Is Pakistan ready to unlock its export potential with Amazon?

When any news about Amazon and Pakistan breaks there are bated breaths and soaring hopes. Pakistan is nowhere close to having Amazon here warehousing and distributing products like it is in other parts of the world. Yet the $1.7 trillion company is so famous and it’s constant referencing in mass media has meant that the desire to see Amazon-like services in Pakistan is high, particularly because of the growing worries over fraudulent sellers on local platforms like Daraz. 

So when the consumers found out that Amazon was not coming to Pakistan but had rather just added Pakistan to its list of authorized sellers, This does not mean that Amazon products are going to be available in Pakistan, but it does mean Pakistani producers can now sell their products on Amazon. This is a big deal, particularly because after decades of selling a range of products through Amazon using businesses registered outside Pakistan, manufacturers and brands from the world's fifth-most populous country may finally be able to unlock their export potential through Amazon. 

It’s worth noting that as of 17th May 2021, Amazon has not actually added Pakistan to its list of countries accepted for seller registration. The only visible change is that Pakistan and the PKR have been added to the list of countries and currencies supported by Amazon for disbursement.

Nonetheless, this article addresses whether the people behind Pakistan’s stagnant export trajectory have the will to use the platform that reportedly generates $70 billion a year in exports for China.