Daraz vs your own website: which is better for a Pakistani seller?
Daraz gives you traffic and takes a commission; your own site gives you the customer and costs you marketing. Most serious sellers end up doing both — here is how to decide.
Daraz is the biggest marketplace in Pakistan and the fastest way to get your first order. It is also a landlord: you rent shelf space, pay commission, and the customer belongs to Daraz. Your own website is the opposite trade. Here is how they compare on the things that matter.
Traffic
Daraz has millions of shoppers already searching — you compete on price and reviews inside their search results. Your own site starts with zero traffic; you bring it through Instagram, Facebook ads, WhatsApp and Google. This is the real cost of independence, and it is why new sellers should not choose only their own site in month one.
Fees
Daraz charges commission by category (typically 5–15%), plus payment fees, plus shipping and packaging charges, plus penalties for late dispatch or high cancellations. On Rs 100,000 of sales you may keep Rs 75,000–85,000 before your own costs. Your own store on your hosting has no commission — a one-time build (ours is Rs 10,000) and Rs 6–10k a year for hosting.
The customer
On Daraz you never get the customer’s number; repeat business goes back through Daraz. On your own site every order is a WhatsApp contact you can message again at Eid, with a loyalty balance and a referral link. For a brand — clothing, cosmetics, anything with repeat purchases — this is the decisive point.
Control and risk
Daraz can change commission, suspend a listing, or hold payments during disputes; you follow their rules on returns and dispatch times. Your own site follows your rules, but you are responsible for courier booking, COD refusals and customer service. Our stores book Leopards and PostEx from the admin panel to keep that manageable.
Returns and refusals
Daraz’s return policy is generous to buyers and the seller absorbs most of it. On your own site you set the policy — for example, advance payment above Rs 5,000, or exchange-only for sale items — and a returns portal handles the rest.
What serious sellers actually do
- Launch on Daraz for volume and reviews.
- Build their own store for margin and repeat customers, and put the link in every Daraz parcel and Instagram bio.
- Shift their best-selling, highest-margin products to the site, keep Daraz for reach.
If you already sell on Daraz, adding your own store is a one-time Rs 10,000 decision that pays back on the first few dozen repeat orders. Ask us for a demo.