How I Built the World's 22nd E-commerce Website (And Why Everyone Said It Would Fail)"

The World's 22nd E-commerce Website: When Pakistan Led Global Innovation

2001 was a year that changed everything - not just for me, but for Pakistan's entire digital landscape.

While most of the world was still figuring out this "internet thing," I was about to launch something that would put Pakistan on the global e-commerce map: Beliscity.com.

THE MOMENT OF DECISION

After losing my cyber café empire in 2000, I was sitting in my in-laws' house with just one computer and a revolutionary idea. E-commerce was taking off in America - Amazon had been around for 6 years, but most countries hadn't even heard the term "online shopping." 

"What if Pakistani consumers could buy products online?" I wondered. 

Everyone I shared this idea with responded the same way: 

"Abid, Pakistani log online shopping nahi karenge!" (Pakistanis won't shop online!) 

"Credit card kaun use karega?" (Who will use credit cards?) 

"Trust kaise banayega?" (How will you build trust?) 

"Delivery system kahan hai Pakistan mein?" (Where's the delivery system in Pakistan?)

But here's what they missed: I wasn't just seeing Pakistan as it was - I was seeing Pakistan as it could become. 

THE TECHNICAL CHALLENGE

Building an e-commerce platform in 2001 wasn't like today. There was no Shopify, no pre-built solutions. Every line of code had to be written from scratch.

I contacted a web development company and paid them advance from the money I got from selling my car. For months, we worked on creating something Pakistan had never seen:

- Product catalog system 

- Shopping cart functionality 

- Payment gateway integration 

- Order management system 

- Customer database 

- Delivery tracking

Remember, this was 2001. Most Pakistanis were still learning what email meant.

THE VENDOR CHALLENGE

The next challenge: convincing vendors to list their products on a "website."

"Website pe products kaise dikhenge?" (How will products show on a website?) 

"Orders kaise ayenge?" (How will orders come?) 

"Payment kaise hoga?" (How will payment work?)

I spent weeks visiting markets in Karachi - from Tariq Road to Saddar, from Light House to Shershah. One by one, I convinced vendors to give me their product catalogs.

The first category: Laptops, Computers and their parts

Then: Mobiles Phones, Electronics & Home Appliances 

Then: Fashion Accessories

Then: Books

Within three years, we had 36,000+ products across 13+ categories.

THE LAUNCH THAT CHANGED PAKISTAN

When Beliscity.com went live, something magical happened.

The first order came from Lahore - a businessman ordering electronics for his office.

The second from Islamabad - a woman buying fashion accessories.

The third from Karachi - a student ordering laptop.

Word spread quickly. This wasn't just a website - this was a revolution.

Within the first year:

✅ Thousands of registered customers

✅ Orders flowing from all major Pakistani cities 

✅ Monthly sales crossing millions of rupees 

✅ Media coverage calling it "Pakistan's digital breakthrough"

By year 3: 10-12 million PKR monthly sales

By year 5: International recognition as world's 22nd e-commerce platform

THE LESSONS THAT BUILT AN EMPIRE

1. Vision Before Market: Sometimes you have to build the market instead of waiting for it to exist.

2. Education is Everything: 70% of our early success came from educating customers about online shopping, not just selling products.

3. Trust is Your Currency: In a market with no e-commerce history, trust becomes more valuable than the cheapest prices.

4. Local Solutions for Global Problems: We created Pakistan-specific payment methods, delivery systems, and customer service approaches.

5. Persistence Pays: Every "no" from vendors and skeptical customers was just preparation for the eventual "yes."

THE RIPPLE EFFECT

Beliscity.com didn't just succeed - it proved what Pakistani entrepreneurs could achieve on a global stage.

Today, when you see Daraz, when you see the thriving Pakistani e-commerce ecosystem, when you see millions of Pakistanis shopping online daily - it all traces back to 2001, when one entrepreneur refused to accept "Pakistanis won't shop online."

We didn't just build a website. We built Pakistan's digital commerce DNA.

THE GLOBAL RECOGNITION

When international rankings listed Beliscity.com as the world's 22nd e-commerce website, it wasn't just my achievement - it was Pakistan's achievement.

We had proven that innovation doesn't require Silicon Valley addresses or venture capital millions. It requires vision, persistence, and an unshakeable belief that impossible is just an opinion.

CONCLUSION: YOUR BELISCITY MOMENT

Every entrepreneur has a "Beliscity moment" - when you see an opportunity everyone else calls impossible.

The question isn't whether the opportunity is real. The question is: Are you brave enough to build it anyway?

In 2001, I chose to build it anyway.

The result: Pakistan's first e-commerce revolution.

What "impossible" e-commerce idea, what "won't work in Pakistan" solution, what globally competitive innovation are you avoiding because everyone says it's too early, too risky, too impossible?

Maybe it's time to build it anyway.

Next week in The Never Quit Chronicles: "The Guinness World Record That United Pakistan" - the untold story of organizing 6,000+ people in pouring rain at 1 AM.

Abid Beli is CEO of Work More co-working space, serial entrepreneur, and holder of multiple "Pakistan's First" achievements. Subscribe for weekly insights from 28 years of never quitting.