Additional menu

A Project's Life

Blog on Technology & Project Management

What is the best way to shop online in or from Pakistan?

What is the best way to shop online in or from Pakistan?

posted on

Initially posted on Quora?What is the best way to shop online in or from Pakistan? Updated July 2022 since the information was out dated.

I have done a lot of online purchases within Pakistan through credit cards, debit cards, internet banking, Easypaisa, Foree etc. I was also a Product Manager for a company that used to route all these transactions on the internet in Pakistan 17 odd years ago. Hence let me explain what works best.

Mistrust & Fear
For most people, there is genuine fear that their credit card data is not secure enough and someone or the website itself will get access to it and might abuse it in future. Mistrust is another factor into their purchases online. The big what if I don’t get the correct item or what if it is damaged is paramount. For this reason Cash on Delivery reigns supreme.

Credit Cards & Security
To?address the first part of the problem, online stores started offering Cash on Delivery and Bank Transfers to solve these issues. 3D security finally arrived on some cards in Dec 2016. Its 10 years late but atleast its here and HBL internet gateway supports it which is great news for everyone. 3D security means that VISA and MasterCard can not only verify your credit card details on the internet but also the person using the card only by means of another verification method. In most cases, online fraud is due to lack of verification of who is using the card online. If 3D security is being used then the VISA/MasterCard network actually directs you to the bank where they ask you to enter a security key sent to the registered card holder via email or SMS/text . Afterwards, everytime you are purchasing online, the 3D security mechanism verifies the information with you. All websites that use 3D security will have Verified by Visa or MasterCard SecureCode logo or seal on it.

UBL and HBL credit cards provide 3D security through Verified By Visa (VBV) which makes it a good credit card to use on any website with VBV. Meezan Debit Cards are also 3D secure making them the only debit cards in the country that can be used online. SCB debit cards work online only if the CVV verification code is sent with each transaction.

The lazy banks have devised a solution whereby they block all cards, unless opened explicitly for internet usage on the request of customers. In this day and age, I am not a fan so i’d say that one should avoid such cards on the internet at all costs and just invest in a credit card that is 3D secure or get a prepaid debit card.

For?all websites, you need to ensure that the security trifecta is in place when you are entering credit card information. This is:

  1. Browser address bar display HTTPS and the website shows Verisign (or Norton Secured) logo. In this day and age, the bar should be green.
  2. The website displays the VBV, MasterCard SecuredCode logo or simple card logos.
  3. There is a box for 3 digit security code. (Note my statement regarding SCB debit cards.)
  4. If by any chance you are buying online via a card or even via your online bank account (IBFT) and sitting in a public place with open Wifi then please use a VPN to ensure your entire transaction is secure. Do not for a minute think that only your card info needs to stay safe, your own information too needs to be safe and this includes your name, email address, password, address etc.

Pakistani Websites
Thankfully, now we have the likes of Daraz.pk and many other stores where people are now able to shop online as well as setup their own stores. These points below still apply regardless where you’re shopping from.

  1. Websites that display Verisign Seal (soon to be Norton Secured) do not save your card information in plain text nor do they transmit it in plain text. The information is encrypted via SSL and transmitted over the internet in a secure tunnel linking to gateways which are the same used for physical credit card transactions. If the information is saved within a database then it is in an encrypted format. No one can query the Database and get plain text replies, unless they decrypt the fields first. And mind you there is generally only one or two people in the entire company who know how to do this hence it remains very secure as any theft or illegal use can be traced back to these individuals.
  2. Similarly, for internet transactions the security code (at the back of your card) is always required which is NEVER SAVED ANYWHERE. Without this no one online accepts a credit card.
  3. Expiry date is also not saved in most instances unless they happen to be a payment processor (e.g. Amazon) too with a PCI DSS clearance. If it is, that seal is visibly present.
  4. All the above information is never taken on the website you are shopping unless they are a payment processor as well (e.g. Amazon is both a payment processor now and a shopping site).

Shopping from Pakistan on International Sites

Payment Methods

To shop on international websites such as Amazon.com, BestBuy, etc, you need a card that can be used online. Unfortunately, most Debit Cards issued in Pakistan are blocked from online usage however there are the likes of Prepaid cards such as UBL Wiz and MCB Lite that can be preloaded and used for international transactions. If however you are like me, then you may be interested in a long term solution that gives you security as well as allows you to pay online via multiple currencies. I’m speaking about Virtual Debit and Prepaid cards that can be preloaded easily.

Billing Vs. Shipping Address

The billing address is where your card is registered. With virtual cards, you can edit the billing address with ease which is a huge plus point. The Shipping address is the address where you send your purchased product. Many websites employ verification methods to ensure that the Cardholder’s address is verified. With a virtual card, this is easy.

International Address for Products that cannot be delivered to Pakistan

Many of us have suffered from this. All you need is a great parcel forwarding service to ensure that your packages are received and checked before being sent to you in Pakistan. I have successfully used Stackry, Shopfans, Vykingship, USGoBuy and a few others for this service and there is a great post on package forwarding services over on TechVise. The post is regularly updated so be sure to check it out.

Other Things to Take Care of

You?need to also ensure that the security trifecta is in place when you are entering credit card information. You might have access to VBV / MasterCard SecureCode however, on international websites you will always get charged in USD. If for some reason your transaction is being done in GBP or Euro then you will get a double whammy with the conversion and may end up paying about 5% more by the time your transaction is billed in PKR.

Shopping from Amazon

If shopping from Amazon, use Amazon payment service and pay for your transactions in PKR. It is less costly than getting a surprise on your bank or credit card statement at the end of the month. Luckily, Amazon allows PKR credit cards and will give you the option to pay in PKR currency. Combine this with a parcel forwarding service and start shopping 🙂

To be honest though, I have found Bank Alfalah and Meezan bank offering the best USD to PKR rates when it comes to international shopping.

Conclusion

It?is safe as long as you make sure that you are being informed at every step of the way. A website with noble intentions will always inform you before sending you to another website, about security, about its data protection procedures and will have all the relevant logos.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Saqi says

    I want to buy a hair straightener from a UK based company. They offered price of 109 GBP with 25 GBP as delivery charges. As soon i entered Pakistan as delivery address they reduced the product rate from 109 to 93 GBP with comments that value added tax is deducted as it is not applicable at your country. I am interested to buy it but don’t know what will be the sales tax and custom duties on it and where i will end up in terms of payment. Can anyone guide me? Thanks

    Reply

    • [email protected] says

      Shipping items to Pakistan is alright and safe from duties if you use regular shipping methods and not a courier service. It will take a week longer but you will get your item at your doorstep with minimal charges (around 40 PKR) by the postman.

      Reply

  3. Abdullah says

    I didn’t get my answer, please would you tell me which visa card is acceptable for paypal or Facebook use? I tried HBL and Allied but it doesn’t work.

    Reply

    • [email protected] says

      For Facebook you can use any card that is open for Internet payments. As per my last check, debit cards issued by banks in Pakistan cannot be used for Internet transactions. PayPal is not available for Pakistan so no card issued from this country can be added.

      Reply

  4. Waleed says

    Hello I might be travelling from Pakistan to Malaysia for BSC studies and was hoping to get the best card that I can have for both, using at the ATM’s and paying my fees online. Can you suggest me a good one? Since a lot of Banks are allowing cards for such purposes but they charge heavily on the transaction amount which is a great loss at the end. Especially when I have to withdraw heavy amounts.

    Reply

    • [email protected] says

      I know someone who has used MCBLite with top notch results at Facebook, Godaddy and Buffer. Never got declined, of course the card needs to have funds and you should be aware of your load limits on the card.

      Reply

  6. Muhammad Zafar Ullah says

    Kaymu fraud?
    Order Number: 202849392
    I purchased a wrist watch on kaymu online, they sent a different third class watch and collected money for the good one, so i returned as per their instructions it for to kaymu warehouse karachi . I waited for them for 6 months.After a week “Kiezer Xavier Francis?(Kaymu Pakistan)”
    call me that “we are sorry to you because the seller is not responding. And I am still awaiting. Not receive money nor watch.

    Reply

  7. Afnan says

    Is ther any Debit Visa Card available in Pakistan which enables you to make payments online for Rs. 300,000 (3lac). Ubl Debit visa card only allows 1 lac per day.

    Reply

    • Quratulain Habib says

      Not that I know of. From a security point of view, you would never want to take on liability for such a huge amount. This is where you do wire transfers and use credit cards. Debit cards are an absolute no-no.

      Reply

  9. IDREES AHMED says

    Guys i have found the cheapest and most reliable way to order stuff from amazon/ebay to Pakistan, u can contact mr.Adnan @ <--personal info not allowed--> via whatsapp and he will give you the quote for your product . i recently ordered an Anker Power Bank through him at a very reasonable price,
    it was a lot cheaper than using aramex or anyother parcel forwarding services. (just trying to help u guys..no spamming….)
    Good Luck!

    Reply

  10. imran says

    Nice post, very hard to find good info on this topic related to Pakistan.
    I was wondering, what kind of custom duties are involved when using services like stackry? Is there any calculator available? Or any other way to tell before having something shipped from US, that how much will I have to end up paying?

    So far I’ve been able to find out (without confirmation) that when using Fedex or DHL, in addition to the delivery charges, one has to pay insane customs duty on electronic items (around 50% of the item value).

    Thanks

    Reply

    • Quratulain Habib says

      For a custom duty calculator, you’ll need to look for one online. I’ve used this before: http://www.dutycalculator.com/country-guides/Import-duty-taxes-when-importing-into-Pakistan/

      With stackry, you can define your own item value and product description for the customs declaration. Many services insist that even if they destroy the original invoices for you, they will still scan and list the original value of the item for customs declaration. As you well know, that can be very expensive and you may end up paying quite a bit of duty. So ask around and carefully guage when you check out these services. I hope this helps.

      Reply

      • imran says

        Thanks for the link. Exactly what I was looking for. I hope the people involved in the process will adhere to these percentages. Maybe it would be better to use the “Global Mail Priority” option in stackry (I believe that would involve the local Pakistan postal service?). I ordered some stuff from aliexpress, and they used this for free shipping, and had no issues regarding duties and didn’t had to pay anything extra. The only drawback seems to be the long wait time from 2-4 weeks.
        Any way let’s see how this goes. Will try to update my experience here when done.

        Thanks

        Reply

  13. Junaid Ahmad says

    If anyone is looking for online shopping in Pakistan, he should not be worried about payment method because all online shopping sites like shophive, daraz, and kaymu.pk are offering cash on delivery.

    Reply

  16. Tyree says

    For latest information you have to pay a visit internet and on internet I found this website as a finest
    web page for newest updates.

    Reply

  17. Aysha Ahmed says

    I recently made a payment online while applying to a University in Pakistan and it said EXCS will be routing your payment. The amount was deducted from my account and it showed that the transaction was successful. However, the university still hasn’t received my deposit. How long does it usually take?

    Reply

    • Q says

      It is usually the same day, however, since it has taken some time already, you should send the order id and the the amount you paid to their finance department (if you have their email address) with a copy to the email address mentioned on your email receipt. Let the two departments talk to each other and sort it out. If you have any other id assigned then let them know that as well.

      Best of luck

      Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *