We’re reader-supported and may be paid when you visit links to partner sites. We don’t compare all products in the market, but we’re working on it!
Wish is an online ecommerce marketplace where you can buy and sell just about anything. It allows shoppers to buy from their desktop browser or the app on Android and iOS. Sellers can connect with more than 300 million shoppers in over 80 countries.
If you'd like to start selling on Wish in Australia, keep reading to find out more about setting up a store, Wish's fee structure and how to ship items to customers.
If you've got any type of physical item you want to sell, there's a pretty good chance you'll be able to list it on Wish. From fashion and accessories to home decor, automotive, gadgets, tools, jewellery and more, there are endless categories to choose from.
As a general rule, you're not allowed to sell services on Wish. However, custom orders, for example custom artworks, are permitted.
There are also several items that are prohibited from sale, like:
Counterfeit products
Digital goods
Gift cards
Alcohol
Tobacco
Drugs
Plant seeds
Firearms
Pornography
Child car seats
Bike helmets
Dangerous chemicals
How to find products to sell
There are two main approaches when finding products to sell online:
Look for high-demand products. These are those popular and essential goods that most people need.
Look for niche products. These are products designed to meet the unique needs of a specific group of customers.
Market research will help you work out which products are always popular, which are trending right now and where there are any gaps in the market you might be able to fill. As Wish boasts shoppers in more than 80 countries, you'll also need to consider overseas shipping costs from Australia when choosing products.
You'll then have to decide whether you'll source, store and ship products yourself – in which case you'll have to start comparing suppliers – or whether you'll use a dropshipping service to take care of warehousing and shipping orders for you.
However, when you make a sale, Wish charges a commission of up to 15% on the total order cost – it calls this fee a "revenue share". You can check the revenue share that applies to your sales by visiting the "General Information" section of your account settings menu.
In addition, as of 1 October 2018, new stores that join the platform must pay a US$2,000 registration fee. According to Wish's FAQ page about the fee, this new charge was introduced to ensure that merchants who sign up to the platform are capable of delivering the best products and services to their customers. However, merchants that "can prove their credibility" may be exempt from this fee.
You can request a refund of this store registration fee when you choose to close your account, but Wish can decline to return the fee at its discretion.
Let's crunch the numbers
Let's ignore the store registration fee for a moment and look at how Wish's sales commission will impact your bottom line. For example:
If you sell a jacket for $40 and shipping is $10, the total order value is $50.
You'll pay a fee of $7.50 for this transaction.
This eats up 15% of the total order value and means you will receive $42.50.
Is selling on Wish worth it?
While it's possible to make a profit selling on Wish, nothing is certain. Just like any other type of business, selling online comes with a number of risks attached, so there's no guarantee that you'll be able to make money selling on Wish.
That said, there are a few things you can do to increase your chances of success:
Research the market. Browse Wish and other ecommerce marketplaces to find out which products sell well and how they're priced. This will help you choose which products you want to stock and work out how to price them attractively.
Develop a business plan. Don't just dive in headfirst. Develop a comprehensive plan for selling online, including a full rundown of your expenses and profit expectations, to improve your chances of making money.
Put time and effort into your listings. Using high-quality product photos and creating SEO-friendly listings can help you attract buyers.
Understand shipping costs. One of the major expenses Australian sellers on Wish need to consider is the cost of shipping. If you want to find a cost-effective way to sell to international buyers, make sure you compare a range of quotes to find the most affordable shipping options.
Get better exchange rates. Currency conversion fees and disappointing exchange rates can eat into your profit margins, so consider opening an online seller account to find better value for money.
How do I become a merchant on Wish?
If you'd like to start selling on Wish, you'll need to sign up for an account by completing the following steps.
Head to the Wish homepage. Navigate to the Wish website and click the menu tab at the bottom left of the screen. You can then click the "Sell on Wish" link followed by "Try Now".
Create your store. Enter a name for your store, provide your email address and create a password for your account. Type in the security code and click "Create my store".
Add your contact information. You'll now need to provide your name, business street address and phone number. You'll also need to read and agree to the Merchant Terms of Service before clicking "Enter my store".
Confirm your email address. You'll be taken to your account dashboard where you'll need to complete the remaining tasks required to set up your account. The first task is verifying your email.
Wish will now send a link to the email address you provided earlier. Click this link to confirm your email address.
Enable 2-factor authentication. You'll be taken to your account dashboard where you'll need to complete the remaining tasks required to set up your account. The first task is verifying your email.
Wish will now send a link to the email address you provided earlier. Click this link to confirm your email address.
Add your payment information. Next, select the payment provider you'll use to receive payments from Wish. The recommended option is PayPal, so you'll need to enter the name, phone number and email address for your PayPal account here. The other option is Payoneer.
Review the terms of service. Take the time to read and agree to the Wish Merchant Terms of Service and Agreement.
Provide personal and business ID. Now it's time to provide proof of ID and the official details of your business.
If you're signing up as an individual, you'll need to provide proof of your ID or proof of ownership of your online store URL.
If you're signing up as a company, you'll need to provide your business licence ID as well as the name and ID of a legal representative.
How to price your items
There are a few factors you'll need to consider when pricing your items:
What are my competitors' prices? Browse Wish and other ecommerce marketplaces to get an idea of how your competitors are pricing their items.
What are my costs? Consider the cost of sourcing, marketing and shipping products from Australia, including Wish's fees and all other business overheads. This will help you work out a suitable price point to ensure that you satisfy your profit margins.
How much are buyers willing to pay? You can find this info through market research and also through trial and error with your own pricing strategies.
By answering these three questions, you should be able to work out an ideal price point for whatever you're selling.
What types of payment does Wish accept?
Wish buyers can pay for their purchases via the following providers:
Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, Cirrus and Maestro
As an online seller based in Australia, you can receive payments from Wish via two options:
PayPal
Payoneer
How to get paid by international buyers
Regardless of whether you choose PayPal or Payoneer as your payment provider, when you receive payment in a foreign currency, you'll need to find a cost-effective way to convert those funds into AUD. Unfortunately, Payoneer adds a margin of up to 2% on the mid-market exchange rate, while PayPal converts your money at 2.5% above its base exchange rate.
This can have a significant impact on your bottom line, so you may want to consider opening a specialist online seller account. This is a multi-currency account that allows you to receive payments in multiple foreign currencies and then offers competitive exchange rates when you want to convert into AUD.
Check out the table below for details of the fees and features of a range of online seller accounts.
Disclaimer: Exchange rates change often. Confirm the total cost with the provider before transferring money.
How to organise shipping
There are a few options to choose from when shipping Wish orders:
Fulfillment by Wish. As part of this program, Wish operates multiple warehouses across the United States and Europe. If you sell to either of these regions, using these warehouses to stock your inventory can provide faster delivery and lower shipping costs. However, make sure you're aware of all fees that apply before selecting this option.
Ship items yourself. The second option is to take care of storing and shipping items yourself. You'll need to compare the costs and time frames of domestic and international shipping with a range of providers – you can ship with Australia Post if you want, or consider using a courier service like DHL or TNT.
Use a third-party dropshipping service. Another option is to use a third-party dropshipping provider that can warehouse and ship your orders for you.
You can access a list of accepted shipping providers from your Wish account menu.
How do I market my Wish products?
There are a few different ways you can market products on Wish:
ProductBoost. ProductBoost is an advertising tool you can use to increase the exposure of your products and boost sales. You can run multiple campaigns across multiple products, but you'll need to pay to use this feature.
Promoted Products. Wish regularly selects products that are selling well to include as part of its promotional campaigns. You can increase the chances of your products being selected by adding product size and colour information to your listings, and adding appropriate tags to your items.
Trusted Store program. Sellers with high-quality products and a proven record of on-time deliveries can qualify for the Trusted Store program. This provides benefits such as increased visitor traffic, faster availability of products in search results and a Verified by Wish badge on products that receive excellent customer feedback.
What to watch out for with Wish
There are a few disadvantages to selling on Wish:
Slow payments. When you receive payments from Wish via PayPal or Payoneer, it'll take five to seven business days for each payment to arrive in your PayPal account.
Exchange rates. Wish lets you sell to buyers in over 80 countries. If you don't open a multi-currency account for online sellers, the exchange rate margins of PayPal and Payoneer can impact on your profits.
Hard to find essential information. While Wish's Merchant Help Centre contains plenty of useful information to help you sell online, finding the specific article or information you want can be a time-consuming process.
Difficult to get noticed. There are more than 100,000 merchants on Wish selling millions of products, so it can be difficult to make your store stand out from the crowd.
Shipping tiers. Wish categorises shipping carriers into four separate tiers. Using a non-Tier 1 carrier to ship items, you'll need to wait longer before you're eligible to be paid for your sales.
Not targeted at Australian buyers. Wish is designed to target international buyers, especially those based in the USA, so it isn't as geared towards an Australian audience. Keep this in mind when choosing products to sell and selecting shipping methods.
Watch: How to become a successful online seller
Frequently asked questions
This depends on whether you're running a hobby or a business. To find out which category you fit into, check out this ATO guide. If selling is a hobby for you, you typically won't have to worry about tax.
However, if you're running a business, you'll need to declare your income to the ATO for tax purposes. And if your business turns over more than $75,000 a year, you'll also need to pay GST. We recommend speaking to a tax expert for advice tailored to your situation.
In many cases, yes. While you won't require an ABN if you're selling online as a hobby, if you're operating as a business then you will need to register for an ABN.
Yes. The Wish For Merchants app can be downloaded from Google Play or Xiaomi Store. However, there is no iOS app available for sellers at the time of writing.
Tim Falk is a writer for Finder, writing across a diverse range of topics. Over the course of his 15-year writing career, Tim has reported on everything from travel and personal finance to pets and TV soap operas. When he’s not staring at his computer, you can usually find him exploring the great outdoors.
With bonus Qantas Points and a range of complimentary insurance covers, the Westpac Altitude Platinum - Qantas is worth considering if you want more frequent flyer points.
How likely would you be to recommend finder to a friend or colleague?
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Very UnlikelyExtremely Likely
Required
Thank you for your feedback.
Our goal is to create the best possible product, and your thoughts, ideas and suggestions play a major role in helping us identify opportunities to improve.
Important information about this website
finder.com.au is one of Australia's leading comparison websites. We compare from a wide set of banks, insurers and product issuers. We value our editorial independence and follow editorial guidelines.
finder.com.au has access to track details from the product issuers listed on our sites. Although we provide information on the products offered by a wide range of issuers, we don't cover every available product or service.
Please note that the information published on our site should not be construed as personal advice and does not consider your personal needs and circumstances. While our site will provide you with factual information and general advice to help you make better decisions, it isn't a substitute for professional advice. You should consider whether the products or services featured on our site are appropriate for your needs. If you're unsure about anything, seek professional advice before you apply for any product or commit to any plan.
Products marked as 'Promoted' or 'Advertisement' are prominently displayed either as a result of a commercial advertising arrangement or to highlight a particular product, provider or feature. Finder may receive remuneration from the Provider if you click on the related link, purchase or enquire about the product. Finder's decision to show a 'promoted' product is neither a recommendation that the product is appropriate for you nor an indication that the product is the best in its category. We encourage you to use the tools and information we provide to compare your options.
Where our site links to particular products or displays 'Go to site' buttons, we may receive a commission, referral fee or payment when you click on those buttons or apply for a product. You can learn more about how we make money here.
When products are grouped in a table or list, the order in which they are initially sorted may be influenced by a range of factors including price, fees and discounts; commercial partnerships; product features; and brand popularity. We provide tools so you can sort and filter these lists to highlight features that matter to you.
We try to take an open and transparent approach and provide a broad-based comparison service. However, you should be aware that while we are an independently owned service, our comparison service does not include all providers or all products available in the market.
Some product issuers may provide products or offer services through multiple brands, associated companies or different labelling arrangements. This can make it difficult for consumers to compare alternatives or identify the companies behind the products. However, we aim to provide information to enable consumers to understand these issues.
Providing or obtaining an estimated insurance quote through us does not guarantee you can get the insurance. Acceptance by insurance companies is based on things like occupation, health and lifestyle. By providing you with the ability to apply for a credit card or loan, we are not guaranteeing that your application will be approved. Your application for credit products is subject to the Provider's terms and conditions as well as their application and lending criteria.
Please read our website terms of use and privacy policy for more information about our services and our approach to privacy.