Selling on Instagram: a guide for Czech businesses and sole traders

You can sell on Instagram from the Czech Republic too, just not in the way older guides suggest. According to Instagram's help center, the Shops and product tagging features in posts are available only in selected countries, and the Czech Republic is not among them as of November 2026. Sales must therefore be built on a professional account, content that showcases the product, replies in messages and a link to your own online shop.

Does Instagram Shopping work in the Czech Republic?

No, not as of November 2026. Help center page Supported countries for Shops on Facebook and Instagram provides the full version only for the United States, an open beta for selected countries (from Europe, for example Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Switzerland and the United Kingdom), and limited functionality for Ukraine and Indonesia.

According to the same page, a business that wants to use Shops and tag products must meet Meta's Commerce Eligibility Requirements and be based in a supported country. Advice such as “connect a catalogue, activate shopping features and tag products” therefore usually does not apply to a Czech account. The list of countries may change, so please re-check it before planning.

How to set up your profile so that you can sell from it?

The first step is to switch to a professional account. Instagram distinguishes between a business account, intended for merchants, local businesses, brands, organisations and service providers, and a creator account, for public figures, content creators, artists and influencers.

Steps in the app, according to Instagram Help Centre (as of November 2026):

1. Open your profile and select Settings and activity from the menu.
2. Tap Account type and tools.
3. Select Switch to professional account.
4. Choose the category that best describes your business.
5. Select a business account or a creator account.
6. Optionally, add your contact details and link the account to a Facebook Page.

A professional account gives access to a professional dashboard with insights, the creation and management of ads, extended message controls and a connection with Facebook. Statistics are essential for sales, because they show you which posts bring people to your profile and to the link. How to read them is described in the article Instagram insights and what to monitor in them.

What should be visible on the profile

• One sentence about what you sell and to whom.
• Contact details (email, phone or message button).
• Link to your online store, price list or order form.
• Basic information about delivery, payment and returns, for example in highlighted Stories.
• Who is selling: the name or company name, or a link to a page with the seller's details.

The Czech Trade Inspection Authority in its recommendations for online shopping advises buyers to check whether sellers on Instagram have published information about themselves (including contact details) and about their online shop on their profile. According to the ČOI, for Czech entrepreneurs this mainly means the name, IČO and the address of the registered office or place of business. If this information is missing, some customers buy elsewhere. This is general information, not legal advice; check your specific obligations as a seller with an expert.

How to sell when shopping features are not available?

Without Shops, the customer is led from Instagram elsewhere: to your website, into messages or to an order form. The individual routes can be combined.

Path	How it works	Suitable for	What to watch out for
Link from your profile to your online store	Posts spark interest; the link in your profile leads to a product or category.	Online stores with a wider range	Point the link to a specific page, not just to the homepage of the website.
Orders via messages	The customer writes in direct messages (DM), and you send the offer and payment details.	Handmade products, custom orders, small batches	Quick replies and prepared information about delivery and returns.
Stories	Short posts disappear after 24 hours; they are suitable for news, stock levels and answers to questions.	Regular news, limited editions	Which stickers and links you can use in Stories, please check in the app for your account.
Advertising via Meta	Paid display of a post or advertisement to a selected audience.	Verified products with a working website	First make sure that the content works even without advertising, and monitor your cost per order.
Collaborations with creators	The creator presents the product to their followers, or possibly as a partner advertisement.	Brands with a clear target audience	Labelling of advertising and a written agreement on the terms.

A more detailed promotion plan for small businesses can be found in the article promoting a business on Instagram.

What content sells on Instagram?

It sells content that answers the questions a customer would otherwise ask in a shop: what the product looks like in use, who it is for, and what happens if it does not fit. Instagram does not publish any universal formula for how many and which posts lead to sales, so rely on your own statistics.

• Product in use. Instead of just a photo on a white background, show how the item is worn, folded or used.
• Short videos (reels). Reels are short vertical videos; they are suitable for demonstrations, size comparisons and answers to frequently asked questions.
• Customer content. So-called UGC (user-generated content) is content created by customers themselves. Share it only with the author's consent.
• Behind the scenes. Production, order packing or material selection explain why the product costs what it does.
• Practical information. Shipping, returns and product care in separate posts or highlighted Stories.

A procedure for finding out what works for you:

1. Alternate formats (photo, carousel, reels, Story) over a period of four to six weeks.
2. For each post, record its reach, saves, messages and link clicks.
3. Compare this with orders in the same period.
4. Publish more formats and topics that bring in questions and orders, not just likes.

How do advertising and influencer collaborations work?

You can create and manage Instagram ads from a professional account. Before your first budget, have a landing page ready where the order can be completed without unnecessary steps.

Collaborations with creators can take the form of a regular post or a partner advertisement. According to Help with partnership ads a creator can create a partnership ad code that they share with the brand, and the brand then promotes the content as an ad (status as of November 2026). Paid partnerships must be disclosed; the article summarises the rules in the Czech Republic and the EU labelling advertising by influencers. This is not legal advice; for disputed situations, please consult a specialist.

What you may not sell on Instagram

According to Instagram Community Guidelines sexual services cannot be offered, firearms may not be sold between private individuals, nor alcohol, tobacco or live animals, and drug trading is prohibited. For other regulated goods you must comply with the laws, and online gambling or lotteries require prior written permission (status as of November 2026).

Will it help sales if you buy followers or likes?

Not directly. The Instagram Community Guidelines prohibit artificially obtaining likes, followers and shares, as well as offering money in exchange for interactions. Meta's Standards on spam prohibit the sale, purchase or exchange of interactions, such as likes, shares, views or follows. Restrictions on reach or the account therefore cannot be ruled out; and terms and conditions in Article 3.3 expressly state that platforms do not permit the purchase of interactions.

What purchased interactions do not do:

• They do not replace an offer, quality photos or responses to customers.
• They do not guarantee audience interest, enquiries, orders or greater reach.
• Do not count on them as a route to account verification or to monetisation tools.
• They can worsen your engagement rate, i.e. the ratio of reactions (likes, comments, saves) to the number of followers, because purchased accounts usually do not interact with your posts.

When paid promotion makes sense and when it does not?

A followers package may help as an initial social proof, i.e. a signal that the profile already attracts interest, for a new business profile that has good photos, a clear offer and publishes regularly. It may also complement a specific campaign alongside your work on content and advertising. It makes no sense if the profile has no content, if you expect sales or genuine customer reactions from it, if you want to meet verification or monetisation requirements, or if the account has already received a warning or restriction.

If you are considering this, please see the page followers on Instagram and on the package price list and make your decision only once you have sorted out your profile, content and ordering route.