Every year, thousands of Pakistanis start online stores. Most of them quit within six months. Not because ecommerce does not work here — it works very well. But because they skip steps and hit problems they did not anticipate.
This guide walks through the actual steps, in order, with realistic numbers. No hype.
Before You Start — The Honest Conversation
Answer these three questions honestly:
1. Do You Have PKR 100,000 to Invest?
Minimum realistic starting budget for a small ecommerce store:
- Initial inventory: PKR 40,000-60,000
- Website / platform setup: PKR 10,000-25,000
- Marketing for first 3 months: PKR 20,000-40,000
- Packaging, shipping, misc: PKR 10,000-20,000
- Total: PKR 80,000-145,000
You can start with less, but expect slower progress. Below PKR 50,000, most stores die in month two.
2. Do You Have 15-20 Hours/Week?
Ecommerce is not passive income, especially in year one. You will be:
- Photographing products
- Listing and updating
- Answering customer queries
- Packing and dispatching orders
- Handling returns
- Doing marketing
If you cannot dedicate 3 hours/day minimum, ecommerce will not work for you.
3. Do You Have a Specific Product Niche?
"General store" is the fastest way to fail. Pick a niche:
- Handmade jewelry
- Organic skincare
- Phone accessories
- Kids clothing
- Pet supplies
- Home decor
Niche stores convert better, market cheaper, and become memorable.
Step 1 — Pick Your Product
Good product criteria:
- Repeat purchase potential — Skincare beats phone cases (people buy again)
- Lightweight — Heavy items eat your profit in shipping
- Not easily damaged — Fragile items mean returns
- Reasonably priced — PKR 1,500-8,000 is the sweet spot for COD
- Not easily copied — Private label or exclusive sourcing helps
- Visual appeal — Good for social media content
Where to Source
- Local wholesale markets — Karachi's Bolton Market, Lahore's Shah Alam Market
- China imports — Alibaba, 1688 (requires careful vetting)
- Local manufacturers — Sialkot, Faisalabad for specific categories
- Dropshipping — Lower investment but lower margins
Test Before Bulk Buying
Buy 5-10 units of 3-4 products. Test sell them. Whichever sells fastest, go deeper on that. Do not buy 500 units of one product without validating demand.
Step 2 — Choose Your Platform
Three main options for Pakistani sellers:
Shopify — PKR 11,000/month
Hosted platform, easy setup, integrated apps. Best if you want to focus on business, not tech.
Pros: Fast to launch, secure, scalable, easy marketing integrations.
Cons: Monthly cost adds up, limited control, some local payment gateways require third-party apps.
WooCommerce — PKR 15,000/year (hosting) + setup
Free plugin on WordPress. You handle hosting, security, updates.
Pros: Full control, cheaper long-term, huge plugin ecosystem, local gateways integrate smoothly.
Cons: More technical, you are responsible for maintenance.
Daraz — Free (commission-based)
Sell as a seller on Daraz. No website needed.
Pros: Instant traffic, no marketing spend, easy to start.
Cons: No brand ownership, high competition, you do not own customer data.
My Recommendation
- First-time sellers, small budget: Start with Daraz
- Serious business, brand plans: Shopify or WooCommerce
- Technical skills available: WooCommerce (cheaper, more flexible)
- No tech skills: Shopify (higher monthly cost, but no technical headaches)
Step 3 — Set Up Payments (The Pakistan Reality)
Pakistani ecommerce is 70-80% Cash on Delivery. Plan for this from day one.
COD Setup
- Leopards Courier — Most popular, reliable COD
- TCS — Premium option, higher rates
- M&P (Muller & Phipps) — Good coverage
- Trax — Budget option
- PostEx — Growing, competitive
Typical COD fees: PKR 150-250 per parcel, plus 1.5-2.5% of the COD amount.
Online Payment Gateways
- PayFast — Easypaisa, JazzCash, cards
- Safepay — Similar coverage
- Bank Alfalah / HBL — Direct integrations
- Stripe — Not available for Pakistani businesses directly
Gateway transaction fees: 2-3% per transaction.
Bank Account
Open a separate business bank account. Mixing personal and business finances creates tax chaos later.
Step 4 — Legal and Tax Registration
This step is boring but essential. Skipping it creates problems later.
Business Registration
- Sole Proprietorship — Simplest. Register with FBR for NTN.
- Partnership — Two or more partners. Registered with SECP.
- (Private) Limited Company — More complex, but separates liability. Register with SECP.
For most small stores, sole proprietorship is fine.
Sales Tax Registration (STRN)
If your annual revenue crosses the threshold (currently around PKR 10 million for goods), you must register for sales tax.
Provincial sales tax authorities:
- Punjab: PRA (Punjab Revenue Authority)
- Sindh: SRB (Sindh Revenue Board)
- KPK: KPRA
- Federal: FBR
Even if you are below threshold, register once revenue picks up. It opens up B2B sales and larger platforms.
Step 5 — Set Up Logistics and Packaging
Packaging Basics
- Polymailer bags — PKR 8-15 each for small items
- Bubble wrap — For fragile products
- Branded stickers — Adds professional touch, ~PKR 5 each
- Thank you card — Handwritten notes convert repeat customers
Order Fulfillment Workflow
- Customer places order
- You confirm via WhatsApp (reduces COD returns)
- Pack the product
- Book courier pickup
- Track until delivered
- Follow up for review / repeat purchase
Step 6 — Marketing (Where Most Stores Fail)
A store without traffic is a store without sales. Budget and plan for marketing from day one.
Free Traffic
- Instagram — Daily posts, stories, reels
- TikTok — Best organic reach in 2026
- Facebook groups — Niche communities
- WhatsApp status — Personal network
- Pinterest — For visual products
Paid Traffic
- Facebook / Instagram Ads — Start with PKR 500-1,000/day
- TikTok Ads — Cheaper than Meta, growing
- Google Shopping — For people searching specific products
Realistic first-month ad spend: PKR 20,000-40,000. Expect 3-8 sales per PKR 1,000 spent at first — improving as you optimize.
Content That Sells
- Product photos on clean backgrounds
- Video demonstrations
- Customer testimonials
- Behind-the-scenes of packing/shipping
- Problem-solution content (not just product shots)
Step 7 — Getting Your First Sale
The first sale is the hardest. Speed it up:
- Tell your personal network — First 5-10 orders usually come from people who know you
- Launch with a discount — 20-30% off for first 50 orders
- Free delivery for first order — Eats margin but gets reviews
- WhatsApp marketing — Broadcast to your contacts
- Niche Facebook groups — Post genuinely helpful content, not spam
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Buying too much inventory upfront — Test first, scale second
- Not confirming COD orders by phone — Reduces returns by 30-40%
- Ignoring returns data — Track why returns happen and fix root causes
- Quitting at month two — Most successful stores take 4-6 months to hit real momentum
- No marketing budget — Organic alone rarely works past month one
- Skipping legal registration — Creates growth problems later
Realistic Timeline
- Month 1: Setup, first 5-20 sales, break-even rare
- Month 2-3: 20-50 sales/month, margins tight
- Month 4-6: 50-200 sales/month, small profit
- Month 7-12: Scaling, real profit, systems in place
Stores that survive month 6 tend to do well long-term. Store that quit at month 2-3 fail because they did not give it enough time.
The Bottom Line
Ecommerce in Pakistan works. There are thousands of successful stores running right now — most of them started small, stayed focused, and gave it 6-12 months to prove itself.
Start with a clear niche, a small inventory test, and a realistic budget. Fix problems as they come. Do not panic in month two when sales are slow.
Six months of consistent effort beats six months of perfect planning. Start small, ship fast, learn continuously.