HOW TO OPEN AND RUN AN ETSY SHOP FROM PAKISTAN

In this article I will discuss things that are different and difficult from rest of the world for Pakistanis, who are willing to open a shop on Etsy.

After you make your profile/Sign up on Etsy. You need to first verify a credit card on Etsy. This in reality is the most difficult thing of all because not every card is going to work. Here is what will work and what is useless:

Useless:

Pakistani bank's

1-Debit card ( with few exception. New HBL debit card works)

2-ATM card or online shopping cards

3-UBL WIZ card any card for online shopping

4-Master card ( I have not tried it but I think it won't work)

What works:

1-Many new Pakistani debit cards issued in 2019 (from MasterCard) work on Etsy I personally use HBL debit card (updates added in 2020)

2-Pakistani bank's Credit Card with magnetic chip 

3-Payoneer Master card works.

4-Simply request a relative or friend who lives in USA, Canada, UK, or EU to share a near to expire credit card (one that has few $ in it) info with you. Etsy will deduct only one or two dollars from the card, I think they refund it as well. It is only to check if the card is working or not.

Once card is verified your Etsy shop opens!!!

Link to Etsy to open shop and 40 listings for free signups here:

Etsy

How to receive payment from other countries:

We don't have PayPal right ( I am writing in 2016 ) but it does not mean that people will not pay you. If they like something and they want something they will try their best.

Methods to receive payment:

1-Bank transfer
2-Western union/ Money Gram
3-Direct checkout on your personal website.
There are certain other methods but they don't work well enough for me and neither for my clients but you can try them:
Payoneer
Money broker/Skrill

1-Bank transfer:

Your bank account detail they may needs:

Bank name: 
Account holder: 
Account number: 
IBAN Code: 
BIC (Swift): 
Bank's address: 
Your address: 

2-Western union/ Money Gram:

Your first name:

Your Second name: 

City: 
Province:
Country: 
Postal code: 
Form: Receive cash (or you can request it to your bank account)

3-Direct checkout on your personal website:

At the moment Etsy is not providing direct checkout to our country (I am writing in 2018). You can provide your Etsy customers a direct checkout facility on a personal web site. There are several easy ways to make website these days. I have tried two but found this one very easy it is Wix.


Which ever source you use to create your website keep in mind that you have to have your own domain name.

For checkout option I use 2Checkout. It is very easy to create 2Checkout account.
1-You will need a scanned copy of your ID card both front and back side (It is all right if it is in Urdu).
2-A utility bill which should be in your name or a lease/rant agreement which again should be in your name.

 Once your 2Checkout account is approved you have to connect it to your website. Wix will automatically guide you on this.

How to pay your Etsy bills each month:
HBL debit card works on ETSY.
You can pay your Etsy bills through your Credit Card or through a relatives Paypal account. You will have to send them money to load the Paypal account for sure. You can also apply for a Payoneer Master Card.