An online GSM shop does what a counter shop does: customers bring an IMEI and you bring the supplier who can unlock, check or repair it. The difference is that you are not there when the order arrives. This checklist covers what has to be in place before you take your first paid order, and what keeps the shop running after that.
1. A name and a domain you will keep
Your domain is on every invoice, in every reseller’s API settings and in your customers’ bookmarks. Changing it later means moving your licence and asking resellers to change their settings, so choose one you are happy to keep for years. Put an SSL certificate on it from day one.
2. Hosting that can run automation
You need PHP 8.2+, MySQL or MariaDB, outbound HTTPS and a cron job every minute. Shared cPanel hosting is fine to start, and free hosting is not. The details are in Choosing hosting for a GSM unlocking website.
3. Two suppliers, not one
Open accounts with at least two suppliers that cover your main services, and add a little credit to both. One supplier will sometimes be out of stock or offline, and a backup keeps orders flowing. Connect them by API (see Connecting suppliers) rather than placing orders by hand.
4. Payment methods your customers already use
Customers top up a balance and order from it, so adding funds has to be easy. Offer the methods your market actually uses. For Bangladesh that means bKash, Nagad and Rocket. Internationally, Binance Pay, UPI and card gateways are common. Turn on only the methods you can support, and test each one with a small real payment before you announce the shop.
5. Pricing that looks after itself
- Price services as a markup on supplier cost, so your margin survives supplier price changes.
- Use customer groups: a regular price for walk-in customers and a lower one for resellers and regular buyers.
- Show realistic delivery times. A customer who was told "1–3 days" is happy on day two, while one who was told "instant" is angry after an hour.
6. Services people can find
Start with a short list of services you know well rather than importing thousands. Group them clearly (for example by brand and by type: unlock, check, FRP, server credits) and write a one-line description that says exactly what the customer receives.
7. Notifications so you are never the last to know
Connect Telegram, WhatsApp or email alerts for new orders, supplier errors and finished orders. Most problems in an online shop are small when you hear about them early and expensive when a customer finds them first.
8. Test the whole loop yourself
Register as a customer, add funds with a real payment, place an order on a cheap service and wait for the result to arrive by itself. Then try a service that will be rejected and check that the refund lands in the balance. If both work, you are ready to open.
9. After launch: the habits that matter
- Check supplier credit every morning.
- Answer support messages the same day. A live chat on the site helps here.
- Install updates when they are released. With GSM X Tool, new versions install from inside the admin panel.
- Look at the API log once a week for services that fail often, and switch their supplier.
Ready to start? See pricing, then follow the install guide.