Whether you're trying to turn your Instagram posts into products or looking for products to buy on Instagram, for better or worse, the app really does lend itself to buying all the things.

How to Purchase Items in Instagram Posts

You can tell if an item is available through Instagram for sale when browsing your feed or when you go to someone's profile.

  • When browsing in your home feed, searching images on Instagram, or are looking at someone's Instagram profile, you'll see a shopping bag icon in the corner of the image where products are available for sale.
  • When you open an image, you should also see the icon accompanied by the message Tap to view products.
  • Windows will popup with each item in the photo with a product for sale. The popup window will include the product name, price, and link.
  • Tapping the popup window will reveal more info about the product, with a link to the website where it's available for purchase. It will also include other posts featuring that product.

You'll see these only when browsing Instagram on your phone. Links to products aren't accessible when browsing Instagram on your computer.

How to Purchase Items in Instagram Stories

While brands have long been able include external links in Instagram Stories, you can now also purchase items they promote in those stories.

  • You can tell if a product is being promoted in an Instagram story when you see the same shopping cart icon, but this time placed as a sticker.
  • Tap the sticker and you'll see a similar popup with a link for more details.
  • When you tap that link, you'll be taken to the same product page listed above.

Like with regular posts, links to products in Instagram stories are only visible in the app.

If you're trying to figure out more about how to use the photo sharing app, be sure to check out our ultimate guide to Instagram.