Biheshta’s Story of the Online Market in Afghanistan

Azpag received an audio recording from Biheshta in which she talked about her acquaintance with Azpag.

When Beheshta was unable to continue her studies, she spent her days at home. At that time, feelings of confusion, despair, and sadness came to her. However, she decided not to give up. She knew that life is not limited to only one path, and there are always new ways to grow and learn.

Starting a New Path

Biheshta had been interested in handicrafts since school, especially bag-making and beadwork. Her hands were always busy creating colorful designs and delicate patterns on fabrics. When she was unable to continue her studies, she chose that old art as a new starting point. She decided to start a small but meaningful work; something that could connect her art, patience, and feminine creativity.

Thus, Beheshta made a small workshop in a corner of her home. With a few simple tools, some fabric, and colorful beads, she started making beautiful handbags. She made each bag with care and love; bags that combined color, culture, and the art of Afghanistan women. But when it came to selling them, she realized that starting a business is easy, but sustaining and expanding it requires experience, connections, and market access.

Initial Challenges At the beginning, she had to visit different shops herself. Sometimes she walked for hours in heat and cold, hoping someone would like her work and buy a few bags. Some shopkeepers welcomed her, others looked indifferent. Many times, she returned home with tired hands and unsold bags. But she did not despair. Each time she told herself: “If no one buys today, maybe I will find a buyer tomorrow. The important thing is that I love my work.” This inner belief shone like a light in her heart and kept her motivation alive.

Acquaintance with the Online Business World A few months later, at a family gathering, a relative told her that now people mostly make purchases through online platforms. That day felt like a fresh beginning for Beste. She had heard the names of several platforms before, but she never imagined she could work in that space herself. At first, she was hesitant. She thought: “Will anyone buy a bag from me behind a mobile screen? Will people trust my work?” But with the encouragement of a friend, she decided to try. She learned how to create an account, take good-quality product photos, write detailed and attractive descriptions, and communicate with customers.

Registering on Azpag and First Steps of Success One of the first places she registered her products was Azpag, a local online marketplace for buying and selling goods and services in Afghanistan. She created a dedicated page for her products, uploaded high-quality photos of her beaded and embroidered handbags, and wrote detailed descriptions about their material, size, and design. In the first few days, her posts received many visitors. Some sent her messages asking about colors, prices, or stitching type. She felt a new door had opened for her; a door connecting her from a small neighborhood to a bigger world.

Expanding Business and Finding New Customers Gradually, Beste learned how to advertise in the online space. She commented on social media and even on cargo company websites, explaining about her bags. Sometimes she shared photos of her products with a short story of how they were made so that people could understand that each bag was the result of hours of work and the creativity of an Afghanistani girl.

Over time, customers from different cities contacted her. Even a few from abroad became interested and received her products through shipping companies. On the day she prepared her first international order, tears of joy filled her eyes.

Result of Effort and New Experience

Previously, she might sell two or three bags a month. But after being online, her monthly sales increased to four or five bags. Although this number may not seem large, for a girl who started her work from zero with her own hands, this was a great success. More importantly, it was the feeling of customer satisfaction. Some buyers sent her thank-you messages and said how beautiful and high-quality her bags were. These feedbacks multiplied her motivation. Biheshta now spent less time looking for customers but got better results. She learned how to price, communicate with customers, and build trust. She realized online business is not just selling; it is a form of human and artistic connection between producer and buyer.

Transformation in Perspective and Life Biheshta’s experience was not limited to earning income. She gradually gained more self-confidence and realized that women can find new ways to grow even in difficult circumstances. She is now not only a producer but also an inspiration for other girls. Many of her friends, seeing her progress, decided to register their own products on online platforms. Biheshta always tells them: “If we wait for perfect conditions, maybe we never start. We must take the first step from where we are, with what we have.”

Role of Online Platforms in Empowering Youth Like Biheshta

Biheshta’s experience clearly shows that online platforms can make the business world simpler, clearer, and safer for women and youth. In a country where job opportunities for women are limited, such spaces can be a new window to the future. On these platforms, small producers can introduce their products to thousands of customers without large investment. Buyers, on the other hand, can see diverse goods, compare prices, and purchase confidently with just a few clicks. For Beste, online business was not just an economic tool; it was a bridge between dreams and reality, a bridge that transformed her from a disappointed student girl to a young successful entrepreneur.

Looking to the Future

Today, Beste has big plans. She wants to establish a small brand for her handmade bags, expand her business, and eventually employ a few other girls so they can also earn through this work. She still sometimes thinks about her first days; days when she walked with empty hands in the streets of Kabul, hoping someone would see her work. But now she knows that if a person believes in themselves, even the hardest knots can be untied.