Yes, ecommerce can be profitable in Pakistan in 2026, but only when the numbers work for your specific product. Buyers now pay online more than ever, so demand is real. Profit depends on your margin after platform fees, courier charges, returns and ads. Sellers who price with those costs in mind do well. Sellers who guess usually lose money.
Why is there more demand for online shopping in Pakistan now?
The clearest signal is how Pakistanis pay. The State Bank of Pakistan's annual review for FY2024-25 found that digital channels handled 88 percent of all retail transactions, up from 78 percent in FY23. It also found that e-money wallet apps doubled in both transaction volume and value during the year (SBP Annual Payment Systems Review FY25 press release).
For an online seller, that matters because a buyer who already pays by app is a buyer who can check out without leaving the phone. The same SBP release notes that account and wallet-based channels made up 93 percent of e-commerce payments. In plain terms, most people who pay online in Pakistan use a bank app or a wallet like JazzCash or Easypaisa, not a card.
What decides whether you make a profit?
Revenue is easy to see. Profit is what is left after every cost that comes with each order. New sellers often count only the product cost and the selling price, then wonder where the money went. Count these before you set a price:
- Product cost, including the price you pay your supplier and any import duty or local transport.
- Platform fees: a commission on each sale on Daraz or Amazon, or a monthly plan plus payment gateway charges on your own Shopify store.
- Courier charges, which change with weight, city and whether the order is cash on delivery.
- Returns and failed deliveries, where you often pay the courier twice and get nothing.
- Packaging, from boxes and flyers to tape and printed slips.
- Marketing, whether that is paid ads, sponsored listings or influencer posts.
A simple profit check for one product
Take one order and write down every cost against it. Selling price minus product cost, platform fee, courier, packaging and a share of your ad spend gives you profit per order. Then subtract a buffer for returns based on your category. If that final figure is thin or negative, raising sales volume will not save it. Fix the price, the supplier or the channel first.
A worked example: one kitchen product on Daraz
The product cost, packaging, ad spend and return buffer below are made-up example figures, not real data. The Daraz fees are real: the Kitchen and Dining commission from Daraz’s Marketplace Commission Structure (May 2026 file) and the payment, handling and pickup fees from its Payment Policy, both checked on 27 September 2026. Say you sell a set of storage jars for Rs 1,800, then try Rs 1,500 to beat a competitor:
Cost per order | Where the figure comes from | At Rs 1,800 | At Rs 1,500 |
|---|---|---|---|
Product cost | Example | Rs 800 | Rs 800 |
Commission, Kitchen and Dining, 14.80% | Daraz | Rs 266.40 | Rs 222 |
Payment fee, 2.25% | Daraz | Rs 40.50 | Rs 33.75 |
Item handling fee, item priced Rs 1,000 to Rs 2,000 | Daraz | Rs 20 | Rs 20 |
Pickup fee, parcel under 8 kg | Daraz | Rs 30 | Rs 30 |
Packaging | Example | Rs 40 | Rs 40 |
Ad spend per order | Example | Rs 150 | Rs 150 |
Returns and refused orders buffer, 5% of price | Example | Rs 90 | Rs 75 |
Total cost | Rs 1,436.90 | Rs 1,370.75 | |
Profit per order | Rs 363.10 (20%) | Rs 129.25 (9%) |
Both columns are before tax on Daraz’s fees and your income tax. At Rs 1,800, you keep about Rs 363 an order. Cut the price to Rs 1,500 and commission, payment fee and the return buffer shrink a little, but profit falls to about Rs 129. A 17 percent price cut wipes out almost two thirds of the profit. That is why pricing on fees, not on competitors, matters. For the full Daraz fee list, see How to Sell on Daraz.
Which kinds of ecommerce tend to work in Pakistan?
There is no single winning model, but some patterns show up again and again among sellers who last past their first year:
- Local products sold to local buyers on Daraz or a social storefront, where delivery is cheaper and returns are easier to manage.
- Your own Shopify or WooCommerce store for a niche brand, where repeat customers and higher margins make up for the work of driving traffic.
- Selling to buyers abroad on Amazon, which Pakistani residents have been able to register for since May 2021, often with products sourced from manufacturers in other countries.
- Products made in Pakistan, such as textiles, leather goods and handicrafts, sold to international buyers who value them.
Each model has a different cost structure and a different amount of paperwork. Amazon FBA vs Daraz vs Shopify: Which Should You Start With? compares the three main channels side by side so you can pick one to test first.
What makes ecommerce unprofitable?
Most losses come from a few predictable places. Cash on delivery orders that get refused at the door cost you two courier trips. Competing on price alone in a crowded Daraz category leaves no margin once the commission is taken. Buying a large batch of stock before a product has proven it sells ties up money you may never recover. None of these are bad luck. Each one can be planned for.
How do you test a product before you commit money?
Start small and let real orders tell you what works. A practical first test looks like this:
- Pick one product you can source reliably and explain honestly.
- Work out the profit per order using the check above, with real courier and platform rates.
- Order a small batch, or list with a supplier who can ship on demand.
- List it on one channel and sell to people who already trust you first: friends, family, an Instagram following or a WhatsApp list.
- Track orders, returns and customer questions for a few weeks before you order more stock or spend on ads.
If it sells at a healthy margin, you have a reason to scale. If not, you lost little and learned a lot.
What about tax and registration?
Tax rules for online sellers changed with Pakistan's 2025-26 budget. As Dawn reported, the government moved to make couriers collect sales tax on online orders and to require digital vendors to register, while FBR said one-time sellers and home-based sellers would be exempt from mandatory registration (Dawn, June 2025). Rules like these keep changing, so check your own position with FBR or a tax adviser once you are selling regularly, and budget for tax in your price from day one.
One tax now comes straight out of your sales. Under section 153(2A) of the Income Tax Ordinance, a courier deducts 2 percent of the cash it collects for you and a payment gateway deducts 1 percent, and both rates double if you are not on the Active Taxpayers List (FBR Withholding Tax Rate Card). On a Rs 1,500 cash on delivery order, 2 percent is Rs 30, almost a quarter of the Rs 129 profit in the example above. Ecommerce Registration and Payments in Pakistan explains how to stay on the lower rate.
Is ecommerce a good business to learn now?
Ecommerce rewards people who treat it as a skill: product research, pricing, listings, customer service and marketing. Those skills also carry over if you later run stores for other people as a freelancer. SkillsVerx's AI-Powered Ecommerce course teaches them through one real store project, fully online, in tiers from a two-day Crash course to a 60-day Pro track.
Frequently asked questions
How much profit can I make from ecommerce in Pakistan?
No honest answer gives one number, because profit depends on your product, price, channel and costs. Work out profit per order for your own product before you trust any figure you see online.
Is ecommerce better than freelancing in Pakistan?
They suit different people. Freelancing sells your time and needs little money to start. Ecommerce needs some capital for stock or ads, but it can grow beyond the hours you work.
Can I start ecommerce with a small budget?
Yes, if you start with one product, a small batch or on-demand supplier, and one channel. Daraz charges no fee to open a shop, which keeps early costs low.
Is cash on delivery still common in Pakistan?
Yes, many buyers still prefer it. Plan for refused orders in your pricing and push digital payment where you can, since wallets and bank apps now carry most online payments.
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