Selling Abroad from Pakistan: A Practical Shopify Checklist

Pakistani products sell well abroad: clothing, leather, home textiles, sports goods, handicrafts. What usually holds stores back is not the product but the plumbing. This is the checklist I go through before a store starts selling internationally.

Payments

This is the first thing to solve, because international customers expect to pay by card or wallet, not cash on delivery. Check which payment providers support your business setup and the countries you want to sell to, what they charge, and how and when payouts reach you. Get advice from an accountant on the right structure for your situation before you commit.

Shipping you can actually promise

• Get real quotes from international couriers for your typical parcel size and weight.
• Decide between charging shipping at checkout and building it into the price. Many shoppers prefer one clear price.
• Show realistic delivery times on the product page and in the cart. Under-promise.

Duties and taxes

Customers hate surprise customs charges at the door. Find out how duties work in your main target countries and say clearly on your site who pays them. Surprises lead to refused parcels and bad reviews.

Use Shopify Markets properly

Set up markets for the countries you target: local currency, sensible rounded prices, and the right shipping zones. Translate only if you will also support customers in that language.

Returns from far away

A return from the UK to Lahore can cost more than the product. Many stores offer store credit, exchanges, or a local return address through a partner. Whatever you choose, write it down plainly before your first order.

Support across time zones

Say when you reply, and reply within a day. An email auto-reply that sets expectations, plus a WhatsApp or chat option, goes a long way.

Product pages for a buyer who can't touch the product

International buyers need more detail than local ones: measurements in both cm and inches, fabric weight, close-up photos, and photos of the product being used. These pages are also what Google and AI shopping tools read.

Start with one market

Pick the country where you already get interest (check your analytics and Instagram followers), get everything working there, then expand.

If you want a second pair of eyes on your own store or site, run the free audit or send me a message. I read every one myself.