The rise of the online seller: where do they actually sell?

UK online sellers trade through their own websites, established marketplaces, resale apps and social shopping platforms. Many use more than one. A clothing brand might sell through Shopify, find new customers on TikTok Shop and use a marketplace to test a new range. Where you sell can shape how much stock you hold, how often you pack orders and when you need more space.

Their own websites

Platforms such as Shopify, WooCommerce and Wix let sellers run their own online shops. With Shopify, for example, sellers can manage products, payments and shipping in one place. Having your own website also gives you control over how you present your brand, from product photography to how you group collections. That can mean keeping stock organised by size and colour, with room for packaging and somewhere to prepare orders. 

Fashion brand Lavender Hill Clothing added Big Yellow storage in its second year of business, giving its growing collections a dedicated home. Big Yellow

Established online marketplaces

Amazon, eBay, Etsy and Not On The High Street give sellers access to shoppers who are already browsing. In a 2025 ChannelEngine survey, 54% of UK marketplace shoppers surveyed said they started their product searches on a marketplace. channelengine.com

An Etsy seller might make personalised gifts to order and mainly need room for materials and packaging. An Amazon seller holding stock ready to dispatch may need shelving for larger quantities. If you list the same item on two platforms, keeping stock counts in sync can help you avoid selling it twice.

Resale and pre-loved platforms

Vinted, Depop, eBay and Facebook Marketplace are familiar places to buy and sell second-hand goods. Figures published by the Competition and Markets Authority put the estimated Vinted share of UK consumer-to-consumer online clothing sales at 50% to 60% in 2025, up from 5% to 10% in 2021. assets.publishing.service.gov.uk

Selling a few pieces from your wardrobe takes very little space. Once you start sourcing regularly, it helps to separate items waiting to be photographed from those already listed, sold or ready to post. That makes it easier to find the right item when an order comes in.

Social shopping and live selling

TikTok Shop brings shopping into videos and livestreams, while Whatnot is built around live selling and auctions. TikTok reported in 2026 that more than 300,000 small businesses were selling on TikTok Shop in the UK. TikTok

A popular video or a busy live auction can bring in orders much faster than usual. Before a big promotion, work out where incoming stock will go and keep your bestselling items and packing supplies within easy reach.

If stock is taking over your spare bedroom, think about what would make your working day easier. You might need extra shelving for seasonal stock, a place to sort deliveries or room to pack several orders at once. With Big Yellow storage for online sellers, you can change room size as your stock levels change, and selected rooms have power for equipment such as a label printer. Big Yellow

Find your nearest Big Yellow store and speak to the team about how you store, pack and send your orders.