Part of the complete guide: The Complete Guide to Starting Online Selling in Pakistan
There's no single best platform for everyone, so be wary of any list that claims otherwise. What matters is whether a platform's way of working fits your product, your budget and how much risk you're comfortable with. Before you sign up, ask the same ten questions of every platform. Write the answers down side by side and the right choice is usually obvious.
The ten questions
| Question | What a good answer looks like | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Who delivers? | A named delivery method, with tracking you can share | Delivery is where most complaints start |
| 2. How is cash settled? | Written rules for when collected cash becomes your money | It decides how fast you can reinvest |
| 3. What fees and deposits apply? | Every charge listed before you place an order | Hidden charges ruin your margin |
| 4. What happens to refused orders? | A written rule for who pays and when | Refusals are the biggest cost of cash on delivery |
| 5. How are returns and exchanges handled? | A clear policy with time limits | You'll need it sooner than you think |
| 6. How are shops and sellers checked? | Identity and business checks before anyone trades | Reliable partners mean fewer failed orders |
| 7. Can you see the full cost of an order up front? | Shop price, delivery, fees and your profit shown before you order | You can't price without it |
| 8. How fast does support answer? | A real person, within a reasonable time, through a channel you use | Problems are urgent when money is on the road |
| 9. Where does it operate? | A published list of cities | Delivery you can't offer is a lost sale |
| 10. What do the written terms say? | Plain, complete terms you can read before you register | Anything unwritten is an argument waiting to happen |
How to use the table
- Open the websites of two or three platforms and look for written answers to each question.
- Where an answer is missing, message support and note how quickly and clearly they reply.
- Put the answers side by side. Mark any question that a platform won't answer.
- Start with the platform that answers most of them clearly, and begin with a small test, not a big order.
Red flags
- Promises of a fixed income or an exact delivery time.
- Fees that appear only after you've paid or placed an order.
- No written terms, or terms you can't read before registering.
- Pressure to pay a large fee before you can see how the platform works.
- No way to reach a human when something goes wrong.
What Shipify says about itself
Shipify connects verified local shops, online sellers and Shipify riders. A rider collects each order from the shop and delivers it with a live tracking link, customers pay cash on delivery, and the charges for an order are shown before you place it. Same-day delivery is the aim, and delivery times are estimates. You can check the written rules in the Terms and the Return and Refund Policy, and the cities we deliver to are on the About page. Compare us with any platform using the same ten questions.
Common questions
Should I join more than one platform?
You can. Some sellers test two with a small number of orders each and keep the one that gives the clearest costs and the fewest failed deliveries.
Is the cheapest platform the best?
Not necessarily. A low fee means little if deliveries fail more often or if payouts are slow. Compare the whole cost of a delivered order.
Can I leave if it doesn't work?
Check the terms before you start, including what happens to your balance and open orders if you stop.
Keep reading
More in Getting started
Ready to sell with Shipify?
Create an account, choose products from verified local shops and see every charge before you place an order.