How to sell your products online at low cost in India (2026): four ways, real costs
The Slaby team5 min read
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The Slaby team5 min read
Short answer: the cheapest way to start is WhatsApp plus UPI, which costs nothing but stops working once you get more than a few orders a day. The cheapest way that keeps working as you grow is your own online store with UPI and cash on delivery: on Slaby that is free for 14 days, then ₹299 a month for up to 20 products, with 0% commission on your orders. Marketplaces bring buyers but take a commission and fees on every sale.
We make Slaby, so we have kept this practical: what each way costs, where the hidden costs are, and when to move from one to the next. Whatever you choose, keep your UPI payments going to your own UPI ID. UPI payments to a merchant carry no fee, so every rupee reaches you.
Free to start. You type every order by hand, and there is no checkout, stock or invoice.
Free, but buyers ask the price in comments and many never order. Ads cost extra.
Commission plus fixed and shipping fees per order, which vary by category. You don't own the customer.
Up to 20 products on Lite, 200 on Starter (₹799). 0% commission. Your link, your customers.
Slaby prices as of November 2026. Marketplace fees change often: check each seller fee page before you list.
Say you sell artificial jewellery at an average of ₹700 an order and get 40 orders a month, so ₹28,000 in sales.
On your own Slaby store, the store costs ₹299 a month. Buyers who pay by UPI to your own UPI ID cost you nothing more. If you add a payment gateway for cards and net banking, budget its fee on those payments only (it is usually a small percentage; check your gateway's pricing page). Slaby adds no commission, so your cost stays close to ₹299 a month on ₹28,000 of sales, plus courier charges you would pay anyway.
On a marketplace, there is no monthly fee, but a commission and fees come off every one of those 40 orders, and returns cost you shipping both ways. Work it out with the fee calculator on the marketplace's seller page, using your own category and price, before you decide.
Selling to people who already know you, a few orders a week: WhatsApp and UPI are enough. Use a simple catalogue and keep a list of orders.
Selling from Instagram, more than a few orders a day: move to your own store link in your bio. Buyers see prices, sizes and stock, pay by UPI or choose COD, and you get every order in one list instead of in DMs.
Selling a common product where buyers search marketplaces first (phone accessories, everyday kitchen items): a marketplace brings buyers you can't reach yet. Many sellers do both: a marketplace for discovery, their own store for repeat buyers.
Running a shop as well: pick a store that also does counter billing on the same stock, so an item sold in the shop is not sold again online.
Open /start, sign in with Google and pick what you sell. Your store opens on yourname.slaby.in with sample categories. No card needed.
Start your storeAdd a photo, price, sizes or colours and stock for each product. Twenty products are enough to start on Lite.
Add your UPI ID to take payments straight away, then set cash on delivery limits. Connect Razorpay or Cashfree later if you want cards and net banking.
Payments guideShopify, WooCommerce, Wix, Dukaan, Instamojo, Instagram-first tools and Slaby: who each one suits, how each charges, and what to check before you pick.
Read the guideWhat a shop's GST bill must show, how a B2B tax invoice differs from a B2C bill, and when to charge CGST + SGST or IGST at the counter.
Read the guideLots of 'price?' messages, few paid orders. Where DM selling loses buyers between the first message and payment, and the changes that close each gap.
Read the guide© 2026 Slaby. All rights reserved. Made in India
Put the store link in your Instagram bio, WhatsApp status and business card. Buyers order on their own.