Can you really start a free online store in Pakistan?

"Free" is the most overused word in software. Some free plans are a trial in disguise; others hide the one feature you need behind a paywall. So here is plainly what a free online store on Biizay includes, where its limits are, and what will still cost you money whichever platform you choose.

Is there a free online store builder in Pakistan?

Yes. Biizay's Free plan is a permanent plan, not a trial, and signing up asks for no card. You get a working store on a free web address, such as yourshop.biizay.com, and you can stay on it for as long as it fits your business.

What do you get on the Free plan?

The tools you need to run the business are all included. Biizay charges for room to grow, not for basic features:

• An online store with cart and checkout.
• The drag-and-drop website builder, with theme presets.
• Point of sale for counter sales, on the same stock as the website.
• Services, bookings and quote requests.
• Bundles, quotations, inventory and basic reports.
• A blog and your legal pages.

What are the limits of a free online store?

At the time of writing, the Free plan holds up to 25 products, 50 orders a month, one staff account and 250 MB of storage for images and files. There is no transaction fee on the Free plan: Biizay takes nothing from your sales. Check the current figures on the pricing page, because plans can change.

Three capabilities are on paid plans only: your own domain (yourshop.pk or yourshop.com), removing Biizay branding, and advanced reports such as profit and loss and tax. Everything else is on every plan.

What does an online store cost even when the platform is free?

No platform can make these free, so budget for them from the start:

• Your products, and packaging that survives delivery.
• Delivery: courier charges, which you either pass on to customers or absorb.
• Card payment fees, if you take cards through your own Stripe account. Cash on delivery has no payment fee but carries the risk of refused parcels.
• A domain name, if you want your own (and a paid plan to connect it).
• Product photos. Your phone is enough; our guide to product photos with your phone shows how.

Free plan vs paid plan: when should you upgrade?

Upgrade when the business has outgrown the limits, not before. The usual moments are:

• Your catalogue passes 25 products, or orders pass 50 a month.
• You want staff to log in with their own accounts.
• You are ready for your own domain. Our guide to choosing a .pk or .com domain helps with that decision.

Nothing is lost when you upgrade: same store, same products, same orders, more room. And if you cancel a paid plan later, your store moves back to Free with its data kept.

How to start a free online store today

Create your free store: pick your kind of business, name it, choose a theme and colours, and you are in. Then add your first products and share your link. Our step-by-step guide to starting an online store in Pakistan covers what to do in your first week.