Sheryar Baloch

Amazon consultant and freelancer from Kharan

Compiled from 1 recorded interview. Every statement below is drawn from the passage cited beside it.

Sheryar Baloch is a freelancer who works as an Amazon consultant and virtual assistant for sellers. He was born in Kharan. He officially started freelancing in 2020 after leaving school, and his work involves helping Amazon sellers build sales and make their stores profitable.

Early life and background

Baloch was born in Kharan. He says he comes from the desert area of Kharan, which is about 300 to 350 kilometres from Quetta. His father is a teacher at a government school, and both of his parents are government officers in grades 17 and 18. [1]

He is 19 years old. He says about half of his life was spent in hostels in Quetta. He has been away from home for about eight to nine years. [1]

He says he first used the internet around the 2013 elections, he thinks. He used Nokia flip phones, one of which he got from an uncle. As a student he watched Tamil films. [1]

Education

Baloch studied up to grade five in Kharan. He attended a private school before moving to a school in Quetta. He received a scholarship on Balochistan merit to attend an international school and college in Quetta. He received a full 100% scholarship, and he lived in a hostel from sixth to tenth grade. [1]

He broke his knee in an accident. He fell from a bike and was on bed for a month. He had his surgery in Karachi. Six or seven days after surgery he travelled from Karachi to Quetta to sit a test, taking a bus about 800 kilometres. He did not pass that test, which he says was expected because he had not prepared. [1]

He had been offered admission to almost every college in Quetta. He decided to go to Kharan college and is in the second year of college, studying from Kharan. He says he would not come back even if he were offered a scholarship and a stipend. [1]

Path into freelancing

In 2016 and 2017 he was a part-time coin seller for 8 Ball Pool and sold accounts. He did affiliate marketing for someone and earned a commission. Freelancing had been on his mind since 2018. He explored Fiverr and then Upwork. [1]

He decided he wanted to do freelancing and planned to give it at least one year to explore it. He officially started freelancing in 2020 after leaving school. He says he dedicated a full year to freelancing. His father wanted him to become a CSS officer. [1]

Extreme Commerce

Baloch came into contact with Sunny Ali of Extreme Commerce. He took a course through Extreme Commerce, motivated by a free offering at the time. He says he had no money at the time, was a student, and his father did not offer much support. [1]

He spent six or seven months in Karachi at the Extreme Commerce incubator. He began to give more attention to what he calls his core freelancing skill. [1]

Amazon consulting

Baloch works as an Amazon consultant and virtual assistant for sellers. He helps Amazon sellers build sales and make their stores profitable. His Amazon work includes sourcing from Chinese suppliers on Alibaba. [1]

He starts client work with an audit and then reports the problems to the seller. After the audit, he focuses on how the product is marketed and sold. [1]

His first client came to him through a Facebook group. He says he earned his dollar within three days of being given work, after his accident. He was under 18 when a client asked how he would receive payment. [1]

He set up a Payoneer account using the front and back of a cousin's CNIC. He later opened a Payoneer account in his own name and on his own CNIC. [1]

Launch contracts for Amazon clients run for at least six months and are paid monthly. Short-term clients hire him on a project basis to open cases with Amazon to get a Chinese seller removed. His clients include both Pakistanis and people abroad. [1]

He has said his gross income is close to $20,000. He says he now has four employees who work with him. He gave a session at his college. [1]

Working conditions in Kharan

He says internet in Kharan is almost non-existent. He works at midnight to match US time zones. He works from a laptop on his phone's hotspot, with the phone kept on charge. [1]

He says load shedding still lasts 10 to 12 hours. He says a UPS does not hold enough charge to run his laptop through the night. He says few people where he lives know he freelances, and he has kept it hidden. [1]

Views

Baloch says freelancing spreads socially as people watch others' stories. He says he does not want to be a government employee. He says government work does not let a person hire staff or own a business. [1]

He says he favours skills that do not involve maths. He says he is non-technical and had no interest in software engineering or coding. His interests lean towards arts, including history, political science and international relations. [1]

He says about 20,000 students from Balochistan are living in other cities of Pakistan. He describes Balochistan as the untapped beauty of Pakistan. [1]

Plans for further study

Baloch is considering studying in Turkey, Germany, Italy and Australia. He says education in Germany is free. He plans to apply for scholarships to study in Turkey. [1]

He says he has never paid anyone for his education. He says he will not pay $10,000 a semester for education. [1]

Timeline

2013
Baloch thinks he first used the internet around the elections of this year.[1]
2016
Part-time coin seller for 8 Ball Pool and account seller, in 2016 and 2017.[1]
2018
Freelancing was already on his mind.[1]
2020
Officially started freelancing after leaving school.[1]

Appearances

DateTitleWhere
2021-12-10 A 19-year-old freelancer's case for skipping the government job Thought Behind Things

Frequently asked questions

Who is Sheryar Baloch?

Sheryar Baloch is a freelancer who works as an Amazon consultant and virtual assistant for sellers. He was born in Kharan. He officially started freelancing in 2020.[1]

What does Sheryar Baloch do?

Sheryar Baloch helps Amazon sellers build sales and make their stores profitable. His work includes sourcing from Chinese suppliers on Alibaba. He starts client work with an audit and then reports the problems to the seller.[1]

Where is Sheryar Baloch from?

Sheryar Baloch was born in Kharan. He says he comes from the desert area of Kharan, which is about 300 to 350 kilometres from Quetta.[1]

When did Sheryar Baloch start freelancing?

Sheryar Baloch officially started freelancing in 2020 after leaving school. He says freelancing had been on his mind since 2018.[1]

What platforms did Sheryar Baloch explore for freelancing?

Sheryar Baloch explored Fiverr and then Upwork. He also took a course through Extreme Commerce and spent six or seven months at its incubator in Karachi.[1]

How does Sheryar Baloch get paid?

Sheryar Baloch set up a Payoneer account using a cousin's CNIC, and later opened one in his own name. Launch contracts for his Amazon clients run for at least six months and are paid monthly.[1]

References

  1. A 19-year-old freelancer's case for skipping the government job . Thought Behind Things , 2021-12-10.
Show the source passages (78 statements)
  1. Sheryar Baloch was born in Kharan. Bilkul paidaish bhi meri Kharan ki hai.
  2. Sheryar Baloch is 19 years old. [Shahryar] Yes, I am 19.
  3. He says about half of his life was spent in hostels in Quetta. Meri poori zindagi Kharan mein bhi guzri hai, meri poori zindagi, aadhi zindagi mere Quetta mein hostels mein guzri hai.
  4. He has been away from home for about eight to nine years. main almost koi 8 to 9 years se main ghar se bahar hoon.
  5. He says he comes from the desert area of Kharan. Toh main basically us registani ilaqe se hoon
  6. His father is a teacher at a government school. mere walid sahab khud bhi uh woh teacher hain government school mein.
  7. Both of his parents are government officers in grades 17 and 18. Mere walidain both of them are government officers 17 and 18 grade.
  8. Kharan is about 300 to 350 kilometres from Quetta. woh Quetta se almost koi 300, 350 kilometer ke faasle pe hai
  9. He studied up to grade five in Kharan. Toh Kharan mein maine apni 5th tak padhai ki.
  10. He attended a private school before moving to a school in Quetta. jo woh private school tha jahan se nikal ke main uh woh wahan pe gaya Pak Turk gaya.
  11. He received a scholarship on Balochistan merit to attend an international school and college in Quetta. mujhe scholarship mili on Balochistan merit, Pak Turk Pak Turk International School and Colleges Quetta mein.
  12. He received a full 100% scholarship. On a full-fledged 100% scholarship.
  13. He lived in a hostel from sixth to tenth grade. 6th to 10th matlab like 5 to 6 years main wahan pe hostel mein raha hoon.
  14. He filled in his documents and sent them by post. Maine apne documents saare fill kiye, phir maine by post bhej diye.
  15. He says he placed in the top six from Balochistan out of 500 participants. Out of 500 participants, I was in top 6 from Balochistan.
  16. He says he failed once and found it a very heartbreaking time. toh I was failed once. Toh it was very heartbreaking time.
  17. He did not pass that test, which he says was expected because he had not prepared. woh test toh khair pass nahi hua jo ke nahi hona bhi tha kyunke koi tayari nahi thi
  18. He had been offered admission to almost every college in Quetta. Toh mujhe Quetta ke almost har uh college mein admission mili.
  19. He decided to go to Kharan college. Main mera faisla yeh hai ke maine Kharan college jana hai.
  20. He is in the second year of college, studying from Kharan. Ab second year toh mera Kharan se chal raha hai.
  21. He says he would not come back even if he were offered a scholarship and a stipend. Aap mujhe scholarship dein, aap mujhe stipend dein, main nahi nahi aana.
  22. He decided he wanted to do freelancing. Maine kaha maine freelancing karni hai.
  23. Freelancing had been on his mind since 2018. jo freelancing mere sar pe 2018 se chada hua tha.
  24. He planned to give freelancing at least one year to explore it. Agar zyada nahi toh at least ek saal hi dena hai maine ke main I was just I just wanted to explore this field
  25. He first used the internet around the 2013 elections, he thinks. maine internet ko jo first use kiya tha woh I guess 2013 ke elections the.
  26. He used Nokia flip phones, one of which he got from an uncle. Toh mere paas woh flip Nokia ke flip mobiles hote the, woh bhi maine mamu se liya tha.
  27. As a student he watched Tamil films. Main bhi Tamil film dekhta tha, Tamil movies dekhta tha
  28. In 2016 and 2017 he was a part-time coin seller for 8 Ball Pool and sold accounts. 2016-17 mein theek hai, uh I was part-time coin seller of 8 Ball Pool and account seller.
  29. He did affiliate marketing for someone and earned a commission. main uske liye affiliate marketing karta tha toh mujhe uska commission mil jata tha
  30. He explored Fiverr and then Upwork. Phir uske baad jaake maine Fiverr explore kiya, phir uske baad jaake maine Upwork explore kiya.
  31. He officially started freelancing in 2020 after leaving school. Officially freelancing jaise maine kaha ke maine school chhod diya. Theek hai, I left the school. Maine kaha okay 2020 mein 2020 mein I I said okay, Allah Hafiz, I am going.
  32. He broke his knee in an accident. I met an accident. Theek hai, and uh just broke my leg, broke my knee.
  33. He fell from a bike and was on bed for a month. Main bike se main gira toh I was on bed for a month.
  34. He had his surgery in Karachi. Uske baad mera operation hua Karachi mein.
  35. Six or seven days after surgery he travelled from Karachi to Quetta to sit a test. operation ke 6th aur 7th days mein with stitches, with knee brace and with the walker, I traveled from Karachi to Quetta to give a test.
  36. He took a bus about 800 kilometres to sit the test. I just traveled all the way 800 kilometers on bus to give the test.
  37. His father wanted him to become a CSS officer. He still want me to be a CSS officer.
  38. He came into contact with Sunny Ali of Extreme Commerce. mera wasta pada Sunny Ali se. Theek hai? Sunny Ali, Extreme Commerce se.
  39. He began to give more attention to what he calls his core freelancing skill. jo meri freelancing core skill hai, toh us side pe maine zyada dhyan dena start kiya.
  40. He says he favours skills that do not involve maths. The skill which don't have math is my favorite.
  41. He says he is non-technical and had no interest in software engineering or coding. Kyunki non-technical main, koi technical field nahi thi meri, na koi mujhe shauq tha in cheezon ka, software engineering, web development wagera ka, coding se.
  42. He took a course through Extreme Commerce, motivated by a free offering at the time. Extreme Commerce mein free VBC us waqt thi. Theek hai? Toh usse maine motivate hoke aur theek-thaak maine course kar liya.
  43. He says he had no money at the time, was a student, and his father did not offer much support. paise mere paas the nahi. Student tha main, us waqt abbu bhi itna koi zyada support nahi karte the
  44. He says he dedicated a full year to freelancing. maine apna poora saal waqf kiya tha is field ke liye.
  45. He works as an Amazon consultant and virtual assistant for sellers. woh as an Amazon consultant, as an Amazon aap virtual assistant kaam karte hain.
  46. He helps Amazon sellers build sales and make their stores profitable. I am gonna help you to build your sales. I am gonna help you to make your store profitable.
  47. His Amazon work includes sourcing from Chinese suppliers on Alibaba. Usmein like sourcing hoti hai jo hum China se karte hain, Alibaba mein supplier se baat karte hain.
  48. He starts client work with an audit and then reports the problems to the seller. Audit hoti hai, audit ke baad report aati hai ki bhai yeh masle hain.
  49. After the audit, he focuses on how the product is marketed and sold. Then we focus on the marketing, ki market isko kaise karna hai, isko bechna kaise hai.
  50. His first client came to him through a Facebook group. Toh pehla client mujhe mila, mili sorry, from Facebook group.
  51. He says he earned his dollar within three days of being given work, after his accident. Unhone mujhe kaam diya. Toh within three days I earned my dollar after accident.
  52. He was under 18 when a client asked how he would receive payment. Again I was under 18. Ab my mind was blown ki payment kaise lena hai.
  53. He set up a Payoneer account using the front and back of a cousin's CNIC. Front aur back usne mujhe diye aur woh daal ke maine apna Payoneer banaya.
  54. He later opened a Payoneer account in his own name and on his own CNIC. Ab maine apne apne naam pe aur apne CNIC pe apna Payoneer banaya hai.
  55. Launch contracts for Amazon clients run for at least six months and are paid monthly. woh launch ka jo span hota hai, woh at least two quarters, yaani 6 mahine ka span hota hai, 5 se 6 mahine ka, depending on the freights. Toh us span mein aap humein per month pay karte hain.
  56. Short-term clients hire him on a project basis to open cases with Amazon to get a Chinese seller removed. Toh phir again hum aate hain aur uske saath phir hum Amazon ke saath case open karte hain and all that to get that Chinese seller removed. So yeh project basis hote hain.
  57. He has said his gross income is close to $20,000. it's almost near about revenue agar aap gross income ka kahenge toh woh $20,000.
  58. His clients include both Pakistanis and people abroad. Woh Pakistanion ke saath bhi hota hai, woh bahar ke logon ke saath bhi hota hai.
  59. He spent six or seven months in Karachi at the Extreme Commerce incubator. main apni freelancing career mein almost 6 mahine mein, 7 mahine mein Extreme Commerce Karachi mein raha hoon.
  60. He says internet in Kharan is almost non-existent. Wahan pe internet toh almost na hone ke barabar hoti hai.
  61. He works at midnight to match US time zones. ek toh midnight mein kaam hota hai definitely kyunki US time zone pe humein chalna padta hai.
  62. He works from a laptop on his phone's hotspot, with the phone kept on charge. apne mobile se hotspot on karke mobile ko charge pe rakh deta hoon
  63. He says load shedding still lasts 10 to 12 hours. woh 10 to 12 hours abhi bhi load shedding hoti hai.
  64. He says a UPS does not hold enough charge to run his laptop through the night. UPS ka system hai lekin woh definitely usmein light, usmein charge itni nahi hoti ki woh poori poori night mujhe chala sake.
  65. He says freelancing spreads socially as people watch others' stories. woh ek social cheez hai, woh ek automatically jab aap ek story by story dekhte hain toh automatically woh ho jaata hai.
  66. He says he does not want to be a government employee. at the end of the day, you are a naukar. So, and I don't want to be a naukar.
  67. He says government work does not let a person hire staff or own a business. usmein aap kisi ko as a apna employee nahi rakh sakte, aap business owner nahi ban sakte.
  68. He says he now has four employees who work with him. I have my employees, 4 employees. Theek hai, woh mere saath kaam karte hain.
  69. He gave a session at his college. even abhi ek month pehle maine apne college mein ek session diya tha
  70. He says few people where he lives know he freelances, and he has kept it hidden. Uh so far I don't think ke koi zyada humam ko pata hai ke main is taraf hoon. Theek hai. I have been hiding this.
  71. He is considering studying in Turkey, Germany, Italy and Australia. Toh I am deciding about those. Theek hai? Turkey, Germany, Italy and Australia.
  72. He says he will not pay $10,000 a semester for education. Toh yeh definitely main toh nahi chahunga main kisi ko $10,000 doon per semester.
  73. He says he has never paid anyone for his education. But again I have not paid a penny to anyone in my whole educational career.
  74. He says education in Germany is free. Germany mein education free hai.
  75. He plans to apply for scholarships to study in Turkey. Scholarship hi main apply karunga aur scholarship mujhe I hope ki easily mil jayegi.
  76. His interests lean towards arts, including history, political science and international relations. Toh mera jo shauq hai, woh zyada arts ki taraf hai. Like history ki taraf, political science ki taraf aur international relations ki taraf.
  77. He says about 20,000 students from Balochistan are living in other cities of Pakistan. 20,000 students of Balochistan are living in the other cities of Pakistan.
  78. He describes Balochistan as the untapped beauty of Pakistan. Balochistan is a golden bird, the untapped beauty of Pakistan.