How to sell products on WhatsApp, from catalog to payment

The WhatsApp commerce policy: what you can and can't sell

Every catalog item is checked against Meta's Commerce Policy, and chat content falls under the Business Messaging Policy. Violations get items rejected, catalogs disabled, or in serious cases the whole account restricted, so read the rules before you upload fifty products.

Prohibited categories include, as of August 2026: illegal products or services, drugs and drug paraphernalia, tobacco, alcohol, weapons and ammunition, live animals, adult products and services, real-money gambling, and certain medical, healthcare and financial products.

Some categories that are fine to *discuss* in chat are still barred from *catalogs*, check Meta's current policy text for edge cases rather than assuming. Beyond the category list, the standing rules are: sell only what you can actually deliver, describe it accurately, and don't message people who haven't opted in.

WhatsApp catalog rules for India

For Indian sellers, three layers apply at once:

• Meta's rules: accurate item names, real photos (clear, square images around 1024×1024 look best), correct prices, and no prohibited categories. Items are reviewed and can be rejected silently, check catalog item status after upload.
• Indian e-commerce law: the Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, 2020 expect sellers to state total prices including charges, and be clear about returns, refunds and grievance contact. A pinned "how to order / returns" note and honest pricing in the catalog cover the practical ground.
• Tax: sales through WhatsApp are ordinary sales, GST registration thresholds and invoicing rules apply exactly as they do in your shop. Nothing about the channel changes your tax position.

None of this is heavy for an honest seller; it mostly amounts to charging what the catalog says and delivering what the photo shows.

When the free app stops being enough

The Business app runs a fine one-person shop. The ceiling arrives predictably: one phone answering every "price?" message, broadcasts capped at 256 saved contacts, no automation for order updates, and no way for two staff to share the number properly. That's the point of moving the same number to the WhatsApp Business API, the shop mechanics stay, and the operation around them scales.

On Growcord, order alerts and COD confirmation start on Basic at ₹299/month (₹99 billed yearly), but the shop parts described on this page, the product catalog and in-chat cart messages, arrive with the Commerce plan at ₹1,999/month (₹999 billed yearly), alongside Shopify and WooCommerce sync, cart recovery, 4 numbers, 10 seats and CRM pipelines. Meta's conversation fees are passed through at Meta's published rate with no markup. The pricing page has the full plan table.