Short answer: on most traditional unlisted-share dealers, no — you're usually required to buy in blocks of 500 to 1,000 shares at once. On PreStocks.in, retail investors can buy as little as 1 share of companies like Zepto or NSE India, on eligible seller inventory, with the same bank-escrow protection and T+1 demat delivery used for larger orders.
Buying unlisted shares isn't like placing an order on a stock exchange — it's an off-market transaction between a specific buyer and a specific seller, settled via a Delivery Instruction Slip (DIS) or e-DIS transfer between demat accounts. Every transaction carries real per-trade overhead: KYC verification, escrow coordination, and depository paperwork. To keep that overhead worthwhile, many dealers only transact in large, fixed lot sizes — commonly 500 to 1,000 shares — which puts unlisted investing out of reach for investors who want to start with a smaller amount.
PreStocks aggregates inventory from multiple verified sellers for a given company. When a seller lists shares in smaller quantities — sometimes as low as a single share — PreStocks can pass that same micro-lot on to a buyer, instead of forcing every purchase into one large fixed block. Availability always depends on what sellers actually have listed for that company at a given time, so minimum quantities can vary company to company and change as inventory does — but the platform itself does not impose an artificial 500-share floor the way many traditional dealers do.
Every purchase, regardless of size, goes through the same process: digital KYC, payment held in an independent bank escrow account, and settlement via regulated CDSL/NSDL demat transfer — typically within T+1 working days. See the full step-by-step buying guide.
The figures below for other platforms reflect commonly cited industry lot-size norms for unlisted-share dealers in India as of early 2026, not each platform's live, current policy — always confirm directly with a platform before relying on this comparison for a purchase decision.
*Subject to live seller inventory for the specific company; not guaranteed for every listing at every point in time.
Popular pre-IPO and unlisted names investors commonly search for by minimum quantity include Zepto, NSE India, PhonePe, OYO, Tata Capital, and boAt. Availability at 1 share depends on current seller inventory — check each company's live page for its current minimum:
On most traditional unlisted-share dealers, no — they commonly enforce lot sizes of 500 to 1,000 shares per transaction. On PreStocks.in, retail investors can buy as little as 1 share on eligible seller inventory, subject to what individual sellers have listed.
Off-market share transfers involve real transaction and compliance overhead per trade (DIS/e-DIS processing, KYC checks, escrow settlement), so many dealers only deal in bulk lots to keep per-trade economics viable. PreStocks aggregates smaller seller lots so individual investors can buy in smaller quantities where inventory allows.
Availability depends on live seller inventory for that specific company at any given time. Check the individual company page on PreStocks (e.g. the Zepto or NSE unlisted shares page) for current minimum quantities.
On PreStocks, every transaction — regardless of quantity — is protected by independent bank escrow (funds are only released to the seller after your share transfer is confirmed) and settles via regulated CDSL/NSDL demat transfer, the same mechanism used for listed shares.
See indicative prices and current minimum quantities for companies tracked on PreStocks.