Guides

Plain answers for Indian online sellers: GST, cash on delivery and returns, selling on WhatsApp, and choosing a store platform. Every figure is sourced and dated.

• What one returned COD order costs you

  When a cash on delivery parcel comes back undelivered, you pay to ship it out and again to bring it home, and you earn nothing. This guide works out that cost on one order, shows what published data says about return rates in India, and lists what brings the rate down.

• Dukaan alternatives for Indian sellers

  If your store runs on Dukaan and you are thinking about moving, this guide lists five places you could go and what each one takes from an order. The prices come from each company's own pricing page, read on 13 October 2026.

• Do you need GST to sell from your own website?

  Yes, from the first order you ship to another state. If every order is delivered inside your own state and your turnover is under the limit, you can sell without registering. Most online stores ship nationwide, so most need GST from day one.

• Shopify alternatives for small Indian sellers

  Shopify works in India, but an Indian seller pays a fee to Shopify on every online order, on top of the monthly plan and the payment gateway. This guide shows what that adds up to and which alternatives charge differently. Prices were read on 13 October 2026.

• How to take orders on WhatsApp

  Many small sellers in India take their first orders in WhatsApp chats. The trouble starts when there are too many chats to keep track of. This guide compares four ways to take orders on WhatsApp and shows how to keep every order, payment and stock count in one place.

• WhatsApp se saman kaise beche: poora tarika

  WhatsApp par bechna shuru karne ke liye sirf ek phone aur free WhatsApp Business app chahiye. Is guide me setup, catalogue, order aur payment ka poora tarika hai, aur yeh bhi ki app kab kam padne lagta hai.