Cross-border e-commerce from Uzbekistan: selling on Amazon, Shopify, TikTok

In 2026, UZ businesses are not only importers — they export too. IT Park UZ made it easier: residents get 0% corporate tax, access to international payment rails, and help with FX operations. But "launch on Amazon" is not a button. Below are the real steps, costs, and what an agency/dev partner does.

Which channels work from UZ

Step 1: legal structure

Without an in-market entity, nothing works. Options:

• **US LLC (Wyoming / Delaware)** — ~$500 to open + $300/year. You get EIN, Mercury/Wise bank, Stripe, Amazon Seller. 2–4 weeks
• **UK Ltd** — ~£200 + £13/year. Fast to open, but tax-more complex
• **Sp. z o.o. in Poland** — for European markets, VAT registration
• **Pte Ltd in Singapore** — for SEA markets, high TikTok Shop trust, but more expensive (~$2,000)

Step 2: logistics & fulfilment

1. **Dropshipping** — selling goods that are already in a US/EU warehouse. Low margin (15–25%), low starting capital ($500–1,000)
2. **FBA (Fulfilled by Amazon)** — ship inventory to Amazon, they store/ship/return. Requires inventory ($5–10k), margins 30–50%
3. **3PL** — ShipBob, ShipHero. Flexible alternative to FBA, works with any store

For UZ-produced goods (cotton, leather, rugs, dried fruits) logistics to US/EU warehouses costs $3–8/kg for consolidated shipping via Turkish or UAE hubs.

Step 3: payments

• **Stripe** — gold standard. Needs US/UK/EU LLC. 135+ currencies. 2.9% + $0.30
• **PayPal Business** — 2.9% + $0.30 US, 3.4% international. Needed for eBay and part of Etsy
• **Wise Business** — multi-currency, cheap conversion, international accounts. 0.4–1% conversion fee
• **Mercury Bank** — digital bank for US LLC, free, ACH + international wires

Step 4: platform choice

Amazon FBA

Biggest market (40%+ US e-commerce). But brutal competition. Launch cost:

• Amazon Professional Seller — $39.99/mo
• First inventory batch — minimum $5,000–10,000
• Branding (UPCs, logo, packaging) — $500–2,000
• Product photography — $500–1,500
• Keywords research (Helium 10, Jungle Scout) — $97–397/mo
• Initial PPC — $1,000–3,000/mo
• **Total kickoff: $10,000–20,000**, payback 6–18 months

Shopify own store

Full brand control, but you own traffic acquisition.

• Shopify — $29–299/mo
• Domain — $12/year
• Premium theme — $300 one-time or $300/mo subscription
• Apps (reviews, upsell, email) — $100–300/mo
• Ad budget — $2,000–10,000/mo for reasonable growth

TikTok Shop

Fast-growing, especially for lifestyle UZ goods (rugs, clothing, handmade). Needs US/UK partner LLC, video-content strategy, live-streaming. TikTok fee 2–5%.

What an agency handles

• LLC setup via RocketLawyer / Doola ($500–1,500 consulting)
• Banking (Mercury, Wise) — doc help
• Shopify customization — $5,000–15,000
• Amazon listing optimization (title, bullets, A+ content, backend keywords) — $2,000–5,000
• Product photography + video — $1,500–5,000
• 3PL integration for order automation — $2,000–5,000
• Performance marketing setup (Meta, Google, TikTok Ads) — $3,000–8,000

IT Park UZ advantages for residents

• 0% corporate tax until 2040
• 0% VAT on export services
• Simplified FX conversion
• Partner support for foreign entity setup
• Access to Ministry of IT grants
• Team visa assistance