What's the checklist before you ship your first US inventory for TikTok Shop?

let's pull the whole chapter into one sequence you run before you touch a freight forwarder, because the order matters and the mistakes are expensive to unwind.

one, decide your door consciously, that's posts 2 and 4 through 6, FBT is the default, Upgraded TikTok Shipping is for when a real product constraint or a multi channel need pushes you off FBT, Collections is only when you're already doing 50 or more orders per day, and cross border direct isn't a starting door.

two, confirm your product actually fits FBT, that's post 5, not refrigerated, shelf life items have full use period plus 90 days remaining on arrival, no regulated or prohibited category surprises, and FBT packaging rules understood.

three, get the inbound paperwork right, that's post 8, HTS 10 digit code per SKU, origin declarations, a freight forwarder that actually does customs brokerage, DDP versus DDU chosen with your broker, and recalculate landed cost because post de minimis it's not what it was.

four, size the first shipment for the viral case not the base case, that's post 9, send more than feels comfortable for your top SKUs, and pre arrange a fast top up lane so you can restock in days.

five, accept that the SLA isn't negotiable, that's post 7, and if you're not on FBT, LDR under 4 percent, 2 business day dispatch, and carrier delays still on you, so plan your ops around those numbers.

do this in that order and your first US inventory drop is boring, skip steps and you find out at the worst moment, and the next chapter is the one everything so far has been setup for, activating creators and affiliates so all this inventory actually has a reason to move.

if you've been through this in 2026, which step tripped you up the most, the door, the inbound, or the sizing?