If you are comparing TikTok Shop agencies, pricing is usually the first question and the hardest one to get a straight answer on. Costs vary widely because the work varies widely: launching a shop from scratch is a different job to running live selling with a creator affiliate programme behind it.
This guide covers the pricing models UK agencies use, how we price our own work at BeaSocial, what the first 90 days of a fee should actually buy, and the costs that sit outside it.
The three pricing models agencies use
Almost every TikTok Shop agency prices in one of three ways: a monthly retainer, a commission on GMV, or a hybrid of the two.
- Monthly retainer: a fixed fee for a defined scope, common for shop management and content programmes. Typical UK range is £2,000 to £10,000+ per month depending on scope.
- GMV commission: the agency takes a percentage of the sales it generates, usually 6% to 12%. This aligns incentives, but agencies will only offer it to brands with proven product-market fit.
- Hybrid: a lower base retainer plus a commission. This is the most common structure for full growth management because it funds the day-to-day work while keeping the agency focused on revenue.
How we price at BeaSocial
We use the hybrid model: a monthly retainer plus a commission on GMV, and the commission steps down as the retainer steps up. Our entry package covers shop management, creator sourcing, sampling and briefing, and carries the highest commission. Higher packages add weekly strategy, in-feed content, LIVE selling hours, Discord community management and customer service, at a lower commission.
Every plan has a six-month minimum with a break clause at three months. That is deliberate: the first 90 days are where we find out what sells your product, and the months after are where it compounds.
What the first 90 days should buy
A fee is only worth judging against what happens with it. This is the shape of the first three months we run for a typical creator and LIVE programme:
- Month 1, find what works: source, onboard and brief creators, test hooks and angles, build your creator community, run the first creator competition and produce the first GMV Max creative.
- Month 2, scale what works: re-engage the creators who performed, switch on GMV Max ads, start LIVE selling, sharpen hero products and bundles, run the second competition.
- Month 3, maximise what works: scale the proven creators, hooks and formats, focus ads on the best creative, hand over winning videos for reuse on Meta, and review the full 90 days to set the next plan.
The costs that sit outside the fee
Agency fees are rarely the whole budget. Whoever you hire, plan for these separately:
- Product and samples: creators need your product in hand before they can post about it.
- Creator commission: affiliates earn a commission on the sales they drive, paid through TikTok Shop. You only pay it when something sells.
- Competition prizes: prize pots for creator competitions are funded by the brand.
- Paid media spend: GMV Max and Shop Ads budgets are paid to TikTok, separate from the management fee.
- Fulfilment: pick, pack and shipping, whether you run it yourself or use a 3PL.
What the fee should return
Judge an agency on revenue, not activity. Some of what our programmes have returned: ManiLife's limited-edition launch sold out in two days with £0 paid spend. A single wellness-led LIVE for Pukka generated £4K GMV, with 87.8% of buyers new to the brand. Dr. Will's grew GMV by 425% through an affiliate-first programme of 200+ creators.
Also look beyond the first order. Food, drink, beauty and wellness products get bought again, so the real return on a TikTok Shop programme is the lifetime value of the customers it brings in, not first-order ROAS alone.
Questions to ask before you sign
Pricing only makes sense in the context of what you are getting. Ask these before comparing numbers:
- Do you report GMV, ROAS and profit, or reach and impressions?
- Is live selling run in-house with trained hosts, or subcontracted?
- How many creators will actually post about my product each month?
- Which costs sit outside your fee: samples, creator commission, prizes, ad spend?
- Who owns the shop, the content and the creator relationships if we part ways?
- What happened with the last brand in my category you worked with?
So what should you budget?
We build proposals around your margins and targets rather than a rate card, because a model that works for a snack brand running weekly lives will not fit a homeware brand running seasonal campaigns. We have generated over £7M in TikTok Shop GMV for 50+ brands, and every engagement is priced to be profitable for the brand first. Our guide to choosing a TikTok Shop agency covers what to check alongside price.
Want a number for your brand rather than a range? Book a call and we will price it around your margins and targets.
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