A checklist before opening a TikTok Shop

Most new shops fail before selling anything, because three things get done in the wrong order: buying stock before knowing the niche, making content before knowing what customers ask, and setting a price before knowing the range. The twelve items below, done in order, avoid all three.

Group 1 — the niche (4 items)

1. Confirm somebody is selling this successfully. Run TikTok Shop radar — 15 credits, 3 pages — with two keywords. If nobody is, stop.

2. Count the competing shops. Three means there is room; thirty means you compete on price.

3. Record the median price range. Not the lowest price.

4. Read the complaints about existing stock. Comments analysis — 12 credits, 300 comments — on two competitor videos.

Details in researching a niche.

Group 2 — the stock (4 items)

5. Calculate the full cost: landed cost, platform fees, shipping, expected return rate, content cost. Most people miss the last three.

6. Compare that to the range from item 3. If your cost already exceeds the median, the maths does not work.

7. Check the stock does not have the flaw customers complain about. Take the list from item 4 and request samples.

8. Line up at least two suppliers. A single source is a price and supply risk.

Group 3 — content and listing (4 items)

9. Write titles on the pattern best-selling shops use. See optimising your listing.

10. Prepare photos that answer complaints. A size table with real measurements, a close-up of the material, a size comparison. Every complaint from item 4 should have a photo answering it.

11. Write answers to the five most common questions in advance. Put them in the description and say them in the first 10 seconds of video. See why a million-view video produces no orders.

12. Film three videos before you open. A shop with no content is a shop nobody finds.

Data cost for the whole checklist

Items	Tool	Credits
1, 2, 3	TikTok Shop radar, 2 keywords	30
4	comments analysis, 2 videos	24

About 54 credits. If you also want to watch competitors' live sessions before opening, add live radar at 10 credits per run for up to 5 channels.

What not to do at this stage

Do not buy large volumes for a better unit price. The first order should be small enough that you can be wrong without dying. Do not open several niches at once. And do not price below the range to win first orders — competitors follow within a week and you lose the margin permanently.

Frequently asked questions

How long before I know whether the niche works? You need enough orders not to be noise, so usually several weeks of consistent posting.

Do I need to go live immediately? No. Three videos and a clear product page should come first. Add live once you know what customers ask.

Does public data show which niche is easiest? No. It shows which niches currently have sellers succeeding and which are crowded. The choice is yours.