How to Sell on Flipkart as an Individual Seller (2026)

You have 20 kurtis sitting in your Coimbatore home that you have been selling to neighbours and a small WhatsApp circle. Meesho is crowded and margins are thin. A friend mentioned Flipkart gets more serious buyers and better prices, but the seller signup form asks for a GSTIN, a digital signature, and a “legal business name” and you do not have a registered company, just yourself.

This guide covers how to sell on Flipkart as an individual seller in 2026: whether you need GST, the exact documents and registration steps, what Flipkart actually charges per order, and how to decide between packing orders yourself or letting Flipkart’s Ekart network handle it.

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Ways to Register as a Flipkart Seller: Compared

Photo: Meanwell Packaging / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0

Do You Need GST to Sell on Flipkart?

For most product categories, yes. GST registration is a legal requirement under the GST Act for Flipkart sellers regardless of turnover, and Flipkart verifies your GSTIN and PAN in real time during signup. There is a narrow set of exceptions: certain books, handloom products, and some unbranded handicraft categories are GST-exempt, and Flipkart shows the current exempt-category list inside Seller Hub during onboarding since the list changes over time.

There is also a middle path most first-timers do not know about. Under current GST Council rules, an unregistered supplier can sell goods within their own state using a GST Enrolment ID instead of a full GSTIN, as long as turnover stays under the registration threshold. That only works for intra-state selling though. The moment you want pan-India reach on Flipkart, which is most of the platform’s value, you need a full GSTIN.

Registration Steps: What Actually Happens at seller.flipkart.com

Registration is free and, per Flipkart’s own onboarding flow, can take as little as 10 minutes once your documents are ready, though your first listing going live usually takes longer while Flipkart’s catalog team matches or reviews it. The steps: verify your mobile number and email with an OTP, enter your GSTIN (or claim an exempt category), enter your Legal Business Name exactly as it appears on your GST certificate along with your PAN, add your bank account and IFSC code for settlements (the account holder name must match your GST certificate exactly, a common rejection reason), enter your pickup pincode so Flipkart’s logistics partner Ekart can confirm serviceability, upload or draw a digital signature, then set your store name and create your first listing.

The documents to keep ready before you start: PAN card, GSTIN (or exempt-category proof), a cancelled cheque or bank statement matching the registered name, and a photo ID plus address proof for the pickup location.

What Flipkart Actually Charges Per Order

Flipkart charges four separate fees on every order, then adds 18% GST on top of all of them. The referral fee (commission) is the biggest variable and is a percentage of the selling price that changes by category. Since November 2025, products priced under Rs. 1,000 carry zero commission across most categories, and since July 2026 that zero-commission rule extends to all fashion products regardless of price. Outside those cases, referral fees still apply as before.

On top of that: a fixed (closing) fee of roughly Rs. 8 to Rs. 35 per delivered order, charged regardless of category; a shipping fee based on weight slabs in 500g increments and delivery zone (local, regional, national); and a collection fee, higher for cash-on-delivery orders (roughly 1.5% to 2% of order value) than for prepaid orders (roughly 1% to 1.5%). Add it up and most sellers see 20% to 30% of order value absorbed into fees depending on category, which is why pricing your product with fees built in matters more than the headline commission percentage.

Self-Ship or Let Flipkart Handle Fulfillment?

As a new individual seller you choose between self-ship, where you pack every order yourself and hand it to Ekart for pickup, and Flipkart-fulfilled, where you send stock to a Flipkart warehouse and the platform picks, packs, and ships on your behalf. Self-ship keeps your cost lower per order since you are not paying storage or extra handling, and it suits a seller in Coimbatore or Indore shipping a modest, steady volume from home.

Flipkart-fulfilled costs more per order in storage and handling fees, but listings fulfilled this way often get better placement and faster delivery promises, which lifts conversion. It makes sense once you have a proven, fast-moving product and can commit stock to a warehouse instead of holding it at home. Most individual sellers start self-ship and move a top-selling SKU to Flipkart-fulfilled once it proves itself.

Who Should Skip This Guide

If you only sell exempt-category products like handloom textiles or specific handicrafts and plan to stay strictly local, you can register without a GSTIN and skip most of the GST planning here. And if you are not ready to commit to Flipkart’s return and quality-check standards, which are stricter than a casual WhatsApp resale business, start on Meesho first and move to Flipkart once you have a settled product and packaging process.

FAQ

Can I sell on Flipkart without a GST number?

Only in specific exempt categories such as certain books, handloom products, and select handicrafts, or by using a GST Enrolment ID for intra-state sales under the registration threshold. For most categories and for pan-India selling, a full GSTIN is required.

Do I need to register a company to sell on Flipkart?

No. You do not need a registered private limited company or LLP. A sole proprietor, meaning just you, registered as an individual with a PAN and GSTIN, is enough to start selling on Flipkart.

How much does Flipkart charge sellers per order?

Four fees apply per order: a category-based referral fee (zero for most items under Rs. 1,000, and zero for all fashion items since July 2026), a fixed fee of roughly Rs. 8 to Rs. 35, a weight-based shipping fee, and a collection fee that is higher for cash-on-delivery orders. All fees carry 18% GST on top.

How long does Flipkart seller registration take?

The signup form itself takes about 10 minutes if your documents are ready, per Flipkart’s onboarding flow. Getting your first listing live typically takes longer, since Flipkart’s catalog team reviews or matches new listings before they go public.

This post contains affiliate links. If you buy through them, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.