How to sell online in Singapore (2026): Shopee, Lazada & more

Key Takeaways:

• Singapore sellers in 2026 have five main channel options: Shopee, Lazada, TikTok Shop, Carousell, and their own website, each with different fee structures, audiences, and setup requirements.

• Singapore eCommerce has clear legal obligations every seller must know before their first sale, from GST registration thresholds to prohibited product categories.

• Airwallex lets Singapore online sellers accept payments via 160+ local payment methods, settle like-for-like in 14 currencies, and pay overseas suppliers in 200+ countries.

Wondering how to sell online in Singapore? The first decision you’ll need to make is which platform to use.

Shopee, Lazada, TikTok Shop, Carousell, and your own website all work differently, cost differently, and suit different types of businesses.

This guide helps you make that decision. It covers how each platform works, what it actually costs, the legal obligations every Singapore seller must meet, and how to set up payments so you can accept orders from day one.

If you're still deciding on your business structure or need to register with ACRA first, start with our step-by-step guide to starting an online business in Singapore.

For a broader look at Singapore's eCommerce market and payment methods, see our eCommerce in Singapore guide.

Shopee, Lazada, TikTok Shop, Carousell, or your own store: Which should you choose?

There's no single right answer, and most established Singapore sellers use more than one channel simultaneously. But the starting point is understanding what each platform is actually built for, who shops there, and what it costs to sell:

This information is based on publicly available information accessed on 17 Aug 2026. Information reflects Airwallex's own research and has not been independently verified.

The commission rate is only one part of what you pay to sell on a marketplace. Your actual cost can also include transaction and service fees, advertising, logistics, and seller-funded promotions or vouchers.

For example, on a S$100 sale, the amount you actually keep depends on the platform, your seller tier, product category, programmes you're enrolled in, and how much you spend to attract customers.

That makes it difficult to compare marketplaces based on commission alone. A platform with a lower headline commission isn't necessarily cheaper once you factor in the other costs of getting an order through to the customer.

Your own website works differently. You don't pay a marketplace commission, but you'll still have payment processing and platform costs, and you're responsible for bringing customers to your store yourself.

In other words, the cheapest platform per transaction isn't necessarily the cheapest way to acquire a customer.

Marketplaces give you access to an existing pool of shoppers, while your own website gives you more control over your margins and customer relationships, but requires more investment in marketing.

1. Shopee

Shopee is Singapore's largest eCommerce marketplace by traffic, with over 13 million monthly visitors as of mid-2024. It's mobile-first, promotion-driven, and built for high volume across most product categories.

What you should know about Shopee:

• The algorithm rewards sellers who run Shopee Ads and participate in campaigns; organic visibility without paid spend is limited for new stores.

• Particularly strong categories include beauty, home living, fashion, and FMCG.

• For most Singapore sellers, Shopee is the default starting point, not because it's the cheapest, but because it has the largest buyer base.

2. Lazada

Lazada is one of Southeast Asia's oldest eCommerce platforms, founded in 2012 and now owned by Alibaba. Its LazMall ecosystem is well-regarded for brand-authorised sellers, and its buyer demographic skews slightly older and more considered than Shopee's.

What you should know about Lazada:

• Strong channel for electronics, home appliances, and fashion: categories where LazMall's trust signal drives conversion.

• LazMall's brand authorisation or official distributor status is a meaningful advantage for sellers who qualify.

• Requires ACRA registration and a local warehouse or fulfilment solution for most seller categories.

3. TikTok Shop

TikTok Shop combines short-form video, live selling, and affiliate marketing into a single platform, and is the fastest-growing eCommerce channel in Southeast Asia.

It's become a significant channel in Singapore for beauty, lifestyle, food, and fashion: categories that demonstrate well on video.

What you should know about TikTok Shop:

• Unlike Shopee and Lazada, TikTok Shop is content-first: sellers need to invest in regular video, live sessions, and affiliate recruitment alongside standard listing management.

• Algorithm-driven discovery means even new sellers can get visibility quickly without relying on paid ads from day one.

• Best suited to sellers who can create engaging content consistently, or who have budget to work with creators and affiliates.

4. Carousell

Carousell is Singapore's leading platform for pre-loved, secondhand, and one-off listings. It's free to list, requires no ACRA registration for individual sellers, and is the lowest-barrier entry point to selling online in Singapore.

What you should know about Carousell:

• Less relevant for businesses selling new products at scale: its strength is pre-loved, refurbished, and one-off inventory

• Strong categories include fashion, electronics, and collectibles where secondhand buyers are active.

• Useful as a secondary channel for clearing excess stock or testing price points before committing to a full marketplace listing.

5. Shopify

Shopify Singapore powers around 9,000 stores in Singapore and is the most popular hosted website builder for eCommerce. Unlike marketplaces, it's a fully branded storefront where you control the customer relationship, pricing, data, and experience.

What you should know about Shopify:

• No marketplace commission: you pay payment gateway fees only.

• You're responsible for driving every visitor to your store, which requires meaningful investment in SEO, paid ads, or social media.

• Works best as part of a multi-channel strategy alongside marketplace presence, not as a standalone starting point for new sellers.

• Airwallex integrates directly with Shopify via a no-code plugin, letting you accept 160+ local payment methods and settle like-for-like in 14 currencies.

How to set up your online business in Singapore

Setting up an online business in Singapore involves choosing what to sell, registering your business, sorting logistics, and building your sales channel.

For a full walkthrough of each step, see our step-by-step guide to starting an online business in Singapore.

Two parts of the process are particularly relevant when you're deciding how to handle payments and where to sell:

Sourcing products and paying overseas suppliers

Sourcing products from countries like China can offer significant advantages, such as manufacturing expertise, competitive pricing, and the ability to scale production. With the right suppliers in China, you can ensure consistent quality and customise products to suit your market.

A multi-currency account simplifies supplier payments considerably. It lets you accept customer payments in USD or CNY and pay overseas suppliers directly in the same currency, eliminating unnecessary conversions and the FX fees that come with them.

Finding logistics and fulfilment solutions

Singapore has several fulfilment centres and logistics providers built specifically for eCommerce. Compare quotes from different providers and factor fulfillment costs into your margin calculations early: logistics typically adds S$5–8 per order for standard domestic deliveries, and more for bulky or refrigerated items.

Your logistics setup also affects which platforms you can sell on. Lazada, for example, requires a local warehouse or fulfillment solution for most seller categories.

Regulations every Singapore online seller must know

Before making your first online sale, it’s important to comply with the various eCommerce laws in Singapore. Understanding these regulations helps you avoid legal issues and anticipate costs that come with sourcing products from overseas.

• Sale of Goods Act 1979: Requires products to be of satisfactory quality, fit for purpose, and match their description.

• Trade Marks Act 1998: Protects registered trademarks and prevents others from using similar marks without permission.

• Electronic Transactions Act 2010: Gives legal recognition to electronic records and signatures, providing a legal basis for online transactions.

• Misrepresentation Act 1967: Businesses can be held liable for false or misleading statements that influence a customer's purchase.

• Goods and Services Tax (GST): Singapore's GST rate is 9%. GST generally applies to local sales and may also apply to imported goods, depending on the circumstances.

• Corporate Income Tax: Singapore's corporate income tax rate is 17%. Companies must file their corporate income tax returns with IRAS each year.

• Customs and Excise Duty: Customs duty applies to four categories of imported goods: alcohol, tobacco, petroleum products and motor vehicles. Excise duty can also apply to these products whether they're imported or produced locally. Most other imported goods are subject to GST only.

Prohibited and restricted products and services

As a new eCommerce business, it’s important to be aware about what products are prohibited or restricted. These include the following:

• Chewing gum  

• Telecommunication equipment

• Electronic vaporisers

• Drug paraphernalia

• Telecommunication equipment

• Products derived from endangered species (i.e. rhinoceros horn)

• Explosives

On the other hand, restricted goods require special permits, licenses, or authorisation from relevant authorities before being imported or sold online. Examples of restricted goods include:

• Food items

• Medical devices

• Precious stones and metals

eCommerce platforms also maintain their own list of prohibited items in compliance with Singapore regulations. Sellers who list these items can receive non-compliance points, and risk getting their store permanently deactivated.

Online payment gateway integrations for your online store with Airwallex

Airwallex integrates with leading eCommerce platforms in Singapore. We offer two types of integrations: payment gateway integrations and marketplace integrations.

Payment gateway integration

If you use an eCommerce website builder like Shopify, you can easily integrate our payment gateway through a no-code plugin.

Once integrated, you can accept payments in 180+ countries using 160+ local payment methods, and enjoy features like fraud protection and like-for-like settlement.

Payment gateway integrations are available for:

• Shopify 

• Magento

• Shopline

• WooCommerce

• Shoplazza

Marketplace integrations

Airwallex customers can collect sales proceeds from Lazada, Shopee and other marketplaces into the Airwallex Global Account. Sales data collected through Airwallex can also be viewed on your dashboard.

Marketplace integrations are available for:

• Lazada

• Shopee

• TikTok Shop

• Amazon

• eBay

Sell locally and globally with Airwallex

Whether you sell on Shopee, run your own Shopify store, or do both, your payment setup needs to keep up as you grow.

Airwallex helps Singapore eCommerce businesses accept payments locally and internationally, manage multiple currencies, and pay overseas suppliers from one account. Here’s what you can do with Airwallex:

• Accept 160+ local payments methods: Integrate with Shopify, WooCommerce, Magento, Amazon, Lazada and Shopee, and accept 160+ local payment methods including PayNow, GrabPay, cards, Apple Pay and Alipay.

• Get paid in the currency you earn: Settle payments in 14 currencies, so you can keep foreign-currency revenue without automatically converting it to SGD.

• Pay overseas suppliers in 200+ countries: Use your Airwallex balance to pay suppliers in their local currency. If you need to convert, you can access competitive rates that let you save up to 80% on FX fees as compared to traditional banks.

Singapore eCommerce businesses including Wine Kin, Little Blossom and Igloohome use Airwallex to manage their local and cross-border payments.

Wine Kin, for example, saved thousands of dollars annually after switching to Airwallex and benefitting from its competitive FX rates and payment gateway fees.

Sources:

1. https://seller.shopee.sg/edu/article/13107/seller-fees

2. https://seller.tiktok.com/sg?channel=global_portal_v4