News of Pakistan securing a spot on Amazon’s approved seller list had been doing rounds for the past few months maturing into a final confirmation when the Prime Minister Of Pakistan, Imran Khan tweeted:
“A great development as Amazon has finally approved that our sellers can export their goods through their system. Amazon starting operations in Pakistan will open opportunities for our youth as it will enable a new breed of young men and women entrepreneurs to join the export market.”
This news has sparked a new wave of optimism amongst the sellers and service providers of Pakistan. They are ready to take their businesses to the next level and officially enter the global market on the largest eCommerce platform in the world.
The next step is getting prepared for Amazon. The government has already chosen Pakistan Post as the official delivery partner. This is a huge opportunity for the Pakistani sellers and hence, the focus is to do it right. The government and the relevant interest groups are focused and working towards making the process simpler and convenient for the sellers.
It is worth noting that Payoneer (a cross-border payment platform) is already an approved Amazon PSP (Payment service provider). We talked to Mohsin Muzaffer, Country Manager at Payoneer on how Payoneer perceives this news:
“We are extremely excited to hear this news and believe this will boost the confidence of Pakistani Sellers and service providers such as Virtual Assistants immensely.”
“From the market sentiment point of view, the sellers have already started preparing and our job is to help them in their preparation and execution by making their payment experience seamless. With Payoneer, our sellers and service providers can withdraw funds into their bank accounts in Pakistan.”
“They can also pay for their expenses online, Amazon Advertisement and to their suppliers. We are ready to support our sellers with Payoneer as their reliable payment partner and are looking forward to seeing this in action.”
On 21st May 2021, Amazon officially updated its approved seller country list and included Pakistan. This is the first step only towards a great win for Pakistani entrepreneurs. Later that day, Mr. Abdul Razaq Dawood, Advisor to Prime Minister of Pakistan for Commerce and Investment congratulated the e-commerce industry of Pakistan while quote tweeting a statement by Eric Broussard, Vice President, Amazon International Seller Services that said:
“We are excited to announce that as of today, Pakistani entrepreneurs are eligible to sell on Amazon. We are eager to work with Pakistan’s dynamic business community, including small and medium-sized sellers, and help connect them with customers around the globe.”
This news will also create space for ancillary service businesses providing support to Sellers. This will include (not limited to), training institutes focusing on Amazon Selling, online marketing companies, consultancy services, etc.
To open your Payoneer account, click here.
