Launching an online store in Mexico means sorting out the tax setup first, then choosing the payment methods your customers actually use, and only then picking a platform and logistics. Mexico is one of the largest ecommerce markets in Latin America, but it has its own quirks that don't match Argentina or Spain. Here's the order that actually avoids rework.
1. Register with the SAT: your RFC and the right tax regime
To sell legally in Mexico you need an RFC (Registro Federal de Contribuyentes) with the SAT, the national tax authority. Most sole-proprietor ventures start under RESICO (Régimen Simplificado de Confianza), built for moderate annual revenue and with a lighter administrative load than the general regime. If your project launches with several partners or you expect high revenue from day one, it's worth evaluating a corporate entity instead. Before issuing your first invoice you'll also need an e.firma (digital signature) and a Certificado de Sello Digital (CSD) — without it, you can't stamp a CFDI.
2. VAT and CFDI invoicing: what you can't get wrong
Mexico's general VAT rate is 16%, applied to most goods and services, with a 0% rate and specific exemptions for certain categories. Every sale must be backed by a CFDI, Mexico's electronic invoice, and the SAT requires the issuer's RFC, legal name and postal code to match exactly what's on your Constancia de Situación Fiscal — a mismatch there is the single most common reason invoices get rejected. If you also sell through a marketplace, note that as of 2026 these platforms are required to withhold taxes directly on your sales, so keeping your RFC current on every account stops being a minor detail.
3. Payment methods: what your customers expect to find
The Mexican checkout looks different from other markets. Credit cards with Meses Sin Intereses (interest-free installments, MSI) are decisive for mid-to-high ticket purchases — many shoppers filter for that option before deciding anything else. Mercado Pago is the dominant digital wallet, largely thanks to its tie-in with Mercado Libre. For shoppers without a card or who prefer cash, OXXO Pay still matters: the customer generates a code, pays at any OXXO convenience store, and the payment clears from there (unlike a card, it's not instant, and a share of those codes never get paid). SPEI bank transfers round out the mix; a gateway missing these options loses sales right at checkout.
4. Marketplace, your own store, or both
Mercado Libre is by far the country's largest marketplace and the fastest entry point to validate a catalog without investing in your own store from day one. Amazon Mexico is the other major option with real volume. The trade-off is the per-sale commission and direct price competition on the same listing page. Your own store (Shopify, WooCommerce or Tiendanube, all with solid adoption in the region) gives you full control over brand, margin and customer data, in exchange for having to generate your own traffic. Brands that scale seriously tend to run both channels in parallel.
5. Shipping: what to line up before you sell
Estafeta, DHL, FedEx and Correos de México are the most-used carriers for domestic shipping; if you sell on Mercado Libre, Mercado Envíos simplifies logistics by plugging straight into the marketplace. Decide upfront who absorbs the shipping cost — you, the price tag, or a separate checkout line — because it's one of the first things a Mexican buyer checks before paying.
6. Importing stock? Check tariffs before you set prices
If your model involves buying inventory abroad (China, for example) to resell in Mexico, note that in 2025 Mexico sharply raised the tax on low-value courier parcels from countries without a trade agreement, taking it from 19% to 33.5%. That increase changes the profitability math for that kind of business, so it's worth recalculating margins before setting sale prices, not after.
What this means for your business
None of these steps is complicated on its own, but the order matters: settling the tax regime before picking a platform avoids redoing the invoicing setup later. If you want to launch your store in Mexico without solving this by trial and error, we can help you define the full setup, from platform to payments, shipping and invoicing integration.