If you want to start selling online in Nigeria, one of the first decisions you face is where to sell. There are several platforms available to Nigerian sellers and each one works differently, charges differently, and suits different types of businesses.
This guide gives you an honest comparison of the most popular online selling platforms in Nigeria so you can make an informed decision about where to build your business.
What to Look for in an Online Selling Platform
Before comparing platforms, it helps to know what actually matters when choosing where to sell.
Commission and fees matter because they directly affect how much of each sale you keep. Control over your brand and customer relationships matters because it determines whether you are building your own business or building someone else's. Ease of setup matters especially if you are not technical. Payment processing matters because you need to get paid reliably and quickly. And logistics support matters because delivery is one of the biggest pain points for Nigerian online sellers.
With those criteria in mind, here are the main platforms Nigerian sellers use.
Jumia
Jumia is the largest e-commerce marketplace in Nigeria. Millions of shoppers visit Jumia every month making it attractive for sellers who want immediate access to a large audience.
However, Jumia charges commission on every sale — ranging from around 5 to 15 percent depending on the product category — plus logistics fees and other charges. You also have no direct relationship with your customers since they are Jumia's customers, not yours. Your products compete side by side with dozens of other sellers in the same category. And getting approved and listed on Jumia requires going through their onboarding process.
Jumia works well for sellers with commoditized products and enough margin to absorb the fees. It is less ideal for building a brand or a loyal customer base.
Konga
Konga is another Nigerian marketplace with a similar model to Jumia. It has a smaller customer base than Jumia but attracts a different segment of Nigerian online shoppers. Like Jumia, Konga charges commission on sales and you are selling alongside other vendors in a competitive marketplace environment.
Instagram and Facebook
Many Nigerian sellers use Instagram and Facebook as their primary selling channels. These platforms are free to use and give you access to large audiences through organic content and paid ads.
The limitation is that Instagram and Facebook are not stores. There is no checkout, no payment processing, and no delivery management built in. Everything is manual — customers DM you, you quote prices, you chase payments, you arrange delivery yourself. This works at small scale but becomes unmanageable as your business grows.
WhatsApp is where most Nigerian small businesses start. It is free, easy, and most of your initial customers are already there. But like Instagram, WhatsApp is a communication tool, not a store. It has all the limitations we discussed — manual price responses, payment chasing, no tracking, no data, and zero discoverability to new customers.
Flutterwave Store
Flutterwave Store is a basic free storefront product from Flutterwave. It allows you to create a simple product catalogue and accept payments through Flutterwave's payment gateway. It is free to set up and charges a transaction fee of around 2 percent on each sale plus VAT.
It is simple and functional but limited in features — no built-in logistics, limited store customization, and no advanced marketing tools. It suits sellers who want the simplest possible checkout link rather than a full store experience.
Sellora
Sellora is a store builder built specifically for Nigerian sellers. Every vendor gets their own fully branded online store with their own link — yourname.sellora.ng — that they completely own and control.
There is no commission on sales. You keep 100 percent of every sale. Sellora charges a flat monthly subscription starting from a free plan. Payment is processed through PalmPay's secure gateway — customers pay by bank transfer or card and the money hits your wallet immediately after every sale.
On delivery, Sellora is integrated with over 10 logistics partners. When a customer checks out, the system queries all partners in real time and shows available delivery options and prices based on the customer's location and your product dimensions. Delivery is assigned automatically. Both you and your customer can track in real time.
Sellora also has a built-in Dropship Marketplace where you can sell other vendors' products without holding inventory, and built-in Meta and Google Ads tracking for sellers who want to run paid advertising.
The free plan lets you start immediately. Paid plans are available as your business grows.
Which Platform Should You Choose?
The right platform depends on your specific situation.
If you want immediate access to an existing audience and are selling commoditized products with enough margin to absorb fees, Jumia or Konga can work as one channel among several.
If you are building a brand, want to own your customer relationships, and want to keep your full revenue without paying commission on every sale, your own Sellora store is the better long-term choice.
Many serious Nigerian sellers actually use a combination — they list on Jumia for volume and discoverability while building their own Sellora store for brand building, higher margins, and customer loyalty. But if you are choosing just one place to focus your energy, your own store is always the more valuable long-term investment.
The business you build on a marketplace belongs partly to that marketplace. The business you build on your own store is entirely yours.
👉 Create your free Sellora store at www.sellora.ng and start building a business that is 100% yours.