Choose an agency when
Your shop is new, stuck or not making money. Nobody in the business owns TikTok Shop full time. You want people who have already grown shops like yours, and your budget is below the cost of two hires. Pear Full Management
Guide for UK brands
TikTok Shop agency or in-house team? What each costs in the UK.
The three ways to run TikTok Shop, side by side: an agency, your own team, or your own team with software doing the routine work.
Written by Pear, a London TikTok Shop Partner agency. We offer two of the three, so we also say when each one is the wrong choice, and when Pear isn't the right fit.
Which one fits your brand
An agency costs less than a team, starts with the experience already in place, and covers the whole funnel from day one. You give up some day-to-day control unless the agency works inside your own accounts.
An in-house team keeps the people and the know-how in your business, full time. It costs several times more than an agency once you cover the whole funnel, and it takes months to hire and train.
In-house with Pear Shop Agents is for larger brands that want to own TikTok Shop without building a big team. Software runs the routine checks in your accounts, and your own operator approves what changes.
There is also a middle way. Pear's full management works as an extension of your in-house team: inside your own Seller Centre, with your approval on every change, and with records you keep. If you later want to bring it in house, nothing is lost.
How much does a TikTok Shop agency cost in the UK?
Most UK TikTok Shop agencies charge a monthly retainer. Some add commission on sales or a set-up fee, so ask what the monthly figure covers before you compare.
Pear Full Management costs £2,000 to £3,000 a month, plus 5% of sales made through affiliate creators. Where your shop sits in that range depends on its monthly sales, and the 5% doesn't include shipping or returns. It covers the whole shop: strategy and margins, creators and affiliates, content planning and creator briefs, GMV Max ads, promotions and launches, listings and stock, customer service, and the shop's finance and records. Lumo, our creator software, is included. LIVE selling and content production are priced separately.
Costs you pay whichever way you run it
Some costs come with TikTok Shop itself, so they are the same with an agency or a team of your own:
- Commission to affiliate creators, which you set in Affiliate Centre.
- Free samples sent to creators.
- Ad spend on GMV Max.
- TikTok Shop's own fees on each order.
Leave these out of the comparison, or count them on both sides. A good agency should help you spend less on the first three, by picking creators who post and backing only content that has already sold.
What an in-house TikTok Shop team costs
Running a shop well takes shop management, creators, content, ads and customer service. Here is what UK recruiters say those roles pay in 2026.
| TikTok Shop Manager | £60,000 to £80,000 |
| TikTok Shop Specialist | £40,000 to £50,000 |
| Influencer Marketing Executive | £28,000 to £40,000 |
| Social Media Content Creator | £30,000 to £50,000 |
Salaries from 3Search's 2026 social media salary guide. Their 2026 hiring guide says most TikTok Shop Manager roles they fill pay about £70,000.
A worked example: two people
Take the smallest team that could run a shop: one TikTok Shop Manager and one Specialist, both hired at the bottom of their range.
| Salaries (£60,000 + £40,000) | £100,000 |
| Employer National Insurance (15% above £5,000 each, 2026/27) | £13,500 |
| A year, before anything else | £113,500 |
| A month | about £9,460 |
That is before employer pension, recruitment fees, software, cover for holidays and sickness, and the time it takes to manage them. Two people still leave gaps: content, ads and customer service either fall on them or need more hires. For comparison, a year of Pear Full Management costs £24,000 to £36,000, plus 5% of sales made through affiliate creators. Even at the top of our range, Pear only costs as much as those two people once your affiliate creator sales pass about £1.5 million a year.
An in-house team is still the right answer for some brands. When TikTok Shop is already one of your biggest channels, full-time people who know only your brand can be worth the extra cost, especially if you already have content and creator teams to build on.
Agency, in-house and Pear Shop Agents, side by side
Swipe the table to see all three options.
| Agency (Pear Full Management) | In-house team | In-house with Pear Shop Agents | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | £2,000 to £3,000 a month, plus 5% of sales made through affiliate creators | From about £113,500 a year for two people, before pension, recruitment and software | A build fee, then a monthly retainer, priced by the areas you choose |
| Who does the work | A UK account manager backed by a delivery team | The people you hire | Your own operator, with software running the routine checks |
| Getting started | Kick-off, then foundations, launch and scale across the first 90 days | Recruit, onboard and train, then start | A 90-day build in your accounts, then handover to your team |
| Experience | Learned across many shops and categories | Whatever your hires bring, and what they learn on the job | Pear's way of running a shop, built into your accounts |
| Control | Your accounts and your approval on every change | Full control | Full control, with changes sent to your approver to sign off |
| When someone leaves | Pear covers it, and you keep your creator records, briefs and reports | The know-how leaves with them | The rules and records stay in your accounts |
| Best for | Brands that want the whole shop run well without building a team | Brands where TikTok Shop is already a major channel | Larger in-house brands that want to own it without growing headcount |
In-house figures use the bottom of the 3Search 2026 salary ranges and 2026/27 employer National Insurance. Pear Shop Agents prices are given on a call.
When each option makes sense
Build in-house when
TikTok Shop is already one of your biggest channels. You can hire and manage specialists in creators, content and ads, and you want them working only on your brand, every day.
Use Pear Shop Agents when
You are a larger brand with someone who can run the shop, and you want it in house without adding a team. Your stock, accounts and warehouse need to connect to the shop. Pear Shop Agents
You don't have to choose all or nothing
The usual worry about agencies is losing sight and control, then starting again when it goes wrong. Pear's full management is built to avoid that. Our team works inside your own Seller Centre, Affiliate Centre and Ads Manager. Nothing customer-facing changes until your named approver agrees it. You get a weekly report and call on what we did and what it made, and a Pear founder joins every monthly review.
You own your creator records, briefs and reports, including what is held in Lumo, and you get them in full if you leave. So you can start with Pear, build your own team alongside us, and take it in house when the channel is big enough to justify it.
Before you decide
If you are leaning towards an agency, ask each one the same questions: are they a registered TikTok Shop Partner, who works on your account each day, how many sampled creators actually post, and when they would start spending on ads. Our guide on how to choose a TikTok Shop agency in the UK has ten questions to take into those calls.
If you are leaning towards in-house, write down every job the shop needs each week before you write the job advert. Creator outreach, samples, briefs, listings, promotions, stock, ads, customer messages and the shop's P&L are rarely one person's job.
When Pear isn't the right fit. We will tell you on the call if the shop has an open serious violation, if your products sit in a restricted category with no route to approval, if your margins don't leave a profit after platform fees, commission and ads, or if you need a guaranteed sales figure before starting.
Agency or in-house, answered
How much does a TikTok Shop agency cost in the UK?
Most UK agencies charge a monthly retainer, and some add commission on sales or a set-up fee. Pear Full Management costs £2,000 to £3,000 a month, depending on your shop's monthly sales, plus 5% of sales made through affiliate creators. It covers the whole shop, with Lumo included. LIVE selling and content production are priced separately.
Is it cheaper to hire an in-house TikTok Shop manager?
Usually not. UK recruiter 3Search puts TikTok Shop Manager salaries at £60,000 to £80,000 in 2026, before employer National Insurance, pension and recruitment fees. A year of Pear Full Management costs £24,000 to £36,000, plus 5% of sales made through affiliate creators, and one person can rarely cover creators, content, ads and the shop on their own.
What do we pay on top, whichever way we run TikTok Shop?
Commission to affiliate creators, free samples, ad spend and TikTok Shop's own fees on each order. These come with the platform, so they are the same with an agency or your own team.
Can we start with an agency and bring TikTok Shop in house later?
Yes. Pear works inside your own accounts and you keep your creator records, briefs and reports if you leave. Brands that want to bring it in house without building a large team can move to Pear Shop Agents.
Do we keep control of our TikTok Shop with an agency?
With Pear, yes. We work in your own Seller Centre, Affiliate Centre and Ads Manager, and nothing customer-facing changes until your named approver agrees it.
Which gets results faster, an agency or an in-house team?
An agency starts with the experience already in place, while a new team has to be hired and trained first. For reference, Qleen went from £0 to £5k a day in 60 days with Pear, and Vita Bright made £43,160 in its first 60 days. Both are past results, with their dates, on our case studies page.
Where is Pear based?
London. Pear is a London TikTok Shop Partner agency of 14 people, founded in 2024, working with brands across the UK.
Not sure which fits? Ask us.
Book a free strategy session. We'll look at your shop and tell you honestly whether an agency, your own team or Pear Shop Agents makes most sense.
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