You sell through Instagram. Orders arrive as DMs, you copy addresses into a notebook, and a courier collects parcels twice a week. It works, until a busy weekend when three customers get the wrong size and nobody remembers which orders were already paid.
An online store fixes that chaos, but only if it's built for how selling actually works in Egypt. Most customers still expect to pay cash on delivery. Some refuse the parcel at the door. Many will message you on WhatsApp before they trust a checkout button.
This guide goes from the idea to the first delivered order, for small and mid-sized sellers in Egypt.
Start with the numbers, not the design
Before choosing colours, answer one question: how much do I actually keep from one order? Many first-time sellers price products as if shipping, cash collection and returns were free.
Do this for your top five products. It decides your prices, your free-shipping threshold and which items need a deposit.
Build a product catalogue that sells
Online, the product page does the shop assistant's job. It has to answer every question a customer would ask at the counter.
Photos
Real photos of the real product, on a consistent background, from several angles, plus one showing scale or use. Daylight phone photos on a plain background often beat stock images, because they look like what arrives.
Variants and stock
Every size and colour needs its own stock count, so nobody can order a size you don't have. Overselling is an avoidable way to earn an angry review.
Descriptions that answer questions
Material, dimensions, a size chart in centimetres, care instructions, what's in the box and the expected delivery time. A good test: any question your WhatsApp receives three times a week belongs on the product page.
Structure
Name categories the way customers think. Past roughly 50 products, search and filters stop being optional.
Shipping and cash on delivery in Egypt
Egypt has several established couriers, including Bosta, Aramex, J&T Express, Mylerz and Egypt Post, plus many smaller local ones. Don't pick on price alone. Compare:
- Coverage, especially Upper Egypt, the coasts and remote areas
- Delivery times per zone
- How often they transfer the cash they collect to you
- What they charge when a parcel is refused or returned
- Tracking, pickup schedules and whether your store can connect to their system
The cash-on-delivery reality
With cash on delivery, the courier collects the money, deducts their fees and transfers the rest on a cycle. That creates a cash-flow gap you need to plan for. The bigger cost is refusals: a customer who changed their mind, a wrong phone number, or an order placed for fun.
What reduces refusals:
- Confirm every cash-on-delivery order by WhatsApp or phone before it ships.
- Show the delivery fee and the full total before checkout. Surprises at the door cause refusals.
- Tell customers the delivery window, and send the tracking link when the parcel leaves.
- Ask for a deposit or full online payment on high-value or made-to-order items.
- Keep a note of numbers that have refused before.
Online payment options, from cards to wallets and Fawry codes, are covered in our guide to accepting online payments in Egypt.
Returns and exchanges
Egypt's Consumer Protection Law (No. 181 of 2018) gives consumers a general right to return or exchange products within 14 days, with conditions and exceptions. Have a lawyer check your policy against your product type.
A good returns page answers, in plain words: how many days, what condition the item must be in, who pays return shipping, whether you offer an exchange first, and how refunds are paid (cash, wallet or card) and how long they take. A clear policy prevents most disputes before they start.
Trust and customer service
Why would a stranger pay you?
A first-time visitor doesn't know you. They look for signs that you are real and that they can reach you if something goes wrong:
- A WhatsApp number, a phone, your city and your working hours
- Shipping, returns and privacy pages that are easy to find
- Real reviews, ideally with customer photos. Never invent them.
- The same name and look as your social accounts, linked both ways
- A secure (HTTPS) checkout that works smoothly on a phone
Customer service that doesn't eat your day
Reply quickly during the hours you publish, keep ready-made answers for common questions, and send three messages per order: confirmed, shipped with tracking, delivered.
Most of this conversation will happen on WhatsApp. We cover how to connect it properly to your store in WhatsApp and your website. The key is that orders live in one admin panel, not scattered across chats and a notebook.
Custom store or subscription store platform?
| Subscription store platform | Custom-built store | |
|---|---|---|
| Time to launch | Days to a few weeks | Several weeks to a few months |
| Upfront cost | Low | 35,000 – 150,000+ EGP, indicative |
| Ongoing cost | Monthly plan, sometimes transaction fees and paid add-ons | Hosting plus maintenance, roughly 1,000 – 8,000 EGP a month, indicative |
| Egyptian couriers and gateways | Depends on the integrations offered | Built for exactly the ones you use |
| Special flows (deposits, made-to-order, wholesale prices) | Limited to what the platform allows | Whatever your business needs |
| Arabic right-to-left quality | Varies | Designed in from the start |
| Leaving later | Data export varies, design stays behind | You own the code and the data |
Testing a new product line with a few dozen items and a standard process? A subscription platform is a sensible, cheap way to learn. Consider a custom store when your process is unusual, when you need tight integration with couriers or accounting, when monthly fees grow with every order, or when the shopping experience is part of your brand. Our honest comparison of custom code and templates goes deeper.
Pre-launch checklist for your online store
- A margin sheet for your top products, including shipping, cash collection and refusals
- Every product with real photos, variants, stock levels and a size chart where relevant
- Shipping zones and fees shown before checkout
- A courier account with an agreed pickup schedule
- At least one online payment method alongside cash on delivery
- Shipping, returns and privacy pages published
- WhatsApp number and working hours visible on every page
- Order confirmation and shipping messages written
- A full test order placed from a phone on mobile data, all the way to delivery
Common mistakes new stores make
- Launching with 300 products and weak photos instead of 40 with excellent ones.
- Hiding the shipping fee until the last step.
- Shipping cash-on-delivery orders without confirming them.
- Tracking stock per product, not per size and colour.
- Spending the whole budget on the store and nothing on bringing visitors to it.
Questions people ask
Do I need a commercial register to sell online in Egypt?
You can put a store online without one, but payment gateways and many courier business accounts ask for a commercial register and tax card. Sort them out early, and ask your accountant what applies to you.
Should I offer cash on delivery?
In most categories, yes, at least at the start, because many customers expect it. Protect yourself by confirming orders, showing totals clearly and asking for deposits on risky items.
Which shipping company is best in Egypt?
It depends on where your customers are and what you sell. Ask two or three couriers for their current rates and terms, then run a few weeks of real orders before committing.
How much does an online store cost in Egypt?
A custom store is indicatively 35,000 to 150,000+ EGP depending on scope. Subscription platforms cost less upfront but charge monthly. See how much a website costs in Egypt for the full picture.
Can I sell to customers in the Gulf from Egypt?
It's possible, but international shipping, customs and currency make it harder than selling locally. Many sellers prove the product in Egypt first, then look at a local partner or fulfilment option in the Gulf.
Your next step
Open a sheet and work out your real margin on five products. Then write your shipping and returns policy in plain words. Those two pages of thinking will shape every decision about your store.
When you're ready to talk about the store itself, you can see our work or book a short meeting with us.
