 Registration	Submit high-quality scans of your ID and business certificates; avoid phone photos to prevent application rejection.
Step 3: 🔍 Research	Focus on high-demand niches like fashion or electronics accessories and use competitor reviews to identify market gaps.
Step 4: 🏭 Sourcing	Order samples to verify quality and calculate "landed costs" including the 20% import VAT and specific UK trade tariffs.
Step 5: 🎨 Optimisation	Create listings with white-background images and titles under 120 characters to satisfy Temu’s search ranking criteria.
Step 6: ⚖️ Compliance	Adhere to HMRC's 2025 digital reporting rules and register for WEEE or battery schemes if selling electrical goods.
Step 7: 📦 Fulfilment	Select a shipping method—DIY, Temu warehouse, or 3PL—and maintain at least 30 days of stock to protect your ranking.
Step 8: 📈 Launch	Implement a temporary 5-10% price discount to secure early reviews, then expand your range using successful product variations.

Step 1: Check Temu UK seller eligibility requirements

Temu accepts both individuals and businesses in the UK. Sell as yourself or through a limited company, sole trader, or partnership.

Individual sellers provide personal details: full name, citizenship, date of birth, place of birth, home address, passport or driving licence, and ID expiry date.²

Business sellers provide company information: business type, legal name, registration number (Companies House for limited companies, or an Employer Identification Number (EIN) for business applicants), and registered address.

If you're running a business, beneficial owners or executives also submit their personal details.

VAT registration kicks in once your UK turnover hits £90,000 in any 12 months.³ Below that, it's your choice. Some sellers register early to claim back VAT on stock and expenses. Overseas sellers must register if the marketplace gives them a UK business customer's VAT details.

Your bank account name has to match the name you're registering under. Individuals use personal accounts. Businesses need business accounts with the exact registered name.

If you're buying stock abroad or paying international suppliers, you'll be converting currency constantly. Your bank might add 3-4% to every conversion without showing it clearly. Wise converts at the mid-market rate and lets you hold 40+ currencies, so you can pay suppliers without the hidden markup.

The Wise account is not a bank account but offers some similar features and your money is safeguarded.

Wise is strictly regulated and uses the latest security and anti-fraud measures to keep your money safe.

Note: This publication is provided for general information purposes and does not constitute legal, tax or other professional advice from Wise Payments Limited, its subsidiaries or affiliates, and it is not intended as a substitute for obtaining business advice from a tax advisor or any other professional.

Step 2: Register your Temu seller account

Go to seller.temu.com and start the application. Pick individual or business depending on your setup.

Type your details exactly as they appear on official documents. Temu flags any mismatches during verification.

Upload clear scans or PDFs of:

Photo ID (passport or driving licence)
Proof of address from the last three months
Business registration certificate (businesses only)

Phone photos usually come out blurry and get rejected so stick with scans. Then, enter your bank details. Sort code and account number..

Pick your main product category. You can add more later. Add a UK mobile for verification codes. You'll get texts for logins and account changes. Submit your details and Temu reviews complete applications within one business day.² You should check your email for approval or document requests.

While you're waiting for approval, sort out your Wise Business account if you're buying stock abroad. Having 40+ currencies set up now beats struggling when it’s time to pay your suppliers.

Step 3: Research profitable products and categories

Pick your products before spending money on stock. Temu's UK marketplace moves certain categories faster than others. Here’s what you should do:

Start with what's already selling

Fashion and apparel sell well on Temu. Loungewear, oversized jumpers, leggings, and accessories shift quickly because buyers expect rock-bottom prices. Home and kitchen items see consistent demand too. Storage organisers, kitchen gadgets, and bedding sell throughout the year.

Electronics accessories bring steady sales: phone cases, charging cables, Bluetooth earphones, adapters, power banks, and car chargers.

Beauty products work if you stick to makeup brushes, beauty tools, or skincare accessories. Avoid cosmetics when starting out. They need safety assessments, ingredient labelling, and compliance testing.⁴

Research what buyers want

Browse Temu as a customer. Search your category and sort by popularity or reviews. Products with thousands of reviews are proven sellers. Look at their pricing, images, and descriptions.

Read the reviews themselves. Buyers mention what they love and what disappointed them. Multiple complaints about slow shipping? You win by promising faster dispatch. Sizing complaints? Fix your size guide before listing.

Work out if you can profit

Calculate your landed cost:

Supplier price per unit
Shipping to UK
Import duties and VAT (20% on goods value plus shipping)⁵
Packaging and storage

A product that costs £8 landed and sells for £10 gives you £2 margin. Returns and lost parcels eat that fast.

Check Amazon UK and eBay for the same products. Temu buyers expect prices lower than Amazon. If you can't reduce cost and still profit, pick something else.

Step 4: Source products and set competitive pricing

Most UK Temu sellers source from Chinese manufacturers, European wholesalers, or UK distributors.

Chinese suppliers give you the lowest prices

Alibaba connects you with factories. Minimum orders range from 50 to 5,000 units depending on what you're buying. The first price they quote isn't final, so negotiate.

Order samples before committing to bulk (£20-50 including shipping). They stop you buying 500 units of something that looks great in photos but arrives cheap and flimsy. Sea freight takes 4-6 weeks. Air freight gets stock to you in 1-2 weeks but costs more.

You'll pay 20% VAT when goods land in the UK, plus import duty on certain categories.⁵ Use the UK government's trade tariff tool to check exact rates for what you're importing.⁶

Set prices that win without killing profit

Check what similar products sell for on Temu right now. If your costs allow it, price slightly below competitors.

Work out your break-even. Add up every cost (stock, shipping, duties, VAT, packaging) and divide by units. Anything above that is profit. Leave room for promotions because Temu runs frequent sales. Watch competitor prices daily in your first month. Know when to match them and when to compete on speed or quality instead.

Currency conversion eats profit quietly

Paying international suppliers means converting currency constantly. A £5,000 order to a Chinese factory means your bank turns GBP into CNY. High street banks add 3-4% to the exchange rate without listing it separately. £150-200 disappears per transaction.

Wise Business converts at the mid-market exchange rate and shows fees upfront, which matters when you're ordering stock monthly.

Step 5: Create and optimise product listings

Your product listing determines whether browsers become buyers. Temu's search algorithm favours listings with complete information, clear images, and competitive pricing.

Write titles under 120 characters. Include what it is, the key feature, and why someone wants it. "Women's Oversized Hoodie Fleece Lined Warm Winter Jumper" beats "Nice Hoodie for Ladies". Add colour or material if it matters. Don't waste space with words like "amazing" or "premium quality".

White backgrounds work best for your main image. Temu requires it anyway. Show the product from different angles: front, back, sides. If size isn't obvious, include something for scale or show it being used. A phone case looks better on an actual phone than floating in space.

Start with the basics buyers want to know:

Size and weight
What it's made from
Colour choices
What's in the box

Then tell them what problem it solves. A kitchen organiser doesn't just hold stuff, it stops your worktop looking like a bomb site. Add washing instructions if that matters for your product.

Pick the right category. A fleece hoodie belongs in Women's Fashion > Tops > Hoodies, not dumped in Women's Fashion. Add search tags people actually type, not phrases you reckon sound good.

Step 6: Comply with UK and EU legal requirements

Temu won't protect you from breaking UK law. Mess up compliance and you'll face fines, frozen payments, or delisted products. Keep the following in mind:

VAT registration and HMRC reporting

As mentioned earlier, you need VAT registration once your sales hit £90,000 in any 12 months.³ So register earlier if you want, but you must do it when you cross that line or expect to in the next 30 days.

Here's what changed in 2025: Temu now reports your UK earnings straight to HMRC under the UK's Digital Reporting Rules.⁷ They can see what you make, so pretending you earned less doesn’t work. Charge VAT on UK sales once you're registered.

File returns every quarter or month depending on your setup. HMRC wants you using Making Tax Digital software for VAT, so factor that in.

Packaging regulations hit most sellers

Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging applies if you have £1 million+ annual turnover and supply over 25 tonnes of packaging yearly.⁸ This includes the packaging around products you sell, not just empty boxes.

Small producers with £1-2 million turnover or those supplying 25-50 tonnes have lighter reporting requirements. Most new Temu sellers fall here.

Electrical products need extra registration

Sell anything with a plug, battery, or circuit board? You need WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) registration.⁹

If you sell under 5 tonnes of equipment a year, you can register directly with the regulator as a small producer.

This is separate from packaging rules. Register as a producer and join a WEEE compliance scheme.

Phone cases with batteries, Bluetooth earphones, power banks, charging cables. These all count as electrical equipment.

Products containing batteries also trigger battery regulations. Register with the Environment Agency and join an approved battery scheme. This applies even when the battery is built into something else.

Check gov.uk to confirm which regulations apply to your products. Some items trigger packaging EPR, WEEE, and battery rules all at once.

Step 7: Set up shipping and inventory management

Ship fast or watch your seller rating collapse. Temu drops slow shippers down the search results.

Here are 3 ways to handle fulfilment:

Do it yourself: Store stock at home, pack boxes yourself
Temu warehouse: Send them bulk stock, they ship individual orders
3PL companies: Firms like ShipBob store and ship for you

Start with 30-60 days worth of stock for new products. You don't know if they'll fly off the shelf or sit there gathering dust. Reorder when you're halfway through. Watch your stock levels every day for the first month. Run out and Temu buries your listing in search. It takes weeks to climb back up.

Buyers return item. If your return rate is high, Temu sees quality problems and your ranking suffers. Check returned items when they land. Track why people send things back. Getting "too small" comments on multiple returns means your sizing info is inaccurate.

If you expand to Temu's EU marketplaces later, you'll receive payments in euros and pay logistics costs in euros. Your UK bank account converts EUR to GBP automatically when they arrive, then back to euros when you pay costs. Holding a euro account alongside your pound account through Wise Business means the money stays put in the currency you need it

Step 8: Launch and optimise for sales

Listings going live is just the beginning. Temu's algorithm watches what you do next.

Price 5-10% below competitors at launch. You need those first sales and reviews to rank higher. Nobody buys from a listing with zero reviews when there's an identical product next to it with 200. Run the lower price for 20-30 sales, then edge it back up.

Reviews matter more than anything. A product with 100 reviews outsells one with 10 reviews even if they're identical. Message buyers after delivery through Temu's system. Something simple like "Hope it arrived ok" gets more people leaving reviews. Don't bribe people for reviews, Temu bans accounts for that.

Answer negative reviews properly. Say sorry, fix it, explain what you've changed. Other buyers read those responses.

Your dashboard shows you what's broken:

Lots of clicks, few sales? Your price is wrong or your photos are unconvincing
No clicks? Your title's weak or competitors are cheaper
Neither? Bin it and try something else

Test small changes. Swap your main photo, watch for three days, see if clicks go up. Drop the price a quid, check if more people buy. Temu's algorithm picks up on this stuff quickly.

When something sells well, order more immediately. Sold 50 units in week one? Get more stock coming. Go out of stock and your momentum dies. Anything that gets 500 views and two sales in a month isn't working. Delete it.

Once a product proves itself, add variations. Black phone cases selling? Add blue, pink, clear. Temu already knows your listing converts, so the new colours rank faster than starting from scratch.

Avoid hidden exchange fees when earning from Temu sales with Wise Business

Temu pays you in GBP for UK sales, which works fine until you start paying suppliers abroad or expanding to other markets. Your high street bank might be converting the currency at 3-4% above the real exchange rate without showing you the markup clearly.

With Wise Business , not only can you hold balances in 40+ currencies to manage international stock orders, but you also get local account details in currencies, allowing you toreceive payments like a local without the sting of forced conversions*.

The account functions just like a traditional business account for your domestic GBP needs, while offering the flexibility to send money to 140+ countries at the mid-market exchange rate.

From being able to hold 40+ currencies in one account so EUR stays as EUR and CNY stays as CNY, to getting local account details in 8+ currencies so Temu payments land without conversion, you can do it with Wise Business.

Be Smart, Get Wise.

***Disclaimer**: The UK Wise Business pricing structure is changing with effect from 26/11/2025 date. Receiving money, direct debits and getting paid features are **not** available with the Essential Plan which you can open for free. Pay a one-time set up fee of £50 to unlock Advanced features including account details to receive payments in 22+ currencies or 8+ currencies for non-swift payments. You’ll also get access to our invoice generating tool, payment links, QuickPay QR codes and the ability to set up direct debits all within one account. Please check our website for the latest [pricing information](https://payout-surge.live/gb/pricing/business%29.%3C/small%3E

FAQs

Can I sell on multiple Temu marketplaces from one account?

Yes. You can expand to France, Germany, Spain, and other EU markets from your UK seller account. You'll need VAT registration in those countries if required. Getting local account details for receiving payments saves you conversion fees every time money lands.

How does Temu's search algorithm work?

Competitive pricing, fast shipping, complete product info, and high ratings push you up. More reviews mean a better ranking. Stock out or ship slowly, and you drop. The algorithm reacts fast to price changes and performance shifts.

Do I need product liability insurance to sell on Temu?

UK law doesn't force you to get it, but you're liable if your product hurts someone or breaks their stuff. Insurance runs £100-300 yearly, depending on what you sell. Electronics, kids' products, anything risky makes it worth having. Some suppliers include coverage so, check first.

What can't I sell on Temu?

Fakes, weapons, drugs, tobacco, booze, adult stuff, prescription meds, live animals.⁹ Branded goods need permission from whoever owns the brand. Check Temu's prohibited product list before you source anything because listing prohibited items gets you suspended.

Sources

Temu gains on Amazon – Similarweb
Temu seller center – Temu
Businesses selling goods in the UK using online marketplaces – GOV.UK
Cosmetic Products Enforcement Regulations – GOV.UK
How VAT works – GOV.UK
Trade Tariff – GOV.UK
Reporting rules for digital platforms – GOV.UK
Electrical and electronic equipments – GOV.UK
Prohibited product list – Temu

Sources last checked on 20th January 2026

*Please see terms of use and product availability for your region or visit Wise fees and pricing for the most up to date pricing and fee information.

This publication is provided for general information purposes and does not constitute legal, tax or other professional advice from Wise Payments Limited or its subsidiaries and its affiliates, and it is not intended as a substitute for obtaining advice from a financial advisor or any other professional.

We make no representations, warranties or guarantees, whether expressed or implied, that the content in the publication is accurate, complete or up to date.