How to Set Up an Instagram Shop in 2026: Eligibility, Steps and Options for Bangladesh

An Instagram shop lets people browse your products, see prices and tap through to buy without leaving the app until checkout. For brands that already sell well on Instagram, it can turn posts into a catalogue. But the rules have changed a lot in recent years, and many guides online are out of date. Shops now send buyers to your own website to pay, and they are only available in certain countries. This guide explains the current requirements, the setup steps, and what to do if your business is in a country where shops are not offered, which includes Bangladesh at the time of writing.

From my own work: Sellers often ask me why the shopping option never appears on their Instagram account. In most cases the account itself is fine; the business is simply located in a country where Meta does not offer shops yet.

What changed: checkout is now on your website

As of September 2025, Shops on Facebook and Instagram use website checkout (changes to Shops and checkout). People can still browse your shop, collections and product pages inside Instagram, but they complete the purchase on your site. Meta also discontinued payouts, order management, returns and dispute handling in Commerce Manager. In practice this means you need a working online store before an Instagram shop is useful, and you manage orders, payments and returns there.

Eligibility requirements

Meta lists five requirements for selling on Facebook and Instagram (commerce eligibility requirements):

1. Comply with policies: Instagram’s Terms of Use, Meta’s Community Standards and commerce policies, which also restrict some product categories.
2. Represent your business and your domain: your products must be available to buy directly from your website, you provide the single, non-shortened domain you sell through, and Meta may ask you to verify that domain.
3. Be located in a supported country.
4. Demonstrate trustworthiness: an authentic, established presence, which may include a sufficient follower base. Meta may ask you to verify business information.
5. Provide accurate information: no misleading prices or availability, and refund and return policies clearly displayed.

Which countries are supported

According to Meta’s supported countries page (supported countries for Shops), checked in November 2026:

Level	Countries
Full experience	United States
Open beta	Canada, Brazil, Mexico, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Australia, India, Japan, Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand
Limited (no Shops ads)	Ukraine, Indonesia

Bangladesh is not on the list. The location of a shop comes from its commerce account, based on factors such as the country chosen at setup and the location of the person who created it. Do not try to get around this by choosing another country you do not operate in: failing the eligibility requirements can lead to losing commerce features or having the account disabled. Meta updates this list, so check the page again before you start.

How to set up an Instagram shop (supported countries)

The setup happens in Commerce Manager (set up a shop):

1. Prepare your accounts: switch to an Instagram business account and add it to your Meta business portfolio. If you only want to sell on Instagram, you do not need a Facebook Page for the shop.
2. Create a Commerce Manager account and start the shop setup. You can create a catalogue during setup or use an existing one you fully control.
3. Wait for review: Meta reviews your commerce account, which can take up to four weeks. You will see the status in Commerce Manager.
4. Add products to the catalogue: manually, with a data feed, or through a platform connection such as Shopify. Use clear photos, accurate prices and variants that match your website.
5. Set up a delivery profile: the areas you deliver to and at least one delivery speed.
6. Add a checkout URL: this sends buyers from the shop to checkout on your website. A shop cannot be visible without it.
7. Publish the shop, then create collections and start tagging products in posts, Reels and stories.

To measure sales properly, connect your website events with the Meta pixel and Conversions API, as explained in my pixel and Conversions API guide.

If your business is in Bangladesh

You cannot open an Instagram shop from Bangladesh today, but Instagram can still drive a lot of sales. Build the parts that will matter if shops become available, and sell well in the meantime:

• Use a professional account so you get insights and contact buttons.
• Make every post shoppable by hand: price, sizes, colours and how to order in the caption, and a highlight for delivery and returns.
• Link to your website in the bio, pointing to a page with your current collection rather than just the home page.
• Answer DMs fast with saved replies, and move confirmed orders to WhatsApp Business if that suits your customers.
• Run ads to your website or to messages, and track results. Start with Facebook ads for beginners.
• Get your own store ready: a site on your own domain with clear product pages and a visible returns policy meets the core of Meta’s requirements and works for Google too. See starting an e-commerce business in Bangladesh.

Quick checklist

• Business located in a country on Meta’s current supported list.
• Instagram business account added to your business portfolio.
• Website on your own domain where every product can be bought.
• Refund and return policy visible on the website.
• Catalogue with accurate prices, availability and variants.
• Delivery profile and checkout URL added in Commerce Manager.
• Pixel and Conversions API connected for tracking.

Need help with this on your own site or business?

I build and secure WordPress sites, web apps and AI automations end to end, in Bangla and English: a free discovery call, a written scope with a fixed quote, a focused first version, then testing, deployment and monitoring.

See the portfolio and the AI agent services, or tell me what you need.

FAQ

Can I set up an Instagram shop in Bangladesh?

Not at the time of writing. Bangladesh is not on Meta’s list of supported countries for Shops. You can still sell through posts, DMs, WhatsApp and a link to your website.

Can people pay inside Instagram?

No. Since September 2025, shops send buyers to your own website to complete checkout.

Do I need a website for an Instagram shop?

Yes. Meta requires products to be available for direct purchase on your website, and the shop needs a checkout URL on that site.

How many followers do I need for an Instagram shop?

Meta does not publish a fixed number. It asks for an authentic, established presence, which may include a sufficient follower base.

How long does Instagram shop approval take?

Meta says the commerce account review can take up to four weeks.

Sources

• Meta Business Help: Commerce eligibility requirements
• Meta Business Help: Supported countries for Shops on Facebook and Instagram
• Meta Business Help: Set up a shop on Facebook and Instagram
• Meta Business Help: About changes to Shops and checkout