Amazon’s Pakistani employees convinced the retail giant to allow Pakistani sellers, Badar Khushnood

“Overseas Pakistanis working at Amazon helped build the case within Amazon to allow Pakistani sellers to register on the platform. There is also a need to acknowledge and appreciate the efforts of the Pakistan consulate in Los Angeles, the State Bank, and the ministry of commerce that did all the legwork beginning from the formulation of an ecommerce policy.”, the Chair of the E-Commerce Committee at P@SHA and a leading member of National E-Commerce Council (NECC), Badar Khushnood said.

Badar Khushnood has also served as a consultant with Google, Facebook, and Twitter, and played a crucial role in Pakistan’s recent inclusion to the Amazon list of official sellers worldwide as part of the committee tasked with carrying out negotiations with the E-commerce giant. He expressed these views in a recent interview with SAMAA MONEY’s Farooq Baloch.

Here are a few highlights of the interview:

• Overseas Pakistanis working at Amazon helped build the case within Amazon to allow Pakistani sellers to register on the platform.
• If Pakistani sellers get blacklisted by Amazon, they would only be smearing Pakistan’s reputation internationally and creating difficulties for other sellers.
• An e-commerce subcommittee will oversee training of Pakistani merchants selling on Amazon.
• “It’s a myth that PayPal is needed” for conducting transactions on Amazon
• B2C micro exports are also being considered as exports
• Plans to launch Amazon Web services and the Amazon marketplace whereby Pakistanis can order from Amazon are also underway.

Scientific Research by Pakistani sellers needed

If Pakistani sellers get blacklisted by Amazon, they would only be smearing Pakistan’s reputation internationally and creating difficulties for other sellers.

Mr. Khushnood also appealed to the Pakistani merchants to “Do their homework” before they begin operating on the platform and refrain from sending random items or else failure in meeting customer expectations can lead to their blacklisting by Amazon, in which case, they would only be smearing Pakistan’s reputation internationally and creating difficulties for other sellers.

“There is a need for sellers to do proper research, engage in scientific processes to figure out the demand, and arrange the supply based on that demand,” he said.

Pakistani merchants to receive training

An e-commerce subcommittee to oversee training of Pakistani merchants selling on Amazon

He revealed that arrangements are also being made to train and better educate Pakistani sellers in collaboration with Amazon, including a master training program for trainers and a subcommittee to oversee this, which was in the works.

No need for PayPal

“It’s a myth that you need PayPal” for conducting transactions on Amazon.

Badar Khushnood clarified, “It’s a myth that you need PayPal” for conducting transactions on Amazon. Pakistani sellers won’t be needing PayPal to receive payments, and that Amazon’s system supports direct payments into the seller’s local bank accounts through IBFT.

Enormous Potential

B2C exports comprising of small packet items by individual sellers are also being considered as exports.

Khushnood highlighted the enormous potential that now Pakistan can tap into, considering that micro exports by individual sellers are now being considered as regular exports. ‘Previously individual items, for instance, shoes, Ajrak, or leather wallets shipped through the courier by sellers were not considered as exports.”, he said. “As a result of an intervention by Pasha, the chain store association, and state bank, small packet micro B2C exports are also being considered as exports.”

Future developments

Plans to launch Amazon Web services and the Amazon marketplace whereby Pakistanis can order from Amazon are also underway.

In response to a question about plans regarding Amazon, Khushnood said that plans to launch Amazon Web services and the Amazon marketplace whereby Pakistanis can order from Amazon are also underway. He also elaborated that there are two main seller registration types on Amazon – 3P and 1P. Pakistani sellers have been given the 3P status, which means they could directly sell their brand’s name. Negotiations were still ongoing for Pakistan’s inclusion in the 1P program whereby the sellers don’t sell themselves, and Amazon becomes their reseller.