Two different questions get mixed together here, and separating them makes this easy.
What Metzee requires
A short list, and it is the same for everyone:
- A GSTIN or an ECO enrolment number. Either one — never both. Your store cannot sell until one of them is approved, and the enrolment number is free to get, for sellers without a GSTIN.
- A PAN on file, to receive payouts.
- Business registration, if your seller type is a registered business. This holds up nothing; it is kept for invoices and tax records.
- An FSSAI licence, if you sell food — and that includes cakes and hampers, whatever category you list them under.
That is it. The documents screen shows only what your own answers make necessary, so if nothing else appears, nothing else is asked. What documents are needed.
What your category may require, regardless of us
This is the other question, and it is not ours to answer. A licence required by law is required whether or not a marketplace asks for it.
Categories where the answer is commonly yes:
- Food and drink, in any form — FSSAI, which we do ask for.
- Cosmetics and anything applied to skin — manufacturing and labelling rules apply.
- Supplements and anything health-related.
- Ayurvedic and herbal preparations.
- Children's products and toys, which carry safety standards.
- Gold and precious metal — hallmarking, which is a legal obligation on the item. Can I sell gold?
- Anything imported, where import documentation and labelling rules follow the goods.
- Seeds, plants and anything live.
How to actually find out for your case
Ask your accountant, or the relevant regulator directly. Not a forum, and not us.
That is not us dodging the question. We can tell you what Metzee asks for, because we wrote that. We cannot tell you whether your particular soap business needs a particular registration, and a confident wrong answer here would cost you far more than a cautious one.
If you are starting out, the single most useful hour you can spend is with an accountant who deals with small sellers — they will cover licensing, GST and record-keeping together.
What happens if you sell without one
Metzee's part: a listing in a category that needs a document we ask for will not go live until it is approved, and a store selling what it should not be selling is a policy matter. What you can and cannot sell.
The larger part is not ours. Selling without a licence the law requires is a matter between you and the regulator, and no marketplace stands between those.
More: how to get verified, do I need insurance, how sellers are verified.