How do Blinkit, Zepto and Instamart differ for sellers?
Blinkit runs a self-serve portal called Seller Hub. Its page says you onboard, list products, manage inventory and sell from there, and that registering takes three steps and less than 10 minutes. Its brands page adds a warning: there are no official partners for listing, and the app works directly with brands.
Zepto runs a brand portal. Its page says a brand needs a sizeable catalogue and quality products with a clear selling point, and that brands which meet its selection criteria can be onboarded within 15 business days.
Swiggy's Instamart page has a "become a seller" button, and a separate FAQ page. The answers there say onboarding is tailored to each product and brand, that brands get day-level sales data, and that ads run through a search ads portal. Neither page gives a number of days or a list of papers.
Which papers will you need?
The lists are not the same, so keep one folder with everything. Based on the pages we read:
- GST registration and a bank account: named by Blinkit (and GSTIN and a cancelled cheque by Zepto).
- PAN: named by Zepto.
- Trademark proof: Blinkit asks for the trademark or a trademark application. Zepto asks for the original trademark certificate, or an authorisation letter or no-objection letter (NOC) on the brand owner's letterhead.
- Authorisation papers: Blinkit lists them under business details. They matter if you are not the brand owner.
- FSSAI licence: Blinkit says where it applies. FSSAI is the food safety licence, so for food and drink have it ready.
- A signature: Zepto asks for the authorised signatory's signature copy. Blinkit lists a digital signature and IRN credentials. Ask your accountant what these mean for your business.
- Product data: Zepto says it wants your brand tag details, accurate size details and product images that meet its guidelines.
Run through our 12 checks before you apply on Blinkit before you start. It covers the papers, the product data, the money sums and the stock.
How long does it take to start?
The three numbers on the pages are not the same clock. Blinkit gives two: papers are checked in 12 to 48 hours, and the whole path from onboarding to a first sale can take as little as 7 days. Zepto gives one: onboarding within 15 business days if you meet its criteria, and up to 45 days during major sale events. Instamart gives none.
Plan from the longest number, not the shortest. If you want to be live for a festival, count backwards from the longer time, and add the days it takes you to send your own papers and fix any mistakes.
Who sets the price, and how do you get paid?
Blinkit and Zepto both say you set your own prices. Blinkit also says you get paid every 15 days for delivered orders. The Zepto and Instamart pages we read do not give a payout cycle.
A made-up example, to show why the cycle matters. This is not a real rate or a real result. Say you send stock worth ₹2,00,000 and all of it is delivered in the first week. With a 15-day cycle, you wait up to about two weeks for that money, while you also pay for the next batch of stock. Cash that is tied up in stock and in waiting is cash you cannot spend on ads.
So ask each team, in writing: the payout cycle, what is deducted before payout, who pays for returns and expired stock, and how disputes are settled.
What ads and data tools does each app offer?
Blinkit names an ads platform, a keyword analytics tool, a commissions calculator and a learning section called Seller University. Zepto names ads, pricing offers, events and sampling. Instamart names a search ads portal and day-level sales data.
Having a tool is not the same as having a result. Before you spend, read our four-week quick commerce ads test, which shows how to work out your break-even and whether the app's report matches your own numbers.
What do the three seller pages leave out?
These are the things that decide whether a listing makes money, and we did not find them on the pages we read:
- The commission or margin rate. Blinkit offers a calculator, but its page states no rate.
- Terms for returns, damage and expired stock.
- Minimum stock or minimum order sizes.
- How the app chooses which brand gets a shelf spot in a pin code.
- The cost of ads, and any minimum spend.
Ask for each one in writing from the category team, before you ship stock. Our guide on the steps to sell on all three has a list of questions to take to that call.
Which app should you start with?
There is no one answer, and none of the pages says one app is better for your product. Here are questions that help you pick. This is our view, not a rule.
- Do you own the trademark? Both Blinkit and Zepto ask for trademark proof or an authorisation letter. If papers are your slow step, fix that first.
- Do you sell food or drink? Have the FSSAI licence ready before you apply anywhere.
- Do you need to be live soon? Blinkit states the shortest time. Zepto's stated time is longer, and longer again in a sale season.
- Do you want day-level data? Instamart says it provides it. Ask the other two what data you get.
- Can you keep stock in more than one place? Each app has its own portal, papers and terms, so applying to all three means three sets of stock and settlements.
A simple way to start is one app in one city. Learn the money sums, then add the next. See also our guide to marketplace or own website if you are still deciding whether quick commerce is the right channel.
Common mistakes sellers make
- Paying a reseller to "get you listed". Blinkit warns that its products can be deactivated if a reseller is blacklisted.
- Shipping stock before the terms are in writing.
- Comparing the apps' own size numbers as if they counted the same thing.
- Sending papers that do not match each other, such as a brand name that differs between the GST record and the trademark.
- Running ads on a pack that is often out of stock.
- Treating a page we read today as final. The portal wins over any guide, including this one.
