Common Ecommerce Mistakes Pakistani Sellers Make in Their First Year

The most common ecommerce mistakes Pakistani sellers make in their first year are pricing without counting platform and courier fees, shipping cash on delivery orders without confirming them, buying too much stock before demand is proven, copying listings and photos, and answering buyers too slowly. Each one is avoidable with a simple habit set up before launch.

Pricing and money mistakes

1. Pricing without counting every fee

A product that costs Rs 800 and sells for Rs 1,200 does not make Rs 400. Take away the marketplace commission, courier charge, packaging, a share of ad spend and a buffer for returns, and the real profit may be close to zero. Work out profit per order with real rates before you list anything.

Tax belongs in that sum too. Since July 2025, a courier deducts 2 percent of the cash on delivery amount it collects for you, or 4 percent if you are not on FBR’s Active Taxpayers List (FBR Withholding Tax Rate Card). On a hypothetical Rs 100,000 of COD sales a month, that is Rs 2,000 or Rs 4,000 gone before the money reaches you. Filing your return keeps you on the lower rate.

2. Competing on price alone

Cutting price to win on Daraz starts a race that the seller with the lowest costs always wins. Compete on better photos, clearer descriptions, faster dispatch and honest answers instead. Buyers pay a little more for a seller they trust.

3. Mixing store money with personal money

When store income lands in your personal account, you cannot tell whether the business is making money. Open a separate account, pay yourself a fixed amount, and track every cost in one spreadsheet from the first order.

Clean records matter more since 2025. Every online marketplace in Pakistan now sends FBR a monthly statement of each vendor’s turnover and payouts, and couriers and payment gateways report each seller’s transactions every quarter (Income Tax Ordinance, section 165C). If your own books do not match theirs, you are the one who has to explain the gap.

Stock and product mistakes

4. Buying a large batch before demand is proven

Bulk pricing from a supplier looks tempting, but unsold stock is money you cannot use. Order a small first batch, sell through it, and reorder based on real sales data.

5. Choosing a product you cannot explain

If you cannot answer questions about size, material, use or care, buyers will not trust the listing, and returns will climb. Pick products you understand well enough to describe honestly.

6. Ignoring platform rules

Every marketplace has rules on restricted products, listing content and dispatch times. Breaking them, even by accident, can lead to penalties or a suspended account. Read the seller policies for your channel before you list, and check them again when they change. On Daraz, for example, late dispatch and seller cancellations carry set penalties; How to Sell on Daraz lists them.

Here is what one slip costs. Say you cancel a Rs 1,500 order because the item is out of stock. Daraz can charge 30 percent of the item value, Rs 450, unless your cancellation rate stayed below 1 percent over the last 90 days. Penalties are capped at Rs 500 an order (Daraz Payment Policy, checked 27 September 2026). Two or three of those wipe out a week of profit on a small store.

Delivery mistakes

7. Shipping COD orders without confirming them

A refused cash on delivery order costs you the courier fee both ways and locks up stock for days. Confirm every COD order by phone or WhatsApp before dispatch, and reward prepaid orders with a small discount or free delivery. Wallet and bank app payments are now the norm online: the State Bank of Pakistan found they carried 93 percent of e-commerce payments in FY2024-25 (SBP), so prepaid is a fair thing to ask for.

8. Picking a courier on price alone

The cheapest courier is expensive if parcels arrive late or damaged. Test two or three couriers with real parcels to your main buyer cities, and check how quickly each one pays out collected cash.

9. Weak packaging

Parcels travel long distances and change hands several times. A crushed box or leaking bottle means a return and a bad review. Spend a little more on packaging for anything fragile.

Listing and customer mistakes

10. Copying photos and descriptions

Supplier photos and copied text make your listing look like every other one, and some platforms act against copied content. Take your own clear photos on a plain background, and write descriptions that answer real buyer questions.

11. Answering buyers slowly

A buyer who waits a day for an answer usually buys from someone else. Set a rule to reply within a few hours during working time, and keep saved answers for common questions so replies are fast and consistent.

12. Treating reviews as an afterthought

Early reviews shape whether new buyers trust you. Follow up after delivery, ask happy buyers to leave a review, and answer complaints calmly and in public where the platform allows. A good response to a bad review often earns more trust than silence.

What do these mistakes have in common?

Almost all of them come from skipping the planning stage: not counting costs, not testing, not writing down how the store should run. The sellers who get through year one usually do fewer things, but do each one carefully. If you are still deciding whether to start at all, Is Ecommerce Profitable in Pakistan in 2026? shows how to judge a product before you put money in.

A first-year checklist

• Profit per order worked out with real fees and courier rates.
• A separate bank account and a simple order and cost sheet.
• A filed income tax return, so couriers and gateways deduct the lower rate.
• Small first stock order, reordered from real sales.
• COD confirmation routine and a prepaid incentive.
• Two couriers tested to your main cities.
• Original photos and honest descriptions.
• A reply-time rule and saved answers for common questions.
• Seller policies read for every channel you use.

Avoid the mistakes by practising first

The cheapest way to learn these lessons is on a small, guided project, not with your savings. SkillsVerx's AI-Powered Ecommerce course runs you through research, pricing, listings, payments and delivery on one real store, with feedback at each stage.

Frequently asked questions

What is the biggest reason new online stores fail in Pakistan?

Usually thin or negative margins hidden by rising sales. Sellers count revenue, not profit per order after every fee, return and ad cost.

How can I reduce returns on Daraz?

Use accurate photos and sizes, describe the product honestly, pack it well, and answer questions before the sale. Most returns start with a mismatch between listing and product.

Should I stop offering cash on delivery?

Not usually, since many buyers still expect it. Confirm COD orders before dispatch and give buyers a reason to prepay instead.

How long before an online store makes a profit?

There is no fixed timeline. It depends on your product, margins and costs. Track profit per order from day one so you know where you stand.