Shopify in Bangladesh still treats Pathao as an app
Shopify bills in USD. Pathao and Steadfast sit in the App Store. StoreOS bills in taka, and COD and those couriers sit in the same console as stock.
If you wanted Shopify in Bangladesh, you already know the tax.
The store looks international. The bill is in dollars. Pathao is not a first-class courier in the admin. It is an app you install, then connect with API credentials from the Pathao merchant panel. Steadfast is the same story: a third-party app, often billed in USD on top of the Shopify plan.
That is not a smear. The Pathao Courier app is on the Shopify App Store. Merchants use it. The workflow is still “Shopify first, courier as a plugin.”
What actually hurts on Tuesday
You did not pick Shopify because you love apps. You picked it because the theme looks like a real shop.
Then the operating stack shows up:
- The subscription is USD. Many Bangladesh cards will not pay it cleanly.
- COD exists, but the courier booking lives somewhere else — Pathao’s app, another BD courier app, or a spreadsheet.
- Steadfast is a second install if you use both.
- Checkout, stock, and parcel booking are three rooms.
Shopify is a strong product. It was not built around phone OTP, Pathao, and Steadfast as the default week.
What StoreOS puts in one console
StoreOS is a store for Bangladesh sellers. Catalog, checkout, orders, cash on delivery, Pathao, and Steadfast sit next to stock.
You bill in taka. You do not hunt the App Store for the courier you already use.
GearHaat (gearhaat.com) and Sporty BD (sportybd.com) run this way in production. We do not publish their revenue or order counts.
What Free actually does
Create a free store with a Bangladeshi mobile. We text a one-time code.
Free is the catalog: website builder, 50 products, 1 staff. It does not take COD, book Pathao or Steadfast, or attach a custom domain. That starts on a paid plan. Live prices are on the homepage.
Use Free to load products. Upgrade when the first real order needs a courier.
When Shopify is still the right call
Sell mostly abroad, in USD, with Shopify Payments and a global app stack. Stay.
Sell in Bangladesh, take COD, and book Pathao or Steadfast every day. Put the courier in the console, not in an extra tab.