How to Set Up an Online Store in Nepal Step by Step

Setting up an online store looks like a technical job, but most of the work is business preparation: what you sell, how you price it, how you deliver and who answers the phone. If you get these right, the website is easy; if you skip them, even a beautiful website will struggle. Here is a practical sequence you can follow, whether you are moving a Facebook shop online or opening a new brand.

Step 1: choose a focused starting range

Do not upload every item on day one. Select fifty to a hundred products that you have in stock, can photograph well and can deliver safely. Include your best sellers and a few higher-margin items. A narrow, well-presented range builds trust and makes testing simpler. You can add categories later when the process is smooth.

Step 2: prepare product information

For each product collect:

• A clear name that a customer would type into Google
• Three to five photos on a clean background, taken in daylight, including a scale reference
• A short description: what it is, material, size, colour, brand, warranty if any
• Price, and whether it includes 13% VAT if you are VAT-registered
• Variants, such as sizes and colours, with stock for each
• Weight and package size if shipping cost depends on them

Customers cannot touch the product, so photos and honest descriptions replace the shop counter. Misleading photos produce returns, and returns cost you twice.

Step 3: decide prices, offers and policies

Check your price against what customers see on marketplaces and social pages, but do not race to the bottom. Decide your policies in writing: delivery times, returns and exchanges (what condition, within how many days, who pays the courier), warranty handling and what happens if a customer is unreachable on delivery. Publish them on a clear page; they reduce arguments later.

Step 4: define delivery

Work out how you will deliver in each area.

Area	Typical approach	Decide
Inside Kathmandu valley	Own rider or local delivery partner	Charge, time slot, COD allowed
Other major cities	Courier or bus parcel	Charge by weight or fixed, expected days
Remote districts	Courier branch pick-up or transport service	Whether to deliver at all, advance payment requirement

Do not promise what your partner cannot keep. A realistic "2 to 4 days" beats an unrealistic "next day" that fails. If delivery is a large part of your business, our transport and courier software page explains how dispatch can be tracked.

Step 5: set up payment options

Start with what you can run reliably from day one: cash on delivery and bank or wallet transfer with manual confirmation. If you want online payment at checkout, apply for a merchant account with the provider you choose, such as a wallet or payment gateway, and wait for their approval and technical details. The website can be configured to use them once you have credentials, but timelines and rules come from the provider. Plan the launch so you are not waiting on a gateway for weeks.

Step 6: set up the store

1. Choose a domain name that is short, easy to spell and matches your brand.
2. Create categories that follow how customers search.
3. Upload products with variants and stock.
4. Configure delivery areas and charges.
5. Add policy pages, contact details, your PAN or VAT number where relevant and a WhatsApp contact.
6. Set order emails and, if you wish, notifications to your phone.

Step 7: run test orders

Before launch, ask a friend to place orders as a customer: one COD, one with transfer confirmation and one with online payment if enabled. Check the emails, the order page, the stock reduction, the packing slip and the delivery charge. Try it on a phone with a weak connection. Fix confusing wording; customers should never wonder what to do next.

Step 8: handle orders properly every day

• Check new orders at fixed times, including evenings and weekends.
• Call or message the customer to confirm COD orders and addresses before dispatch.
• Pack with care and include a slip with the order number.
• Update status so the customer is not left guessing.
• Record returns and the reason; patterns show where listings or sizes need fixing.

Step 9: bring in the first customers

Share the site link on your Facebook page and in WhatsApp status, add it to packaging and bills, and ask happy customers to order again directly. Give people a reason to use the website, such as a launch offer you can honestly afford. If you plan to message customers about offers, collect consent first and read our note on bulk SMS and WhatsApp before sending anything in volume.

Your next step

Pick your first fifty products and take clear photos of ten of them this week. Then message WebsNP on WhatsApp at +977 9846280400 for an ecommerce website demo using your own products and delivery areas.

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