Amazon officially adds Pakistan to its sellers list

ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Commerce on Friday announced that Pakistan was now added to the sellers list of Amazon, one of the world’s largest e-commerce platforms, which would benefit youth, small and medium enterprises and women entrepreneurs

Adviser to Prime Minister on Commerce and Investment Abdul Razzak Dawood said the Ministry of Commerce would continue discussions in the Focus Group for Amazon, which would include representatives from sellers, logistic companies, various Ministries and State Bank of Pakistan to further guide Pakistan’s business community on how to make best use of this opportunity.

“In order to reap full benefits, a lot of hard work has to be done in training, quality assurance, improvement in logistics, payment systems, and customer relationship management, etc.” He encouraged the breed of young entrepreneurs to train themselves in this regard and strive for continuous product improvement as a long-term continuous endeavour.

Amazon International Seller Services Vice President Eric Broussard was quoted for saying: “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.”

The ministry statement said this marked was an accomplishment and milestone of the National e-Commerce Policy.

It also credited sustained engagement with Amazon since the last quarter of 2019 by the Ministry of Commerce, Pakistan’s Embassy in Washington and the Consulate General in Los Angeles for this success.

Credit was also given to the Pakistani diaspora and its continuous dialogue with the business community and public sector stakeholders through the National e-Commerce Council (NECC).

This opens a new chapter of suppler chain for Pakistani manufacturers, who have gained access to a worldwide e-commerce platform with Amazon, would now be able to sell directly to customers.

“This new channel will encourage manufacturers to work back from customer needs, design new products, offer high quality at competitive prices and also access new market segments,” the statement said.

Pakistan remained off Amazon's list of sellers despite the company's presence in India. Retailers from Pakistan, who wanted to sell their products on Amazon, registered their companies from other countries to bypass the lack of access.

Therefore, an excellent opportunity has been created for Pakistani entrepreneurs, who would now be able to sell their products by becoming part of the global e-commerce network.