Amazon UK vs eBay UK vs B&Q vs TikTok Shop: Which UK Marketplace Fits Your Products? (2026 Comparison)
The right first marketplace depends on your category, not on platform size. Amazon UK is the default for most consumer goods, but a garden or DIY product often earns better margins on B&Q or Wickes, a price-led product can scale faster on eBay or TEMU, and impulse or demonstrable products outperform everywhere else on TikTok Shop. This guide compares the main UK channels a manufacturer can sell through in 2026 and gives a practical method for picking your first three.
Which UK marketplaces matter in 2026?
Around a dozen channels account for the large majority of UK third-party marketplace sales. They fall into four groups: general marketplaces (Amazon, eBay), retailer-run marketplaces (B&Q, Wickes, Homebase, The Range, Tesco, Superdrug, Argos, Dunelm, Wayfair), social commerce (TikTok Shop), and low-price cross-border platforms (TEMU).
| Marketplace | Type | Strongest categories | Typical commission | Fulfilment options | Entry difficulty |
| Amazon UK | General | Everything; strongest in home, electronics, consumables | 8% to 15% + FBA fees | FBA or merchant | Medium |
| eBay UK | General | Home, garden, parts, refurbished, value lines | ~11% to 13% average | Merchant / 3PL | Low |
| B&Q Marketplace | Retailer (DIY) | Home improvement, garden, lighting, tools | ~10% to 15% | Merchant / 3PL | Medium to high |
| Wickes / Homebase | Retailer (DIY) | Building, decorating, garden | ~10% to 15% | Merchant / 3PL | Medium to high |
| The Range / Dunelm / Wayfair | Retailer (home) | Furniture, home, garden, seasonal | ~10% to 15% | Merchant / 3PL / dropship | Medium |
| Tesco Marketplace | Retailer (mass) | Home, toys, pet, everyday goods | ~5% to 15% | Merchant / 3PL | High (curated) |
| TikTok Shop UK | Social commerce | Beauty, gadgets, home, impulse under £40 | ~9% referral | Merchant / FBT / 3PL | Low to medium |
| TEMU (local-to-local) | Cross-border/low price | Value goods with UK stock | Margin-based (platform sets price) | UK stock required for local programme | Low |
Commission figures are typical 2026 ranges; each platform sets category-level rates, so confirm your own category before modelling margin.
Is Amazon UK the best place to start?
For most manufacturers, yes, because it combines the largest customer base with the most complete infrastructure for an overseas brand. FBA solves UK fulfilment, returns and customer service in one programme, and Amazon’s 2026 fee reductions (Home Products cut to 8% referral for items up to £20, lower FBA parcel fees) improved the economics for hard goods.
The trade-offs are real: the most crowded competition, advertising costs that rise every year, and strict account verification and VAT enforcement for overseas sellers. Amazon should almost always be in your first three channels; it just should not be your only one, because single-channel dependence puts your whole UK revenue behind one account’s health. Our Amazon UK guide for non-UK manufacturers covers the full setup.
When is eBay UK the better choice?
eBay wins when your product is value-priced, functional, or bought by people who search by need rather than brand. Garden equipment, storage, parts, tools, and household goods sell steadily on eBay with lower advertising pressure than Amazon and a simpler onboarding. Final value fees average around 11% to 13% including the per-order components, and there is no equivalent of FBA lock-in: you fulfil from your own UK 3PL, which means the same stock pool can serve every other channel too.
eBay’s weakness is premium positioning. If your brand story and imagery are the selling point, eBay’s buyer expectations and search experience will undersell it.
Should DIY and garden brands prioritise B&Q, Wickes and Homebase?
If your products belong in a DIY shed, yes, often above everything except Amazon. B&Q’s marketplace (diy.com) gives a lighting, garden or home-improvement brand placement in front of buyers who are already in project mode, with far fewer competing sellers per category than Amazon and price competition that is noticeably less brutal. Wickes and Homebase marketplaces follow the same logic.
These platforms are curated: you apply, your range is reviewed, and onboarding includes data and compliance checks that take weeks rather than days. The reward for passing that bar is a defensible position. AZgen manages brands across B&Q, Wickes, Homebase, The Range and Dunelm alongside Amazon, and for garden and lighting brands the retailer marketplaces regularly contribute 30% or more of UK revenue within the first year.
What about Tesco, Superdrug and The Range?
Retailer marketplaces in the mass and home space are the fastest-growing channel group in the UK, and they suit established, compliant brands more than new entrants. Tesco Marketplace launched in 2024 and has been expanding seller numbers since; Superdrug covers health and beauty; The Range and Dunelm cover home and seasonal. Commission levels are comparable to Amazon, but the audiences are loyal retail customers who often never open the Amazon app for that category.
Expect curation, EDI or API integration requirements, and strict data standards. These channels reward brands that already have UK stock, clean product data and a responsible-person setup, which is why they usually enter the plan in phase two rather than at launch.
Is TikTok Shop worth it for a manufacturer?
Yes, if your product can be demonstrated in a 30-second video and sells under roughly £40. TikTok Shop has become a top-tier UK channel for beauty, kitchen gadgets, cleaning products, and problem-solving home items, driven by affiliate creators who take a commission for featuring your product. Referral fees sit around 9%, and fulfilment can run from your own 3PL or TikTok’s FBT programme.
The channel behaves differently from search-based marketplaces: sales arrive in spikes when a video converts, so stock planning and a UK fulfilment partner that can absorb a 10x day matter more than anywhere else. If your product needs explanation or comparison shopping, TikTok will underperform; if it demos well, nothing else generates demand as cheaply in 2026.
How should you pick your first three UK channels?
Use a simple sequence: one volume channel, one category channel, one demand-generation channel.
- Volume: Amazon UK, almost always. It funds the operation and validates demand.
- Category: the retailer marketplace where your buyer already shops. DIY and garden go to B&Q or Wickes; home and seasonal to The Range, Dunelm or Wayfair; everyday goods to Tesco; health and beauty to Superdrug. eBay takes this slot for value-led functional products.
- Demand generation: TikTok Shop if your product demos well; otherwise a second retailer marketplace.
Then check the three operational gates before committing: your margin survives a 15% commission plus fulfilment, your compliance documentation passes curated onboarding, and your fulfilment setup can serve all three channels from one UK stock pool. That last point is the structural decision most brands get wrong; it is covered in our UK fulfilment guide. Note the tax position is the same on every channel: for overseas sellers, UK marketplaces collect VAT on your B2C sales under HMRC’s marketplace rules (gov.uk guidance), and you need your own VAT registration and EORI to import stock.
FAQ
Which UK marketplace has the lowest fees? eBay and TikTok Shop typically take the smallest cut for a standard consumer product, at roughly 9% to 13% before fulfilment. Amazon’s referral fee is similar in many categories, but FBA fees and advertising raise the true cost of sale.
Can I sell on multiple UK marketplaces with one stock pool? Yes, and you should. A UK 3PL integrated with a multi-channel order system lets one inventory feed Amazon, eBay, B&Q, Tesco and TikTok simultaneously, with stock levels synced to avoid overselling.
How many channels should a new brand launch on? Three in the first phase is the practical sweet spot: enough to diversify, few enough to run well. Expansion to 6 to 13+ channels comes once listings, pricing and fulfilment run as a system.
Do retailer marketplaces like B&Q accept overseas sellers? They accept overseas brands that present a UK-ready operation: UK stock, UK returns, VAT registration and compliance documentation. Many brands enter through a UK market-entry operator that already holds seller relationships on these platforms.
Is TEMU worth listing on? Only through its local-to-local programme with UK-held stock, and only for products that survive aggressive pricing. It is a volume channel, not a brand-building one, and it fits value lines rather than premium ranges.
