Three questions settle this category, in this order.
1. Do you hold what the law requires
Metzee's policy is explicit: some foods need a licence somebody must hold, the question is whether you hold it, and Metzee cannot check that for you. Prohibited items puts it plainly — "the rules apply here exactly as they do anywhere else."
That is not a formality to read past. Selling food is a licensed activity in India and the licence sits with the seller, not the marketplace. If you are not sure whether what you are doing needs one, find out before you list.
2. Will a courier carry it
Perishables are the second wall. Many couriers refuse chilled and frozen goods outright, some refuse liquids over a volume, and transit times in an Indian summer are not kind to anything that was fine when it left.
Ask your courier before you promise a delivery price, because the difference comes off your own balance. For a lot of genuinely perishable food, collection or local delivery is the only honest answer.
3. Can you show the label
What a buyer needs to see on camera:
- The seal, intact
- The date — best-before or use-by, and they are not the same thing
- The ingredients and allergens, readable
- The batch or lot code
- The weight or volume
If a product has no label because you made it yourself, that is a different conversation, and it goes back to question one.
Say what it is, honestly
Homemade, packaged, imported, a regional speciality, something that cannot be bought outside one district. The story is a large part of why this sells live — but the story never replaces the date and the label.
Never
- Never relabel or repackage somebody else's product
- Never sell past a use-by date
- Never leave allergens out of the description
Delivery
Packing food covers what survives a parcel and what does not.
More: how to sell on Metzee, pricing food.
Questions people ask
Can I sell homemade food?
Only if you hold what the law requires for what you are doing. That is the question, and it is yours to answer before listing.
Can I sell past a best-before date?
A best-before is about quality rather than safety, and some things are sold past it — but only if the date is stated plainly. A use-by date is different and must never be passed.
What about drinks?
Weight, leaking and courier restrictions all apply, and alcohol has its own licensing which is again yours to hold.