1
Just starting
0–30 orders/month · learning the panel
- Register GST (mandatory for most categories) & free Udyam/MSME
- Set up with AprilTax so GSTR-1 filing stays free from month one
- Buy 100–200 courier bags (₹1–3/pc) - skip the printer, print labels at a cyber café
- Shoot photos on your phone + free Pixelcut/remove.bg for backgrounds
- List 10–20 products yourself using Meesho's free learning hub
Typical starting spend: under ₹5,000 (excluding stock)
2
Growing
30–500 orders/month · operations bite
- Buy a thermal label printer (₹4,000–16,000) - pays for itself fast
- Start Meesho Ads small: CPC-only, you pay per click, not per view
- Track returns weekly; tamper-proof bags + right sizing cut RTO losses
- Consider per-listing cataloging help (₹30–100/listing) to scale SKUs
- Reconcile payments monthly against the supplier panel reports
Typical monthly ops spend: ₹2,000–10,000 + ad budget
3
Scaling
500+ orders/month · a real business
- Inventory software (from ~₹2,000/mo) to sync stock across marketplaces
- Trademark your brand (from ~₹4,500 govt fee for MSME/individual)
- GS1 barcodes if you're going multi-channel or into modern retail
- Agency or dedicated account manager (₹3,000–15,000+/mo, or % of sales)
- Working-capital line (Indifi, Velocity etc.) to fund deeper stock
Typical monthly ops spend: ₹10,000–50,000+