TL;DR: To sell on Instagram, switch to a business account and set up a shop and catalog in Meta's Commerce Manager, then tag products in your posts, Reels and Stories. Since September 2025, shops on Facebook and Instagram use website checkout, so buyers browse on Instagram and pay on your website. Visual products like clothes, accessories, makeup, skincare, workout gear, art, food and furniture tend to sell best. Meta's Commerce Policies don't allow shops to list downloadable digital content or digital subscriptions, so courses and downloads sell through your bio link, Stories links and DMs instead.

If you’re looking to grow your business and add additional revenue streams, look no further than the popular photo-sharing social media platform Instagram. With Instagram’s shopping tools and 3 billion monthly users, you can show products to buyers where they already spend time, then send them to your own website to pay.

Throughout this article, learn more about the benefits of selling on Instagram, how to get started, and 10 ideas of what sells the most on Instagram.

Benefits of selling on Instagram

Not sure why you should bother with Instagram? Trust us, there are quite a few benefits. Here are the top three you need to consider.

Reach your target audience

Instagram has , according to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg in September 2025. With a user base that large, you can bet your target audience is likely there.

If you have product photos or mockups, Instagram is the perfect platform to share those on. Due to its visual nature, product photos and videos fit right in, and sharing them can be a great way to reach an even wider audience of potential customers.

Create another revenue stream for your business

Because you can create an entire shop with Instagram, you’re able to turn the social platform into an entirely new revenue stream for your business. Buyers can browse your shop, collections and product pages inside the app. When they're ready to buy, Instagram sends them to your website to complete the purchase.

People are using Instagram to research products

Many people browse Instagram to discover products, read comments and watch Reels before they buy. That means your audience might be shopping around for a product like yours while they scroll.

Instagram shop requirements: What you need to sell on Instagram

If you’re interested in selling physical products through an Instagram shop, there are just a few eligibility requirements to keep in mind.

You must have an Instagram business account (not a personal account) and a Commerce Manager account.
Your account must comply with Instagram’s Terms of Use and Community Guidelines.
You must only share listings of products that are listed on your actual website.
You may need to verify that you own your website's domain.
Third party listings from sites like Amazon aren’t applicable for Instagram shopping.
You must be located in one of the countries where Instagram shops are supported.
You must “demonstrate trustworthiness.” Essentially, you must have an active, authentic, established presence on the platform.
You must share accurate information about your products, pricing, etc.
Refund/return policies must be clear and transparent.
Your products must follow Meta's Commerce Policies, which don't allow listings for downloadable digital content, digital subscriptions or digital accounts.

If you meet these criteria, you can go ahead and start setting up your Instagram shop. Note that you’ll need to create a catalog in Commerce Manager before you can start linking products to your Instagram shop.

How to sell on Instagram

Want to start generating even more sales for your business? Let’s walk through the steps of getting your Instagram shop set up and how to let customers know you’re open for business.

1. Set up your Instagram shop

Step one is actually setting up your Instagram shop. As mentioned, to do this, you’ll need to have an Instagram business account and a Commerce Manager account.

Once you’ve gotten that taken care of, follow these steps:

Set up your catalog with Meta’s Commerce Manager. This means that if you so choose, you can also sell via your Facebook page and not just only on your Instagram.
Upload your inventory. You’ll need to add images, descriptions, links, pricing info, and a SKU number if applicable for each product. If you have a Shopify shop, Meta can automatically sync your products to your Instagram catalog, so you don't have to add each one by hand.
Set up your checkout URL. Since September 2025, every shop on Facebook and Instagram sends buyers to your website to pay, so make sure each product link opens the right product page.
Create collections to organize your products and make your Instagram shop look more like a real online store.
Submit your shop for review. Instagram checks your account and shop against its commerce eligibility requirements before your shop goes live.

Once you’ve taken these steps, you can start promoting and selling your products on Instagram.

2. Tag products in your Instagram content

Now that your shop is set up, it’s time to start tagging products from your Instagram shop in your posts, stories, and reels. This way, when someone sees a photo of a product they love, all they have to do is tap it to view the product and head to your website to buy it.

Here’s an example of what this could look like on your Instagram posts:

Tag just a single product or tag several, depending on what’s pictured. It’s easy to do. When you’re creating a new post, the “Tag products” option will appear on the screen when you’re adding your caption and other final details before you publish. In Stories, use the product sticker instead.

3. Create a wide variety of content

You can feature and tag products in your regular Instagram posts, your reels, and your stories, so make sure you’re creating a wide variety of content and taking advantage of this feature.

Meet your audience where they are. Some go through stories of the accounts they follow, others scroll through reels, and others simply scroll through their feed or the explore page. Make sure you’re creating different types of content that features your products to give your audience an even bigger chance of discovering them.

4. Partner with influencers

Work with influencers in your industry to further promote your products and your brand. You can even give the specific accounts you work with permission to tag your products in their posts, creating a simple process for those introduced to your business via influencers to easily purchase your products.

5. Share user-generated content

If you’re lucky enough to have existing customers take photos and videos of your products, ask them if you can repurpose them onto your own feed. User-generated content (or UGC) helps create an authentic vibe that doesn’t feel like marketing content. Integrate as much UGC as you can into your strategy, and of course, don’t forget to tag your products in each one.

6. Run Instagram ads

Finally, consider allocating some of your marketing budget towards Instagram ads. You can still tag products in these ads, but you can also create a call-to-action to your full Instagram shop, enabling ad viewers to start shopping around.

There are a number of different types of ads with various objectives. Play around with different ad types until you discover the ones that get you the best results.

What sells the most on Instagram: 10 ideas

The products that tend to sell best on Instagram are visual ones that look good in a photo or a Reel, such as clothes, accessories, makeup, skincare and workout gear. Digital products like courses and downloads sell too, but through a link to your own checkout rather than a shop.

You might already have an established business with products to sell. But if not, you may be looking for inspiration to get started. Here are 10 ideas of things you can sell with Instagram’s shopping tools and your own website.

1. Clothes

Clothes and apparel are a common product sold on Instagram. Tons of online boutiques take advantage of Instagram shopping to increase sales and reach a wider audience of customers.

Here’s an example of boutique Dress Up and its Instagram shop. The store is even offering a 20% discount on select products through Instagram and has categorized products to make it easier to shop on the app.

2. Accessories

Accessories, jewelry, sunglasses, shoes, etc., is another great product to sell on Instagram. You can sell handmade jewelry. There are many polymer clay and metal working brands selling handmade jewelry on Instagram.

Or, you can go a more traditional route, like Ring Concierge below. The brand creates fine jewelry and sells it on their website, while also creating a shop on Instagram. This makes it easy for them to tag products directly in their content, increasing sales.

3. Makeup

Instagram is a common place for people to look for makeup inspiration, learn more about how to better apply makeup, and, of course, purchase makeup products. This means selling your makeup products on Instagram can help bring in more sales, whether you have an established brand or want to create your own products.

Here’s an example of what your shop could look like from Tarte Cosmetics:

4. Skincare

Skincare products cover a wide range of options: face masks, face washes, creams, moisturizers, and more. You can even include hair care products here if you’d like.

Here’s an example of a shop on Instagram selling skincare products:

5. Workout gear

Workout gear, yoga mats, fitness clothes, fitness products, protein powder, etc., are all great products to sell on Instagram. Many users love to peruse the app for workout ideas and motivation, so putting your products in front of that audience can help build a larger customer base.

Here’s an example of fitness company Bala’s Instagram shop:

6. Art

Are you an artist? While many artists have one-off drops, others have consistent products available. If you’re one of the latter, consider offering your regular products via Instagram’s shop.

Here’s an example of what this could look like from artist Ashley Longshore:

7. Online courses

While the past few examples we’ve covered have all been physical products, you can sell digital products on Instagram, too! Instagram shops don't allow downloadable digital content or digital subscriptions, so you promote courses in your content and send followers to your course sales page. Put the link in your bio, add link stickers to Stories, and answer questions in DMs. Our guide to building an Instagram sales funnel walks through each step, and you can host the course itself on an online course platform.

8. Digital downloads

Another digital product to sell is various types of digital downloads. Checklists, guides, workbooks, templates, etc. These are very popular products, and you can easily sell more of them by promoting them on Instagram and linking to a digital downloads checkout on your own site. For more ideas, see our list of digital products to sell.

9. Food

Food can be a tricky product to sell online, but many bakeries and other companies have figured it out. Maybe you’re selling hot sauce, cereal, baked goods, or something else that can easily package and travel well. Consider offering your products via Instagram!

Take a look at this Instagram shop, The Marshmallow Co. The brand has listed a number of types of marshmallows for sale that its customers can easily buy after finding them on Instagram.

10. Furniture

And last, but certainly not least, is furniture! While bulky, if you have a website that you use to sell furniture, you can easily translate that to an Instagram shop.

Here’s an example of popular furniture brand West Elm’s Instagram shop:

How to sell digital products on Instagram

Courses and downloads can't be listed in an Instagram shop, but Instagram is still a good place to find buyers for them. Here's how creators sell digital products from Instagram:

Host the product on your own site. Build your course, coaching offer or download on a platform with its own checkout, so every sale lands in your account.
Make your bio link do the selling. Point it at your sales page, or at a simple link page if you sell more than one thing. See how to use Instagram's 5 links in bio.
Teach in your content. Short tips in Reels and carousels show followers what your course covers, then a Story link sticker sends them to the sales page.
Offer paid extras to your followers. Instagram Subscriptions let followers pay monthly for exclusive content, which can lead into a full course.
For more tactics, see our Instagram marketing tips to increase course sales.

If you're ready to turn Instagram followers into paying customers, you need somewhere to host and sell the course, download or coaching offer you're promoting. Start a 7-day trial and build your first course before committing to a plan.

Frequently asked questions

Can I sell directly through Instagram?

Partly. You can list products in an Instagram shop and tag them in posts, Reels and Stories, but since September 2025 buyers complete the purchase on your website, not inside Instagram.

Can you sell digital products on Instagram?

Yes, but not through an Instagram shop. Meta's Commerce Policies don't allow listings for downloadable digital content or digital subscriptions, so you promote courses and downloads in your content and link to your own checkout.

Key terms

Instagram shop: A storefront built inside your Instagram business profile where you list products for people to browse and tag in your content.

Commerce Manager: Meta's tool for setting up and managing the product catalog that powers your Instagram and Facebook shops.

Product tagging: Adding clickable tags to products in posts, Reels and Stories so viewers can tap through to a product page.

Website checkout: The purchase flow Instagram now uses for every shop, where buyers complete payment on your own site rather than inside the app.

Bio link: A link in your Instagram bio that points followers to your own sales page, useful for selling products like courses and downloads that can't be listed in a shop.