How to Start an Online Store in Syria: A Practical 2026 Guide

What you need before you start

• A product or service you can price and supply consistently.
• Clear photos of each product — a phone camera in daylight on a clean background is enough to start.
• A mobile number for new-order alerts and for customers to reach you on WhatsApp.
• A way to get paid: cash on delivery, or a local e-wallet such as Sham Cash, Syriatel Cash or MTN Cash.

You don't need a developer or hosting if you build on a hosted platform, and opening a store on a platform doesn't require a commercial registration — though as your business grows, check the legal and tax requirements for your trade.

Step 1: Choose how to build the store

The built-in payment gateways of global platforms don't include Syrian wallets, and their pricing and support aren't aimed at the Syrian market. A platform built for Syria gives you an Arabic, mobile-first store with local payments and shipping already set up. See how to choose an e-commerce platform in Syria.

Step 2: List products the way people search for them

1. A descriptive name — "long satin evening dress" beats "model 23".
2. Several photos: front, back, details, and the product in use. The first one is what appears in listings.
3. A short, useful description: material, size, what's in the box, how to use it.
4. Prices in the new Syrian pound (or in dollars if that's what your customers expect), plus a compare-at price for discounts.
5. Variants such as size and colour, each with its own stock, so you never sell an item you no longer have.

Step 3: Offer the payment methods people actually use

• Cash on delivery remains the most trusted option for Syrian shoppers. Ask for a small deposit on large or distant orders to cut refusals at the door.
• Sham Cash, Syriatel Cash and MTN Cash: the customer transfers to your wallet and sends the proof with the order — a transaction number or a photo of the receipt.
• Money transfers for larger amounts, with a photo of the transfer receipt.

The money should reach you directly. On Mtjry it never passes through the platform and no commission is taken from it. Never ship on the strength of a receipt alone: check that the amount has arrived in your own wallet app first.

Step 4: Price delivery for every governorate

"Do you deliver to …? How much?" is the question you'll hear most after price. Answer it once in your store settings: a flat rate per governorate, a rate by weight, or free delivery above an order value. If you work with a delivery company, connect it so waybills print automatically and the shipment status updates inside the order.

Step 5: Place a test order yourself

Before sharing your link, order from your own store as a customer: is the confirmation clear, did your alert arrive, is the right delivery fee shown for the customer's governorate? Ten minutes here saves your first angry customer.

Step 6: Launch and bring in your first customers

• Put the store link in your Instagram bio, your Facebook page info and your WhatsApp status.
• Send the link to existing customers with a personal message, not a mass broadcast.
• End every product post with a link to that product's page, not the store's home page.
• Answer price and size questions with the product link — customers see the photos and price and order on their own.