For most beginners in Pakistan, Daraz is the easiest place to start, because it is free to open a shop and buyers are already there. Amazon FBA suits sellers with more capital who want to sell to buyers abroad in dollars. Shopify suits sellers building their own brand who can drive their own traffic. Pick one first, then add others.
What is the real difference between the three?
Daraz and Amazon are marketplaces: they bring the buyers, and you compete with other sellers on the same platform. Shopify is a store builder: it gives you your own website, and every buyer who arrives there comes because you brought them. That one difference shapes everything else, from costs to how fast you get your first order.
Daraz: local buyers, low cost to start
Daraz is a Pakistani marketplace, so your buyers are local and pay in rupees, including by cash on delivery. According to Daraz, there is no fee to open a shop, and it charges a commission on each sale that varies by product category. Daraz handles payment collection and has its own logistics network for delivery.
- Best for: local products, first-time sellers, testing demand cheaply.
- Watch for: price competition in crowded categories, and returns eating into thin margins.
- Getting paid: Daraz pays out to your local bank account after deducting its fees.
What does Daraz actually deduct from a sale?
Daraz fees stack. Each delivered order carries a category commission, a payment fee, an item handling fee and, if Daraz collects the parcel, a pickup fee. Rates below come from Daraz’s Marketplace Commission Structure (May 2026 file) and its Payment Policy, both checked on 27 September 2026. The order is a hypothetical example: one kurta in Fashion, sold for Rs 1,500.
Daraz fee | Published rate | On a Rs 1,500 Fashion order |
|---|---|---|
Category commission | 2% (laptops) to 20% (watches, sunglasses, jewellery); Fashion is 18.50% | Rs 277.50 |
Payment fee | 2.25% of the order value | Rs 33.75 |
Item handling fee | Rs 10 to Rs 60 per item, by item price | Rs 20 |
Pickup fee, if Daraz collects | Rs 30 under 8 kg, Rs 120 for 8 kg or more | Rs 30 |
Total deducted | Rs 361.25, about 24% of the price |
In the highest-commission categories, commission and payment fee alone reach 22.25 percent before the fixed fees. Tax on those fees, and any income tax withheld on your sales, come on top. For sign-up steps and the weekly payout schedule, see How to Sell on Daraz.
Amazon FBA: global buyers, more capital and paperwork
Pakistan is on Amazon's list of countries accepted for seller registration, so you can sell on stores such as the US or UK from here. With Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA), Amazon stores your stock in its warehouses, ships each order and handles returns and customer service for those orders (Amazon FBA). On top of FBA fees you pay a selling plan (the Professional plan is $39.99 a month, or $0.99 per item sold on the Individual plan) and a referral fee on each sale that varies by category, such as 15 percent on backpacks, handbags and luggage (Amazon pricing).
- Best for: sellers with capital for stock and a few months of runway, aiming at buyers abroad.
- Watch for: account verification, inventory tied up in a foreign warehouse, and ad costs in competitive niches.
- Getting paid: in dollars or pounds, often through a receiving account such as Payoneer, then withdrawn to a Pakistani bank.
Shopify: your own brand, your own traffic
Shopify is available in Pakistan, and its pricing page for Pakistan lists the Basic plan at US$19 a month when paid yearly, with an introductory trial offer for new stores. Shopify Payments is not offered in Pakistan, so you connect a local gateway or use cash on delivery and bank transfer instead (Shopify Help Center).
- Best for: a brand with a clear niche, social media followers, or a product you can market directly.
- Watch for: no built-in buyers. Every sale depends on your marketing, ads or content.
- Getting paid: through the gateway you connect, or COD collected by your courier.
Amazon FBA vs Daraz vs Shopify: side-by-side comparison
Prices are from each platform’s own pricing page, checked on 27 September 2026, and change from time to time.
Daraz | Amazon FBA | Shopify | |
|---|---|---|---|
Who buys | Buyers in Pakistan | Buyers in the Amazon store you register for, such as the US | Whoever you bring to your store |
Cost to open | Free | $39.99 a month (Professional) or $0.99 per item (Individual), plus stock shipped to the warehouse | Basic plan US$25 a month, or US$19 a month billed yearly |
Per-sale fees | Commission of 2% to 20% by category, 2.25% payment fee, handling fee | Referral fee by category, plus FBA fulfilment fees | Gateway fees, plus a Shopify transaction fee on third-party gateways where your plan charges one |
How you get paid | Daraz collects, including COD, and pays your bank weekly | In dollars or pounds, usually through a receiving account such as Payoneer | Through a local gateway, bank transfer or COD collected by your courier |
Delivery | Daraz logistics | Amazon warehouses ship for you | Your own courier |
Traffic | Built in | Built in | Yours to create |
Startup capital | Lowest | Highest | Moderate, depending on ads |
Brand and customer data | Limited | Limited | Full control |
Where does TikTok Shop fit?
TikTok Shop, the store built into the TikTok app, now appears next to Amazon and Shopify in many comparison guides. When we checked in September 2026, we could not find Pakistan among the markets where TikTok Shop lets a local business open a seller account. So it is not a channel you can build a Pakistan-based store on yet. Check TikTok Shop’s own seller sign-up before you trust a guide that says otherwise.
TikTok itself still has a job. Short product videos can send buyers to your Daraz listing, your Shopify store or a WhatsApp order line. Treat it as a marketing channel that feeds the store you pick, not as a fourth store.
How do you choose your first channel?
Answer three questions honestly:
- How much money can you lose without harm? If the answer is small, start on Daraz.
- Who is your buyer? If they are in Pakistan, Daraz or Shopify, and if they are abroad, Amazon.
- Can you bring your own traffic? If you have an audience or can run ads well, Shopify. If not, a marketplace.
Many sellers end up using more than one channel. A common path is to prove a product on Daraz, then open a Shopify store for repeat buyers and higher margins. Others start on Amazon from day one because their product is made for buyers abroad. How to Start an Ecommerce Business in Pakistan: A Step-by-Step Guide covers the steps that come before and after this choice.
What about dropshipping?
Dropshipping means your supplier ships directly to the buyer, so you hold no stock. It works on Shopify and is used on Amazon under strict rules about who appears as the seller. It lowers capital needs but also lowers margins, and you depend entirely on the supplier for speed and quality. Read each platform's dropshipping policy before you try it.
How much time does each channel take?
Time is a cost too, especially if you sell alongside a job or studies. Daraz needs daily attention to orders, packing and buyer questions, but little marketing. Amazon FBA needs heavy research up front, then less daily handling, since Amazon ships for you. Shopify needs steady marketing work every week, because traffic stops the day you stop creating it. Pick the channel whose workload fits the hours you actually have.
Learn one channel properly first
Spreading yourself across three channels in month one usually means doing all three badly. SkillsVerx's AI-Powered Ecommerce course covers Amazon, Daraz and Shopify, and you build your project on the one that fits your product and budget.
Frequently asked questions
Which is cheapest to start: Amazon, Daraz or Shopify?
Daraz, since opening a shop is free and you can start with small stock. Amazon FBA usually needs the most money up front.
Can I sell on Daraz and Amazon at the same time?
Yes. They serve different buyers. Keep stock and accounts separate so a problem on one does not spill into the other.
Does Shopify work in Pakistan?
Yes. You can build and run a Shopify store from Pakistan. Use a local payment gateway or COD, since Shopify Payments is not available here.
Can I sell on TikTok Shop from Pakistan?
Not as a local seller, as far as we could find in September 2026. You can still use TikTok videos to send buyers to Daraz, Shopify or WhatsApp.
Is Amazon FBA worth it for a beginner?
It can be, if you have capital, patience and time for careful research. If money is tight, learn the basics on Daraz first.
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