# Anyone tried to set up an ecommerce business ?



## woodlands

Hi,
I am thinking of starting an commerce business here in Dubai. Physical goods, delivery within Dubai, so I guess I will need a local license. 
The only thing is that before doing anything, I have wasted 75k aed at the barest minimum, just to test an idea...anyone with any experience in the domain?


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## angelican

Yes the only thing you will have to get the commercial trading license the same way you are selling products in the market. You need to fix a commodity you are going to start of with and then expand. Maybe you can start with some low priced electronics goods... Do a local research to find what your people are looking for to buy online.
You will have start of a website and make sure you do enough marketing so that people visit your site. 
All the best with that!
Here is an article I came across on Starting business in Dubai


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## md000

Getting online payment systems is the major holdup in the UAE. I'm not saying it can't be done, but this is the main sticking point thus far. I would focus your research on that activity - as this will be the most costly (per transaction) and most time consuming to set up.

-md000/Mike


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## Mr Rossi

I'm into my third year of running my own e-commerce company here, feel free to PM me with any questions.


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## saraswat

md000 said:


> Getting online payment systems is the major holdup in the UAE. I'm not saying it can't be done, but this is the main sticking point thus far. I would focus your research on that activity - as this will be the most costly (per transaction) and most time consuming to set up.
> 
> -md000/Mike


Exactly!!! That bit (payment gateway) is the most frustrating piece of the whole puzzle... To put it simply (from what I have learned running around all over the place lol), if you are intending to implement a local solution, a deposit will be required (USD), the amount varies depending on the business activity and it is refundable, but it is a significant amount... There are other non-local solutions...


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## sharuque

I work for a Business consultancy . I can help you set up your Business in Dubai and also I know some web designer who can get you E-store done in less than 30 days with 3 times less price than the Dubai market.


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## deepikaraj

Mr Rossi said:


> I'm into my third year of running my own e-commerce company here, feel free to PM me with any questions.


Hi, i wanted to chat up regarding the online business set up, do let me know if we could. thanks


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## sam H

deepikaraj said:


> Hi, i wanted to chat up regarding the online business set up, do let me know if we could. thanks


Hi PM me if u want any info ... I have set up a online business in Dubai ... My husband is also currently setting up several online sites for Businesses in dubai. Send me any question and I can answer it for u


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## Vasilis10

I am interested too to be honest, even though i already have a job, i can still contribute with someone as partner. Any details and info would be great.


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## sam H

Vasilis10 said:


> I am interested too to be honest, even though i already have a job, i can still contribute with someone as partner. Any details and info would be great.


PM me ,... What type of online business you interested in?


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## Vasilis10

Cant really PM cause im a new member.. he he

Haven't really thought of that was just my idea for some extra income. I have to do some research and obviously i would need a partner cause i don't have much free time, I can handle tasks for only couple of hours per week (8 hrs per week, so to say). What do you think about mobile phone e-commerce?


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## sam H

I have a fair few project underway that have been started ,u should be able to pm me after five. We could look at it from there.


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## deepikaraj

sam H said:


> Hi PM me if u want any info ... I have set up a online business in Dubai ... My husband is also currently setting up several online sites for Businesses in dubai. Send me any question and I can answer it for u


Hello Sam, Thanks for the post. am a new member, dont think can pm, or maybe cant figure out  . would it be be possible for you to pm me, that way i would be able to mail you i assume. 
Thanks again.


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## saraswat

deepikaraj said:


> Hello Sam, Thanks for the post. am a new member, dont think can pm, or maybe cant figure out  . would it be be possible for you to pm me, that way i would be able to mail you i assume.
> Thanks again.


You have 5 messages now (need those) and should be able to private message. Here's how to pm btw:

Via member's name:










Via member's profile page:


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## deepikaraj

saraswat said:


> You have 5 messages now (need those) and should be able to private message. Here's how to pm btw:
> 
> Via member's name:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Via member's profile page:


thanks saraswat was able to do it.


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## dubai13

Thanks for all the info everyone, very interesting


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## Whaider

*E Commerce*



Mr Rossi said:


> I'm into my third year of running my own e-commerce company here, feel free to PM me with any questions.



Hi I am buying an E-Commerce site set up in a free zone and would appreciate if someone experienced in this can answer a couple of questions.

Mr Rossi this thread is very old, not sure if you are still around in Dubai?


Regards.


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## Whaider

*For SAM H query on E-Commerce*



sam H said:


> Hi PM me if u want any info ... I have set up a online business in Dubai ... My husband is also currently setting up several online sites for Businesses in dubai. Send me any question and I can answer it for u


Hi I am buying an E-Commerce site set up in a free zone and would appreciate if someone experienced in this can answer a couple of questions.


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## Anindo

*payment gatway*



Mr Rossi said:


> I'm into my third year of running my own e-commerce company here, feel free to PM me with any questions.


Dear Mr Rossi,

i am a new member of this forum and i wanted to know if you are using any merchant gateway to receive your payments from your customers.
The reason for asking is i am running a portal from India and we are looking for someone who can end us their existing gateway to receive payments from our overseas customers via credit cards ...all this for a fee.
Kindly revert if you are interested .

warm regards
Anindo


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## Mr Rossi

Anindo said:


> Dear Mr Rossi,
> 
> i am a new member of this forum and i wanted to know if you are using any merchant gateway to receive your payments from your customers.
> The reason for asking is i am running a portal from India and we are looking for someone who can end us their existing gateway to receive payments from our overseas customers via credit cards ...all this for a fee.
> Kindly revert if you are interested .
> 
> warm regards
> Anindo



Yeah sure, I can't possibly see what could go wrong with what you're proposing.

Do you have an email address or shall I just post my account details on here?


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## Anindo

*gateway*

/snip


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## saraswat

@Anindo, rossi was being sarcastic! He is not going to let you use his payment gateway, nor is anyone else for that matter. That is highly suspect and not to mention illegal !. If you are based in India and would like to accept international cards, look at options within India. From my research, it is far easier to have a payment gateway and merchant account in India, actually most places in the world than here.

p.s: this is assuming you are a legally registered business in India. If not, then no point in posting on the forum.


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## Anindo

from my research RBI has banned all banks from issuing new gateways as they r being misused by ngos etc ..i am currently using a shared gateway of bank of baroda.....but its fees are too high has it is on rent..fyi only


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## jk_1337

At the recent ArabNet summit at the Atlantis hotel, I met some guys from PayFort. It's a payment gateway that caters to the region and they're based here in Dubai.

I don't know a great deal about payment gateways but they have a decent client portfolio so they must be doing something right. Apparently they recently rebranded and relaunched their website.

I'd check them out and see if they suit your needs. As for me, I'm still trying to figure out why cash on delivery is king over here.


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## Mr Rossi

jk_1337 said:


> why cash on delivery is king over here.


Only 40 years ago, most residents slept with their entire wealth under their bed. And were either Bedouins or relied on the sea port. Both existences that relied on trading with someone you'll possibly never see again.

Most retail banking is playing catch up, if not totally antiquated - cheques, no central scoring agency etc etc etc meaning a lot of debit and credit cards don't even work at terminals, let alone online.

Credit is expensive

Customer not present transactions are not allowed (though it's fine for photocopies of your card and major documents to be kept in an unlocked filing cabinet somewhere)

Large start up costs for companies that do want to provide payment gateways.

A market it's infancy and a general lack of trust with the vendor.


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## jk_1337

the trust factor - that's another thing I picked up at Arabnet.

I found it interesting how people will trust Emirates to fly them safely, but won't trust them with an online payment for the fare! 

The fellow who runs Jado Pado was saying that on his site, most people pay by card and the rest is COD. Usually it's the other way around.


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## Anindo

i am looking anyone having a running ecommerce business and using a merchant payment gateway wth either masreque bank or Emirates nbd....the idea is to take it on rent for a nominal fee and bank charges.....


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## saraswat

In order to avail the services via the banks you mentioned, or any bank here that does support merchant accounts/payment gateway solutions, a deposit is required (refundable after 6 months from the date of closing the gateway). It can be anywhere from 10k USD to 50k USD, depending on the type of business you are in. Also the business would need to be registered in the UAE, to be able to use their services. Not entirely sure from your post, but if you are incorporated elsewhere, its not possible until you get incorporated here and then pay the deposit.

There is no way getting around that. I was told by HDFC and ICICI reps ( a couple of months back) that they have gateway services, maybe the RBI development is relatively new. Do a google search, you will find options for you ....


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## Anindo

let me try to explain my requirement: i am looking at someone who is already using a gateway for their own business....so that means he has already paid the security deposit....we can have a jv agreement as my co is registered in india...uae has no problem in that as there is no tax issues here


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## Mr Rossi

Anindo said:


> uae has no problem in that as there is no tax issues here


Well that's put any worries I had about staking a $50k deposit and something tells me the "jv agreement" will be clear, concise yet cover every potential eventuality.

Let's get this show on the road!


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## Anindo

u hve my email and skype id..lets discuss offline


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## m1key

I know a Nigerian fella that is interested. Would you like his email address?


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## Anindo

no thank u!


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## m1key

In case you change your mind...

[email protected]


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## Anindo

lets c...i am expecting mr rossi to contact me offline


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## saraswat

Anindo said:


> lets c...i am expecting mr rossi to contact me offline


Again, Rossi was being sarcastic. Also your contact details were removed from the forum as it is against the rules to post them here. 

Good luck with your endeavor, but also know that what you seem to be proposing is extremely risky, both for you and your potential joint-venture partner ... (not being sarcastic).


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## Anindo

please enlighten me with the risk involved.....i am not dealing wth drugs, arms, women or any kind of illegal activities here


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## Anindo

and we cannot share details how r we supposed to move forward...how come the the email of the nigerian fellow was not [email protected]?????


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## m1key

Oh dear. Just oh dear


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## Jynxgirl

Anindo said:


> and we cannot share details how r we supposed to move forward...how come the the email of the nigerian fellow was not [email protected]?????


Mr Do... you are a funny guy. At least I hope you wrote this knowing how funny of a statement it was.


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## m1key

When is the party Jynxy? You're having a big party aren't you? arty:


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## bisso

Mr Rossi said:


> I'm into my third year of running my own e-commerce company here, feel free to PM me with any questions.


I am interested in ecommerce . I would like to know what are the requirement and the cost of starting


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## bisso

*Ecommerce*



sharuque said:


> I work for a Business consultancy . I can help you set up your Business in Dubai and also I know some web designer who can get you E-store done in less than 30 days with 3 times less price than the Dubai market.


can you please assist me with ecommerce licensing


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## myaben

Hi Sam, I want to start an online business as well. Do you lind answering some questions? thanks


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## myaben

Mr Rossi said:


> I'm into my third year of running my own e-commerce company here, feel free to PM me with any questions.


Hi Mr Rossi,
I want to start an online business in Dubai, can you please answer some of my questions? Thank you!


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## jk_1337

There's some info on the Jado Pado forums which is current and helpful. Seems like you need to setup a proper entity in order to be legit (and this is the first step I'd say).
Questions on Opening up an E-Commerce / Online Store in the UAE - JadoPado Forums


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## saraswat

jk_1337 said:


> There's some info on the Jado Pado forums which is current and helpful. Seems like you need to setup a proper entity in order to be legit (and this is the first step I'd say).
> Questions on Opening up an E-Commerce / Online Store in the UAE - JadoPado Forums


What is posted on that forum is not entirely accurate. Best to find out about what is possible from the freezone's themselves..


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## myaben

saraswat said:


> What is posted on that forum is not entirely accurate. Best to find out about what is possible from the freezone's themselves..


Thank you for the link!! its actually pretty helpful )


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## unisahmed

im looking to start my own online business in automotive performance parts 

can u help?


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## saraswat

myaben said:


> Thank you for the link!! its actually pretty helpful )


True it is helpful, and kudos to the person who got all that put up, I myself researched there initially. Having said that though, when I dug deeper I found that some of the things mentioned there were not exactly correct when it came to the law and how it applies in certain scenarios. I went to the freezone's and got it 'from the horse's mouth' as it were. Which is what I was recommending earlier. 

It's a great starting off point, as sadly there is a real dearth regarding this topic out in this part of the world, but in cases where legalities are concerned, it is always better to get the info straight from the source/licensing authority ...


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## Sooraj

*Ecommerce business*



sam H said:


> Hi PM me if u want any info ... I have set up a online business in Dubai ... My husband is also currently setting up several online sites for Businesses in dubai. Send me any question and I can answer it for u


heyy ,

My name is sooraj,me and my friend is planning to start up some thing related to garments online .an ecommerce plat form ,which is going to deal with Men's Tees and women's tops of different variety . I am new to business and don't know what are the requirement needed for it . for an ecommerce business in Dubai what is the kind of license I have to take and do I need a back office by law for running and online business ? what would be the total cost requirement for all the licensing ?. 
I am a student doing my college and I have always been fascinated by business and I hope this will be the starting point for me .looking forwards to your response .

Thank you 
sooraj .


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## Ritesh70

Hi Sooraj,

I am similar interest. Can we connect? Share your e-mail ID pls

Regards,
Ritesh Gaidhane


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## Mark J

hello Sam,

I would like to know what licencing did you have for the ecommerce to setup a bank accont.

I appreciate your help. Thanks


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## Mark J

myaben said:


> Thank you for the link!! its actually pretty helpful )


Thanks. Omar is very helpful.


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## raceed

sam H said:


> Hi PM me if u want any info ... I have set up a online business in Dubai ... My husband is also currently setting up several online sites for Businesses in dubai. Send me any question and I can answer it for u


Hi,

I am new to this forum, I need your help by sharing your experience and any information regarding Web Portal Business in UAE.

I am from India, I have a plan to develop a RealEstate advertisement e-commerce website. For posting advertisement in my website, I will collect some amount from my clients. I am not selling any product, only displaying advertisement in web portal.


Please share your experience, how to handle this transaction in UAE.

- All transactions should come only through any UAE bank?

- Should I need UAE municipal licence for this online portal business?

- Should I need to setup a office or shop with proper UAE license?

- Should I need any UAE local contract or partnership agreement?

- Is it possible to operate from india by directly contacting clients through email?

- Any service tax or fees should I pay if amount diretly credited to india account?

Your valuable responses are very helpful, thanks in advance.


Regards,
Rasheed


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## naran12

I am also interested to start an online business.


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## To&fro

*E-Commerce*

Dear Rossi,

Would appreciate if you could provide me additonal info about setting up a E-commerce company. It would be great if you can provide me with brief info on merchant accounts and also location to set up, if a virtual office is required.

Regards,

CV


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## To&fro

Hi,

How do I PM you guys ???


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## mr.vaidya

Hi Sam,

kindly let me know your email since have few queries for the same and want your advice for the same


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## Mr Rossi

Too many people PM'ing me now wanting me to literally set up and run their business for them when there's not enough hours in the day to run my own.

The information is out there if you find it. Merchant accounts, speak to the banks. There are four main payment gateway providers (possibly more since I last looked), three of them use ADCB.


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## Filledesiles

Mr Rossi said:


> I'm into my third year of running my own e-commerce company here, feel free to PM me with any questions.


Hi there,

May I know the address for your website please? 

Thank you.


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## entertainmenx

*regarding ecommerce*



Mr Rossi said:


> I'm into my third year of running my own e-commerce company here, feel free to PM me with any questions.


i am also interested to do a ecommerce business in dubai , can you help me out the way ????


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## samora1986

*Hi*

Hi would appreciate if you could let me know a budgeted merchant account and payment gateway and what are the charges basically for it thanks





Mr Rossi said:


> I'm into my third year of running my own e-commerce company here, feel free to PM me with any questions.


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## j_asar

entertainmenx said:


> i am also interested to do a ecommerce business in dubai , can you help me out the way ????


Hey buddy, if you are still lookin for a solution to setting up an ecommerce firm kindly let me know and I maybe able to help you out!

Thanks!

Jai


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## Prashant2188

*ecommerce setup.*



Mr Rossi said:


> I'm into my third year of running my own e-commerce company here, feel free to PM me with any questions.


Hi Mr. Rossi,

Good Day to you.

I am planning to start my ecommerce website here in dubai "for the start , i m looking into men's clothing , ladies accessories and men's accessories", so if you can advice me on the basic setup of the business as i wont be needing an office , i wish to put up the inventory at my place, and work from there. 


Thanks

Hope to hear from you soon.


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## Max84

Prashant2188 said:


> Hi Mr. Rossi,
> 
> Good Day to you.
> 
> I am planning to start my ecommerce website here in dubai "for the start , i m looking into men's clothing , ladies accessories and men's accessories", so if you can advice me on the basic setup of the business as i wont be needing an office , i wish to put up the inventory at my place, and work from there.
> 
> 
> Thanks
> 
> Hope to hear from you soon.


This is not allowed from freezone company. You can not deal inside UAE from freezone company as it is not allowed. For this kind of business you will need to setup LLC company for which you will need partner who will own 51% of your company and will also be partner in profits. Also, I don't think it will be good idea to setup business like that as there is no online payment gateway in UAE.


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## kmdxb

Max84 said:


> This is not allowed from freezone company. You can not deal inside UAE from freezone company as it is not allowed. For this kind of business you will need to setup LLC company for which you will need partner who will own 51% of your company and will also be partner in profits. Also, I don't think it will be good idea to setup business like that as there is no online payment gateway in UAE.


Might not be technically allowed from within freezones, but there are plenty of people/companies who do operate that way. Some freezones may have different rules to others - it's always worth checking with specific freezones yourself.

There are also a couple of payment gateways in UAE, there is Innovate Payments and PayFort, both who operate locally using local banks (so you have to get a merchant account with a local bank, and that can be a slow and painful process...), and then there are others like PayPal who now offer AED payments (but it still has to be USD settlement, so you will get an fx hit) and places like 2checkout (not sure if they do AED or if it is still USD). I think Etisalat also run a payment gateway, but I think that is limited to government or very large private companies. 

The upfront costs of getting a real merchant account are higher than when going with someone like PayPal, but over time you save money as your transaction costs are lower, and you get direct AED to AED acquisition and settlement (so no fx charges). Ones like PayPal and 2checkout are running aggregator systems, where you don't have your own merchant account, you use theirs, and are at the mercy of their systems as to potentially having them do things like hold you funds for a long time etc.


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## bhavishya

Hi Rossi, 

i also want to open an online shopping website. Can you provide me with your skype adress or contact number so that we can talk. Thanks for your help.


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## bhavishya

*starting up ecommerce*



sharuque said:


> I work for a Business consultancy . I can help you set up your Business in Dubai and also I know some web designer who can get you E-store done in less than 30 days with 3 times less price than the Dubai market.


hey sharuque,
i am thinking of opening online shopping website in UAE. Can you provide me with your email address or skype address or phone number so we can talk. Also, if you can tell me whether i need trade license or not as i will NOT be physically present in UAE, not i will have any inventory there. I will be shipping products from any country to UAE through courrier.


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## Sheks

hi mr rossi, can u guide me a little more for e commerce set up


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## elie_han

Hey thanks everyone for all the answers, particularly Mr. Rossi who's been busy answering questions privately and publicly.
My question is relatively simple, if i may say so.
In order to sell clothes online, to people in the UAE (and abroad) - do i need an LLC license set up with a local partner through DED, or a FZ license (and sell through aramex/couriers?)



p.s: the jado-pado info is nice, but i got a little confused when it came to the above question.


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## Mr Rossi

It depends on the origins of the clothes. If they're already in the UAE then a FZ license is all that's needed. If you're importing clothes then either you need to do this through an LLC or you can import with a FZ licence and pay the duty to bring it "out" of the freezone.


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## Arunraje03

sam H said:


> PM me ,... What type of online business you interested in?


I want to Set-up a online retail business please give me the information to start such kind business in Dubai.


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## Arunraje03

Mr Rossi said:


> It depends on the origins of the clothes. If they're already in the UAE then a FZ license is all that's needed. If you're importing clothes then either you need to do this through an LLC or you can import with a FZ licence and pay the duty to bring it "out" of the freezone.


What is the applicable duty charge for importing cloths from India.??


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## Stevesolar

Arunraje03 said:


> I want to Set-up a online retail business please give me the information to start such kind business in Dubai.


Hi,
I can give you all the information that you need to start an online business in Dubai - my fees are very reasonable - 50,000 AED!
Cheers
Steve


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## Arunraje03

Stevesolar said:


> Hi,
> I can give you all the information that you need to start an online business in Dubai - my fees are very reasonable - 50,000 AED!
> Cheers
> Steve


I think you put two zeros extra by typo mistake...


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## trustgo

*E-commerce - info directory*



Mr Rossi said:


> It depends on the origins of the clothes. If they're already in the UAE then a FZ license is all that's needed. If you're importing clothes then either you need to do this through an LLC or you can import with a FZ licence and pay the duty to bring it "out" of the freezone.


Hi Mr Rossi,

Can you pls advise if I can set up freezone or LLC. I am setting up a niche information directory (like a yellow pages type set-up on specialist level) to offer advertising listing services to companies in Dubai and the UAE to register for a small listing fee. Can I do this as a freezone setup or do I need an LLC?

Please advise.

Thank you and I really respect your valuable time.


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## marc

You can have e-trading in a DED, eCommerce is free zone license.


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## NazneenKhan

I would suggest you contact agency who has a years of experience in doing this kind of work such as creating eCommerce website. Because creating e-commerce website is one thing and promoting your business online to your audience is another thing. You need experts help to help you setup your business and grow it.

Let me know if you need any reference of the agency in Dubai.

Regards


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## AlexanderRus

Hi Sam,
I have read your reply about online business in Dubai, and i'm also interested in starting my own small site for e-commerce. Could you please anwser some question, concerning the starting and licensing in UAE and Dubai in particular? Thank you for your time.


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## rakesh1184

Hi I need brief information about setting up a online business (ecommerce business ) in Dubai 

what would be the investment and fee charges to set up


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## jabbarm

Mr Rossi said:


> I'm into my third year of running my own e-commerce company here, feel free to PM me with any questions.


Hi , appreciate your help in setting up Ecom buzz...thx


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## The Rascal

jabbarm said:


> Hi , appreciate your help in setting up Ecom buzz...thx


He said he'll help you with any questions, not do the whole job for you!


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## Mr Rossi

The Rascal said:


> He said he'll help you with any questions, not do the whole job for you!




Must've been about four years ago now that I offered help.

And three years ago when I retracted it or pay proper set up/consultancy rates


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## Malady

Hello Mr Rossi
I am new to the forum (approximately 20 minutes lol), I am going to have a little look around the forum but I would love to get some advice from you on eCommerce in Dubai, I am currently in the UK and I am just about ready to set up a business here that I hope I can run from the comfort of a sea facing apartment in Dubai.. Good times!


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## Malady

Mr Rossi said:


> Must've been about four years ago now that I offered help.
> 
> And three years ago when I retracted it or pay proper set up/consultancy rates


hahaha I am so sorry Mr Rossi, this is so strange, my previous comment was actually in response to a different post from you... I guess my first job is to learn how to post replies to the correct comments. 

This has been useful since I can now see that I was trying to communicate on a post you made several years ago something I hadn't noticed earlier. Good God, I'm trying to set up a business here and plan a move to Dubai, yet I am struggling to communicate in a forum hahaha doesn't bode well... watch this space, its not how you start but how you finish that matters (apparently)


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## Malady

Mr Rossi said:


> Yeah sure, I can't possibly see what could go wrong with what you're proposing.
> 
> Do you have an email address or shall I just post my account details on here?


I'm sorry this has really tickled me hehehehe..


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## Malady

Mr Rossi said:


> Must've been about four years ago now that I offered help.
> 
> And three years ago when I retracted it or pay proper set up/consultancy rates


Okay... finally at the end of the thread and I get it, lots of questions mostly the same, I am not against paying for your time, I can see you have made lots of posts offering advice which is useful, I would really welcome a little 1 on 1, (I don't need you to set up the business for me). Just a few pointers specific to me. I will pm you when I am able to for your rates


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## Mr Rossi

Malady said:


> I will pm you when I am able to for your rates


I don't have rates. In the spirit of the forum, I don't mind helping people out and offering advice and about bits and bobs as they are going through the process themselves. That said, the rules have changed since I was running an SME so I'm not sure how relevant that advice may be nowadays.

What I really didn't expect was 9 (Nine) pages of people expecting me to provide them with a full business plan. I doubt they ever come back so I now just ignore it and chalk it up on my ever expanding "typical Dubai" list.


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