How to Start an Online Store in Pakistan: Daraz, Shopify, and Beyond

Starting an online store in Pakistan generally comes down to three pieces: a National Tax Number (NTN) from the Federal Board of Revenue once you begin earning taxable income, a sales channel such as Daraz or Shopify, and a payment method your customers actually use. A full registered company is not required to begin, but an NTN effectively is, once income starts. This guide walks through each step with sources you can verify directly.

Before choosing a platform, gather these basics. Having them ready cuts your setup time from days to hours.

• A valid CNIC (Computerized National Identity Card).
• A mobile number and email registered with NADRA, as FBR verification depends on this match.
• A bank account for receiving payouts.
• A product or niche decision, along with a supplier if you are reselling rather than manufacturing.

Quick answer: No, you do not need a registered company to start selling online in Pakistan. A sole proprietorship, where you and your business share one NTN, is enough for most new sellers. Registering a full company only becomes relevant if you choose a partnership or private limited structure later.

An NTN is issued by the FBR and is required for anyone earning taxable income in Pakistan, including online sellers. For individuals, a 13-digit Computerized National Identity Card is used as the NTN or registration number once e-enrollment on the IRIS portal is complete. ICCI

The registration steps are straight forward:

1. Go to iris.fbr.gov.pk and select Registration for Unregistered Person.
2. Enter your CNIC and verify through the OTP sent to your NADRA-registered mobile number and email.
3. Complete the form with your name, address, and business or employment details.
4. Submit your application.

Timing varies by report. Some applicants describe receiving confirmation within a few hours of submission, while others, especially for business category registrations, report a wait of one to a few business days. FBR does not publish a guaranteed processing window, so treat same-day issuance as a possibility rather than a promise, and budget a few extra days if you are registering close to a deadline.

If you plan to operate as a partnership or a private limited company instead of a sole proprietorship, registration runs through the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) rather than FBR alone and involves separate incorporation paperwork.

Quick answer: Being active on FBR's Active Taxpayer List (ATL) matters because it keeps your withholding tax rate lower on banking and business transactions. Falling off the list, usually from missing a return, raises that rate instead.

Both platforms solve different problems. Daraz gives you access to an existing customer base with almost no setup cost. Shopify gives you a branded store you fully control, but you must build your own traffic and arrange your own payment gateway.

If you have limited capital and no existing audience, start with Daraz. It lets you test whether a product sells before you invest in a standalone brand. Once you understand your market, moving to Shopify or running both together becomes a lower-risk decision.

Daraz registration is free, and the platform earns money through a commission on completed sales rather than a listing fee. Here is the process:

1. Visit the Sell on Daraz page or download the Daraz Seller Center app.
2. Choose between a local seller account, using your CNIC, or a corporate account, if your business already holds an NTN.
3. Enter your shop name, mobile number, and email address.
4. Upload a clear photo of your CNIC, front and back.
5. Add your warehouse address, the location Daraz will use for order pickup.
6. Enter your bank account details for payouts.
7. Submit for verification. Sellers commonly report approval within one to two days, though Daraz does not publish an official guaranteed timeframe, so treat this as a typical range rather than a fixed promise.

Once approved, the single most important listing decision is category selection. Placing a product in the wrong category means it will not appear when customers filter or search by category. Check how similar top-selling products are categorized and match that path exactly.

On fees: Daraz's commission is category-based rather than one flat number, and independent breakdowns of the fee structure show rates spanning from 0 percent up to roughly 20 to 25 percent depending on the specific category, with the highest rates typically applied to categories like fashion and gifts and the lowest to items like electronics or charity listings. This structure changes periodically, so confirm the exact current rate for your category inside your own Seller Center dashboard before pricing a product, rather than relying on any third-party guide, including this one. Scribdscribd

Want a guided walkthrough instead of doing this alone? Our free Daraz Seller Blueprint: From Setup to Sales course covers account setup, category selection, and your first listing step by step with a coach.

This is the detail that surprises most first-time Shopify sellers in Pakistan. Shopify Payments can be used to accept payments at checkout only if a business is located in one of Shopify's officially supported countries, and if a country isn't listed, the merchant needs to use a third-party payment provider instead. Pakistan does not currently appear on that supported list. This does not stop you from building or running a Shopify store. It only means your checkout runs on a third-party gateway from day one instead of Shopify's own processor. Shopify Help Center

Practical steps for a Pakistan-based Shopify store:

1. Create your Shopify account and choose a plan.
2. Set up your product catalog, domain, and storefront design as normal.
3. Since Shopify Payments is not usable, connect a supported third-party gateway or aggregator that works with Pakistani banks and mobile wallets.
4. Enable Cash on Delivery as a fallback option, since many Pakistani buyers still prefer paying on delivery rather than online.
5. Test a full checkout with a small order before launching publicly.

If you would rather learn this hands-on, our Shopify Store Building course walks through the full setup, including payment gateway configuration for Pakistani sellers, free and coach-led.

Getting the checkout right matters more than almost any other setup decision. A broken or unfamiliar payment method is one of the fastest ways to lose a sale.

Raast was developed and is operated by the State Bank of Pakistan rather than a private company, using a phone number as the payment identifier for real-time transfers between participating bank accounts. Whether a specific transfer carries a fee depends on the sending bank and channel used, so check your own bank's current Raast terms rather than assuming it is free in every case. Raast integration into e-commerce checkouts is still uneven and usually happens through a bank app or a specific gateway rather than being a default Shopify or Daraz checkout option, so confirm availability with your chosen gateway before relying on it.

Avoid manual payment confirmation, where a customer sends money and then messages you a screenshot. Sellers and payment processors widely describe this as slow and vulnerable to disputed or fraudulent claims of payment.

The realistic minimum to start on Daraz is close to zero beyond your first batch of inventory and packaging. A Shopify store carries an ongoing subscription cost on top of that, which is the trade-off for owning your brand outright.

Once your account is verified, focus on the details that actually drive sales.

• Write product titles that include the brand, material, and one standout feature. Vague titles rank poorly in on-platform search.
• Use clear, honest photos taken in good lighting rather than manufacturer stock images alone.
• State your shipping time and return policy directly on the listing, not buried in a separate page.
• Factor cash on delivery costs into your pricing. Sellers and logistics providers across Pakistani e-commerce forums commonly report that COD orders fail or get cancelled at delivery more often than prepaid orders, so build that risk into your margin rather than assuming every COD order completes.

• Delaying NTN registration until sales grow, which creates a larger compliance backlog later.
• Listing products in the wrong category on Daraz, which hides them from relevant searches.
• Relying on manual bank transfer confirmation instead of an integrated gateway.
• Launching without a stated return or shipping policy, which increases customer disputes.

Expand your skills with detailed practical training and deep-dive guides:

• Practical Training Course: Daraz Seller Blueprint: From Setup to Sales
• Interactive Store Development: Shopify Store Building
• Startup Budgeting Article: From Startup to Success: How to Launch Your E-Commerce Business on a Budget