Questions US store owners ask, answered
What is here
These are real questions store owners ask in seller forums, community threads and search, in their own words. Each links to a direct answer on the most relevant guide, with the source and the date we checked it. Where the honest answer is "it depends" or "not published", we say so.
Eligibility
- Has anyone had luck selling on Temu? Can you be a USA seller?
Yes, you can register as a USA seller.
- Is it allowed to sell items on Temu?
Yes.
- I'm interested in becoming a seller on Temu. Has anyone successfully achieved this, and could you share your experience?
We cannot share personal seller results, but the public process is short.
- How do I get approved to sell on Walmart.com?
Apply through Walmart Marketplace and meet its minimum qualifications.
- INFORM Consumers Act verification FAQs: what do marketplaces need to verify?
Online marketplaces must collect and verify a bank account, a tax ID and contact information from high-volume third-party sellers: those with 200 or more sales and $5,000 or more in gross revenue in a continuous 12-month period within the last 24 months.
Cost and fees
- Is it free to sell on Temu?
Joining is free: Temu's February 2026 press release says there are no registration fees for its Local Seller Program.
- What are the Amazon seller fees?
Amazon US offers two plans: Individual at $0.99 per item sold, or Professional at $39.99 a month.
- How much does it cost to sell on Walmart marketplace?
Walmart says it has no setup or monthly fees.
- Can someone explain eBay fees?? Help!!
For most US categories, eBay gives you up to 250 zero insertion fee listings a month, then charges $0.35 per listing.
How-to and setup
- How to publish my product feed from Shopify to TEMU?
Install the free Temu app from the Shopify App Store and connect it to an approved Temu seller account.
- Make my products available on marketplaces like eBay and Amazon. How?
Open a seller account on each marketplace, then either list products directly in each seller dashboard or connect your store through the marketplace's own integration or a multichannel listing tool.
- Can Shopify serve as a centralized hub for multiple selling platforms?
Yes, many stores use Shopify as the master record for products and stock, with sales channel apps or multichannel tools pushing listings and stock to each marketplace and pulling orders back.
- How do I add Shopify products to Google Merchant Center?
Install the Google & YouTube sales channel from the Shopify App Store.
Listing and ranking
- Google Merchant Center approved, but no product visibility in Google Shopping?
Approval does not guarantee impressions.
- Google free listings and Merchant Centre: help! How do they work?
Free listings let Google show your products at no cost per click across Search, the Shopping tab, Images, Maps, YouTube, Gemini and Lens.
Shipping and returns
- Who pays for returns on Temu? (as a seller)
Temu does not publish a seller return-cost rule on its public seller page.
Payments and tax
- Are there any reporting requirements to the IRS for selling items online, such as 1099 forms?
Yes.
- What is the criteria for a seller to report tax? 1099-K
A marketplace or payment app must issue a 1099-K when payments for goods exceed $20,000 in more than 200 transactions, the IRS says.
Risk and reputation concerns
- Is selling on Temu worth it?
It can be worth testing if you sell everyday products from US stock, ship your own orders and have margin to spare, because Temu says there are no registration fees.
Comparisons
- Walmart, Wayfair, eBay or Temu: which is right for you?
It depends on your products and operations.
- From a selling perspective, which site is better, Etsy or eBay?
Neither is better for everyone.
Alternatives
- I have a large eBay business, what other sites should I join (not Amazon)?
Look at marketplaces whose shoppers already buy what you sell: Walmart Marketplace if you have ecommerce history and US fulfilment with returns, Etsy for vintage and craft items, Temu's Local Seller Program if you ship everyday products from US stock, and TikTok Shop for products that sell through video.
- Can someone give me a list of websites I can sell my product on?
For US sellers, the main marketplaces are Amazon, Walmart Marketplace, eBay, Etsy, Temu and TikTok Shop, alongside your own store on a platform such as Shopify or WooCommerce.
Getting traffic without ads
- How can I increase traffic to my online store without ads?
Combine a few unpaid channels and work them every week: free Google product listings, product and collection pages that answer buyer questions, pages AI assistants can cite, an extra marketplace if you have stock, your own email list, and collaborations with complementary stores and small creators.
- Growing Shopify stores without paid ads: what actually works?
What works is unglamorous: accurate product data in Google's free listings, product pages that answer real questions, a second sales channel for stock you already hold, email to people who opted in, and genuine collaborations.
- Free ways to get traffic to your site?
The main free sources are search engines (organic results and Google's free product listings), AI assistants that cite clear pages, marketplaces where shoppers already browse, your email list, social and community posts where they are allowed, and links from complementary businesses.
- Best ways to increase organic traffic to a Shopify store?
Start with Google Search Console to see which searches already show your store, then improve those pages first.
- How can I drive more traffic to my Etsy shop without running ads?
Inside Etsy, accurate titles, tags, attributes and good photos help shoppers find listings.
- How long does it take for a new Shopify store to rank on Google?
There is no fixed timeline.
- How can Shopify products appear in AI recommendations without paid ads?
Make your pages easy for AI search to read and quote: allow search crawlers such as OAI-SearchBot in robots.txt, give products clear titles, specifications, prices and policies, and answer common buyer questions plainly.
- Getting traffic from ChatGPT and AI agents: where do I even start?
Start with access and clarity.
Referrals
- How can I ensure that I'll receive a referral/finder's fee without a written agreement? One business is offering $500 for a referral.
You cannot be sure without something in writing.