Running three ecommerce stores (ssmartpk.com, shoppifly.com, clickysale.com) taught me one thing about “make money on Amazon” guides: 90% of them are written for a US audience and never mention that some of these methods work very differently — or barely at all — if you’re actually sitting in Pakistan. Here’s the real breakdown.
Amazon Associates (Affiliate Program): Works, With a Catch
This is the most accessible option from Pakistan, and it genuinely works — but not the way most guides describe it.
The real setup: Amazon doesn’t support direct bank deposit or PayPal payouts to Pakistan. You’ll get paid through Payoneer, which then transfers to your local bank account. Set up your Payoneer account before you even apply — it’s a required step most tutorials skip until the end.
The bigger catch nobody mentions: since Amazon barely ships to Pakistan, your affiliate content needs to target a US, UK, or Canadian audience — not local Pakistani readers. If your blog or YouTube channel is aimed at a Pakistani audience (like most of mine is), Amazon Associates isn’t your best affiliate fit. Daraz’s affiliate program or similar South Asian platforms actually make more sense if your audience is local.
Where it does work well: if you create content in English targeting a Western audience — product reviews, tech comparisons, “best of” listicles — Associates is genuinely solid passive income. Use Amazon’s SiteStripe tool to grab links once approved, and weave them naturally into review-style content rather than obvious ad placements.
Amazon FBA and Private Label: Doable, Not Simple
Every guide makes FBA sound like “list a product, Amazon ships it, profit.” From Pakistan, there’s a real extra step: Amazon typically requires sellers to have a business entity and bank account in a supported country — usually the US, UK, or a handful of others. Pakistan isn’t on that list for direct seller registration.
What people actually do to make this work: form a US LLC through a formation service (this has real cost — budget $200-500+ depending on the service), get a US business address and bank account through services built for this (several exist specifically for Pakistani and Indian sellers), then register as a seller under that entity.
This is a real business investment, not a side hustle you start this weekend. If you’re serious about it, treat it like starting an actual company — because you are.
Once set up, sourcing is genuinely the same everywhere: Alibaba for manufacturers, tools like Jungle Scout or Helium 10 for market research, and quality control on your first order matters more than people admit — a bad first shipment kills a listing’s reviews fast.
Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP): The Most Accessible Real Option
Unlike FBA, KDP works cleanly from Pakistan — no LLC, no foreign address needed. You write, format, upload, and get paid via direct deposit or check (check payments to Pakistan) once you hit the payment threshold.
If you have real expertise — and between running ecommerce stores and consulting on digital marketing, you genuinely do — a focused, practical ebook (not padded to hit a page count) can build steady passive income here. Royalties run 35% or 70% depending on your price point ($2.99-$9.99 range for the higher rate).
What actually sells on KDP: specific, practical guides beat broad “everything about X” books. “Shopify SEO for Pakistani Sellers” will outsell “The Complete Guide to Ecommerce” every time, because it speaks directly to someone with a specific problem.
Amazon Merch on Demand: Accessible, Slow to Start
This one’s genuinely open to Pakistani creators — upload a design, Amazon prints and ships, you earn royalty per sale. The catch is the invitation-only waitlist, which can take weeks or months to clear, and there’s no way to speed that up.
If you’re already doing graphic design work, this is worth the wait-list application as a passive side project. It’s not worth building a primary strategy around, given how slow approval and initial sales traction tend to be.
Retail and Online Arbitrage: Skip This One From Pakistan
Most Amazon money guides list this as a beginner-friendly option — buy discounted items from stores, resell on Amazon for profit. This genuinely doesn’t work from Pakistan. It requires physically buying inventory from US retail stores (Walmart, Target clearance sections) and shipping to Amazon’s US warehouses. Unless you have someone based in the US doing this for you, skip this method entirely — don’t waste time researching it.
My Honest Ranking, If You’re Starting From Pakistan
- KDP — lowest barrier, no foreign entity needed, real skill-based income
- Amazon Associates — works well if you’re creating English content for a Western audience specifically
- Merch on Demand — good passive side project if you already design, but slow to start
- FBA/Private Label — real income potential, but requires real upfront investment and a proper business setup, not a weekend project
- Retail/Online Arbitrage — skip it, not practical from here
Bottom Line
Most “make money on Amazon” content is written as if everyone reading it is in the US. From Pakistan, KDP and Associates (targeting a Western audience) are your realistic starting points. FBA is genuinely possible but needs real capital and a proper business setup — go in with that expectation, not the “start today for free” framing most guides sell. Match the method to where you actually are, not where the guide assumes you are.