TikTok shop first launched on Sep. 12, 2023, and quickly grew popular. It was made to help the viral app TikTok grow and to drive sales and brand growth. 

But the real question is, is TikTok shop reliable? I think it is, but it depends on the product you buy.

Most items on TikTok shop are fairly cheap, or sold at a cheaper price than they would be on any other platform. The reason for this is to subsidize purchases to get people to get used to buying stuff online and on the platform. 

To get TikTok shop on a phone, the app has to be updated. Once it’s updated, it should have all the new updates and the shop button.  

If that does not work, go to the three dots in the upper right corner to get to the settings menu. Click “settings” and look for the “shop” section and tap on it. 

When scrolling through TikTok, there will most likely be a video of someone showing off the product that they bought. It pops up on my for you page all the time. When this happens, the person showcasing the product could be earning money from the brand. 

I have and love TikTok like most teens, but sometimes I catch myself on the app way more than I need to be. 

 Most people who own the app are young users who get influenced easily, just like me. There will be times that I come across someone doing an ad for a product, and it’s very tempting to buy it.  Sophomore Zauima Sammon also uses TikTok and has used the shop feature before.

 “Yes, I have bought something off of a TikTok shop,”  sophomore Zauima Sammon said. “I bought beauty blenders and then I also bought a cute little purse.”

Sammon likes the quality of her products, and she had success in the TikTok shop. “I have another order coming in and it only takes like 5-6 days,” she said. 

Ordering from a TikTok shop does not guarantee the best quality. Just because one person’s product is good does not mean all of them are like that. 

A freshman Francesca Rhoades at State High said, “ I’ve bought Sol De Janeiro #40, and it was not that good bottle was like a totally different bottle than it normally comes in, and it doesn’t even smell like the real Sol De Jenerio.” 

Rhoades does not like the quality of the product, unlike Sammon. Rhoades said, “I would probably not buy off there again.” 

TikTok shop is one of those apps that you either get lucky or you don’t. There is a 50/50 chance of getting the good quality you want.

Business teacher Brooke Vennie lays out her opinion on TikTok shop. “So from what I have heard about TikTok shop is that it’s kind of similar to the Instagram shop,” she said.

“I mean I think it’s a good way for businesses to advertise their businesses, and get their products in front of younger people’s faces and in front of their screens,” Veenie added.

Veenie also stated, “From that standpoint, I think it’s a good idea. I do think there is some risk for consumers though because anybody can post anything, so it’s not necessarily coming from a legitimate source.” 

Veenie talks about brand deals with TikTok shop. 

“The brand and TikTok shop would kind of make a deal together with using things like percentages, and what the commission rate would be for TikTok itself, and because there is going to be such a large audience on tik tok actually seeing that product and potentially buying it,” Veenie stated. “I’m sure they find a way to lower their prices so people are willing to buy it through that.”

I think that TikTok shop has its ups and downs just like every platform-based shop. It seems like a miracle scrolling through the shop and seeing all these products from cheap. Just be careful because you never know what you’re going to get.