What should you sell if you want delivery to be easy?
Choose your product with the parcel in mind, not only the photo. A product that looks great on Instagram but breaks, leaks or gets returned often will eat your margin before you notice. Before you buy stock, check each idea against these questions:
- Size and weight: does it fit in a standard flyer or small box? Bulky items cost more to store, pack and ship.
- Fragility: glass, ceramics and liquids need extra packing material and still carry breakage risk.
- Return risk: clothing and shoes get returned for size and fit. You can sell them, but plan for it with a clear size chart and measurements in every listing.
- Repeat potential: consumables like skincare, tea or stationery bring customers back without new ad spend.
- Margin after delivery: the price must cover product cost, packaging, delivery, payment costs and the occasional return.
Work out your real margin per order before launch. A simple formula: selling price minus product cost, minus packaging, minus delivery charge, minus any COD or payment fee, minus a share for returns. For example, if a kurta sells for Rs 2,500, costs Rs 1,200 to make, Rs 60 to pack and Rs 250 to deliver, you have Rs 990 left before returns, ads and your own time. Use your own numbers; if the result is thin, raise the price, bundle items, or pick a different product.
If you are asking how to start an online clothing business in Pakistan, this step matters most. Start with a small range in a few sizes, photograph it on a person, list exact measurements, and only reorder what sells.
How do you set up the store: Instagram, WhatsApp or Shopify?
For a small online business in Pakistan with low investment, Instagram and WhatsApp are the usual starting point. You need a business account, clear photos, prices in the post or highlight, and a WhatsApp Business number with a catalogue and quick replies. Shopify makes sense once tracking orders by hand in chats becomes slow or error prone, or when you want to run ads to a proper checkout.
Whatever platform you use, collect the same details for every order, because missing information is what causes failed deliveries:
- Customer full name and a working phone number
- Complete address with area, block or sector, and a nearby landmark
- Product, size, colour and quantity
- Exact amount to collect if it is cash on delivery
- Any delivery note, such as preferred time or gate instructions
Keep these in one sheet or system from day one. When you later connect a courier or fulfillment partner, a clean order list is what lets you hand over work quickly.
Should you take cash on delivery or advance payment?
Cash on delivery is what many Pakistani online shoppers expect, especially from a brand they have not bought from before, so most new stores offer it. The cost is risk: a customer can refuse the parcel and you still pay for the trip. Advance payment by bank transfer or mobile wallet removes that risk but some buyers will not order without COD.
A practical approach for most new stores:
- Offer COD on standard items, and confirm every COD order by call or WhatsApp before you dispatch it.
- Ask for full or partial advance on custom, personalised or made-to-order items that you cannot resell.
- Ask your courier how quickly COD cash is paid to you and what is deducted from it. Slow payouts tie up the money you need to restock.
- Reconcile every payout against your order list so you know which parcels were paid, refused or still in transit.
How should you pack orders?
Good packaging protects the product and makes the brand look established. It does not need to be expensive.
- Use a waterproof flyer for clothing and soft goods, and a box with filler for anything that can crush or break.
- Seal liquids in a separate bag and tape the cap.
- Print or clearly write the order number, customer name, phone and COD amount on the outside.
- Add a thank you card with your Instagram handle, WhatsApp number and return instructions.
- Check each parcel against the order before sealing it. Wrong size or wrong item is the most avoidable return.
How do you choose a courier for a new online store?
Your courier is the only part of your business the customer meets in person, so choose it on evidence, not on a price list alone. Ask every option about delivery time, coverage of the areas your customers live in, pickup from your location, COD payout speed and deductions, return handling, tracking, and whether customers get notified before the rider arrives. Then send a small test batch and measure the results.
We have a full buyer's checklist, red flags and a comparison table in our guide on how to choose a courier or logistics company in Karachi.
How do you handle returns and refused parcels?
Returns will happen, so decide your policy before your first sale and write it on your page and on the insert card. State what can be returned, the time window, who pays the return delivery, and whether you offer exchange, refund or store credit.
- Log the reason for every return or refusal: wrong size, changed mind, not home, damaged, or did not order.
- Inspect returned items and put sellable units back into stock straight away so you do not reorder by mistake.
- Review the reasons every month. Many size returns point to a weak size chart, and many refusals point to unconfirmed COD orders.
When should you move to a fulfillment partner?
Packing from home works at the start. It stops working when packing takes your evenings, stock is spread across rooms, errors creep in, or you cannot take a day off without orders piling up. These are the signs it is time to look at a fulfillment partner that stores your stock, picks and packs each order, and hands it straight to delivery.
When you compare options, ask how stock is counted on arrival, whether you can see live inventory, how orders reach them from your store, and how returns get back into your stock count. Our ecommerce fulfillment in Karachi page explains how RapidXpk handles this for brands selling in Karachi.
What about registration and tax?
Register your business and check your tax obligations with a qualified professional before you scale, and do the same if you plan to open a business bank account or accept online payments through a gateway. Rules change, so get advice for your own situation rather than relying on a general guide.
Launch checklist
- Pick a product and calculate margin per order after packaging, delivery and returns.
- Order a small first batch and photograph it with measurements or specifications.
- Set up Instagram and WhatsApp Business, or Shopify, with prices, policies and contact details.
- Create one order sheet with name, phone, full address, landmark, item, size and COD amount.
- Decide your payment rules: COD, advance, or partial advance for custom items.
- Buy flyers, boxes, tape, filler and insert cards for your first 50 orders.
- Shortlist couriers, ask the checklist questions, and run a small test batch.
- Write your return and exchange policy and add it to your page and inserts.
- Set up a simple routine to confirm COD orders and reconcile every payout.
- Register the business and check tax obligations with a professional.
How RapidXpk fits if you sell in Karachi
RapidXpk delivers almost anywhere in Karachi within 24 hours, the same day when booked before the 4 pm cutoff, at a flat Rs 250 per parcel with no setup fee and no monthly minimum. A rider can pick up from your shop in Karachi, or we can hold your stock and pick, pack and dispatch each order. Customers get a live tracking link and a WhatsApp when the parcel is out for delivery, including the COD amount to keep ready, and COD money is paid out to you within 48 hours.
Orders can come in through Shopify, CSV upload, WhatsApp or our client portal, and most brands go from first message to first delivery inside a week. See delivery charges or contact us on WhatsApp at +92 317 2683055.