Earn without capitalYour own small workChecked Oct 2026
Reselling from Home on WhatsApp (sarees, kurtis, home goods)
घर से रीसेलिंग (व्हाट्सऐप पर) · घरातून रीसेलिंग
Showing a supplier's products to your own contacts on WhatsApp, adding your margin and having the supplier ship directly. No stock to buy, but margins are thin and returns are your problem.
The short answer
A real way to earn small sums from a phone, and a good first lesson in selling. It is not a living for most people. The same products are a search away on shopping apps at the supplier's own price, so your only edge is the trust of your contacts and the trouble you save them. Start without buying any stock, and stop anyone who asks you to pay to become a reseller.
- Money to start
- None
- Education
- No minimum
- Vehicle
- Not needed
- Skill
- Learnt on the job
A reseller does not make or stock anything. You receive product photos and prices from a wholesaler, a manufacturer's WhatsApp group or a supplier app, share them with relatives, neighbours and groups, and take orders. You add your own margin to the supplier's price, collect payment or pass on a cash-on-delivery order, and the supplier ships to the customer. What is left after the supplier's price, shipping and any returns is yours. Clothing, sarees, kurtis, children's wear, imitation jewellery and kitchen items are the usual lines. The work is answering messages, following up, handling sizes and complaints, and chasing the supplier when something goes wrong.
What you need
- A smartphone with data and WhatsApp, and a UPI-linked bank account in your own name.
- A wide circle: family groups, society groups, school parents, colleagues of your spouse.
- One or two suppliers you have tested by ordering for yourself first.
- Time through the day to reply to messages quickly.
- Patience with returns, wrong sizes and late parcels.
| Before you start | Cost |
|---|---|
| Sample orders for yourselfOrder one or two pieces to check cloth, colour and delivery before you recommend a supplier to anyone. | Ask first |
How the money works
You earn the difference between what the customer pays and what the supplier charges you, less shipping and the cost of any return. On supplier apps the margin you add is paid to your bank account after the return period ends. With a wholesaler, the customer pays you and you pay the wholesaler.
- Your margin is limited by what the same item costs on shopping apps, which your customer can check in a minute.
- Cash-on-delivery orders that are refused, and returns, can leave you paying shipping both ways. Ask each supplier who bears it.
- Payment for an order may reach you only after a week or more.
- Selling to people you know means any quality problem lands on your own name.
What people actually take home
We do not estimate earnings ourselves. Each line below is someone else's figure, with who said it and when.
A seller-tools website describes the model on Meesho as resellers adding their own margin on top of the listing price, and puts the marketplace's own commission on sellers at 8% to 15% of the listing price by category. This is a third-party description, not the company's published terms.
Website estimate, method not shownRead Oct 2026 · edesy.in: Meesho profit calculator
What we could not find
- Any reliable figure for what resellers earn in a month.
- The current official reseller terms of any supplier app, including whether reselling with an added margin is still offered in the same form.
- Return and refused-order charges for each supplier.
| Ask before you start | Where to ask |
|---|---|
| Who pays the shipping if the customer returns the item or refuses a cash-on-delivery parcel? | The supplier or the app's help section, before your first order |
| When is my margin paid, and into which account? | The supplier or the app's payment terms |
| What does this same item sell for on the big shopping apps? | Search it yourself before you quote a price |
Work out your own number
Put in the rates you are actually offered. The starting values are examples, not what you will get.
Fill in the empty boxes to see the result. We have left them empty because we found no figure we could trust.
For the margin, take what you add on a typical order and reduce it for the share of orders that come back. Put mobile data and packing under monthly costs.
Commission does not arrive evenly. Expect months with nothing, and count the months before your first sale as unpaid.
Is it legal where you live?
All India
Selling to people you know needs no licence at a small scale. GST registration becomes compulsory when your yearly turnover crosses the threshold for goods, and selling through an e-commerce marketplace as a seller in your own name has its own registration rules; check before you list products yourself. Do not sell copies of branded goods: that is an offence.
As of Oct 2026
How to start
- Pick one line you understand, such as sarees or children's wear.
- Find two suppliers and order a piece from each for yourself.
- Share a few good products a day, with your own honest note on the cloth and fit, not forty photos at once.
- Take payment by UPI before ordering wherever you can, and avoid cash on delivery at the start.
- Keep a notebook: order, supplier price, your price, date paid, returns.
- Add up the month. If your effort is not being paid, change the product line or stop.
What is good about it
- No stock, no shop and no money needed to begin.
- Entirely from your phone, at any hour.
- Teaches pricing, customer handling and record-keeping for a later business.
- Works best in festival and wedding seasons.
What is hard about it
- Thin margins, because customers can compare prices instantly.
- Returns and refused parcels eat the margin of several good orders.
- You depend on a supplier's quality and speed, and take the blame for both.
- Selling to relatives and neighbours strains relationships when something goes wrong.
- The circle of buyers is limited, and it tires of daily product posts.
Traps to avoid
- 'Reseller membership', 'franchise' or 'starter kit' fees. A genuine supplier earns when you sell, not when you join.
- Schemes where you earn mainly by adding other resellers under you. That is network marketing; read our page on it.
- Wholesalers found on social media who take advance payment and vanish. Start with a small order, pay by a traceable method and prefer suppliers someone you know has used.
- Fake payment screenshots from buyers. Check your own bank account before you place the order.
Where this can lead
- Network marketing: read before you joinMany 'reselling' offers are really this.
- Tailoring and alterationEarns from the same customers, with a skill nobody can undercut online.
- Handmade jewellerySelling what you make yourself, where the margin is your own.
- Gift and novelty shopIf selling suits you, this is the shop version.
- All options for housewivesWork from home and near home, in one place.
Questions people ask
Can I start reselling with zero investment?+
Yes, in the sense that you need not buy stock. You do need a phone, data and ideally a sample order for yourself. Never pay a joining or membership fee to become a reseller.
How much can I earn from reselling?+
We found no reliable figure. It depends on how many people you can reach and how many orders come back. Use the calculator with your own orders and margin, and count returns.
Do I need GST registration for reselling?+
Not for small sales to people you know. It becomes compulsory when your yearly turnover crosses the limit for goods, and selling as a registered seller on a marketplace has its own rules. Ask a tax practitioner once sales become regular.
Sources
Pay rates, fees and rules change often and differ by city. Confirm them with the company or the regulator before you commit money or leave other work.
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