I run an e-commerce store, and we’re growing, so I plan to hire two or three VAs to start as full-time employees and cover core processes in the company. Specifically, I want to hire outside states for customer support and store operations, but I’m stuck currently, and I am trying to figure this out. My friend recommended me using staffing agency, but after reading about it, I actually do not need a company to outsource people for me, and while researching, I came across this article, which actually helped me to understand EOR and showcased the main differences between an EOR and a staffing agency.
This way of employment looks like the best option, but I am still not 100% sure, as I have never had experience hiring abroad, and I am worried about compliance and stress that I could encounter as an employer in certain countries. EOR definitely is my first choice for now, but I would love to hear more if someone else had a similar experience, and are there any “hidden” things that I should take care of?
(Not really starting a business, but I think it might be helpful here, and I wasn’t really sure where to post.)
I’d lean toward an EOR if you want to build and manage your own team. It handles payroll, contracts, taxes, and compliance while still giving you direct control over the employees.
A staffing agency is great if you want someone else to recruit and manage people for you, but it usually comes at a higher cost.
If you’re new to hiring internationally, I’d start with one hire first and scale from there. Good luck! 
@GerWalk Hey, thanks for posting here.
As a Shopify developer, I’ve worked with a number of store owners who hire remote customer support and operations staff.
From the Shopify side, one thing I’d recommend is planning user permissions and security from the start. Whether you use an EOR, staffing agency, or hire directly, make sure team members only have access to the areas of the store they actually need.
For customer support, many merchants use help desk tools and limit direct admin access. For operations roles, Shopify staff accounts with appropriate permissions usually work well.
An EOR can help with compliance and payroll, but I’d also suggest documenting your processes and creating SOPs before hiring. In my experience, clear workflows have a bigger impact on success than the hiring model itself.
Which countries are you considering hiring from?
Thanks, that makes sense. We are mainly considering the UK, France, and Germany at the moment.
Definitely not from among the three countries but out of curiosity what role are you hiring for? What are the qualifications and requirements except ofcourse not to mention the countries you are looking to hire from 
?
Best
for customer support specifically i’d start with contractors before committing to full-time through an EOR. the overhead of payroll, benefits, and compliance makes more sense once you know exactly what the role looks like day to day. hiring contractors first lets you figure out the workflows, the hours you actually need, and whether one person can handle support plus operations or if those need to be separate roles.
once you’ve got it dialed in and want to convert someone to full-time, an EOR is the way to go over a staffing agency. you keep the relationship direct, you’re not paying a markup on every hour, and the person feels like part of your team instead of a temp. just make sure whoever you pick has solid coverage in the country you’re hiring from since compliance rules vary a lot.