Ordering
Cash on delivery, explained properly — and why we run on it
You pay the rider. Nothing before. It sounds simple, and it is — but almost nobody knows what happens on the other side of it.
Zayr Studio4 min read
Updated
Something like nine out of ten orders we receive are cash on delivery, and that ratio has barely moved in two years even as card and wallet payments have got easier. That is not inertia. COD does something for a Pakistani buyer that no other payment method does, and it is worth understanding exactly what.
What happens, step by step
- You place the order. Nothing is charged. No card details are taken and none are stored, because there is nothing to store.
- We confirm it — usually a WhatsApp message or a call to the number you gave, mostly to catch address problems before a rider drives to the wrong block.
- We pack it, pay the courier's booking fee, and hand it over. At this point we are out of pocket and you are not.
- The courier moves it. Their app assigns it to a rider in your area, who calls before arriving.
- You pay the rider in cash and take the parcel. That is the moment the sale happens.
- The courier remits the money to us, minus their fee, on a settlement cycle that typically runs one to two weeks behind delivery.
That last line is the part buyers never see, and it is the reason COD is such a strong signal. A seller running COD is financing every parcel out of their own pocket for two to three weeks. Somebody willing to do that for a Rs. 2,000 chain is generally somebody who expects you to be happy with it.
What COD protects you from — and what it does not
| Risk | Does COD cover it? | What actually covers it |
|---|---|---|
| Seller takes your money and vanishes | Yes, completely | You have not paid anything until the parcel is at your door |
| Card details being misused | Yes | No card is involved at any point |
| Parcel never arrives | Yes | No delivery, no payment |
| Wrong or damaged item inside | Partly | Opening at the door, or an unboxing video, plus the seller's policy |
| Piece is not the quality you expected | No | Reading the specifications before ordering |
| Size does not fit | No | Measuring first; the exchange window second |
COD is protection against the seller disappearing. It is not protection against the seller being careless. Those are different problems and only the first one is solved at the door.
Is there a COD charge?
Not with us. Delivery is a flat Rs.250 anywhere in Pakistan whichever way you pay, and free over Rs.5,000. Some sellers add 2–3% for cash on delivery, which is roughly what the courier charges them for handling the cash — it is a real cost, honestly passed on. What is not reasonable is a COD surcharge that appears only on the final screen after you have entered your address.
Refusing a parcel: your right, and its cost
You can refuse at the door and you owe nothing. That is genuinely your right and there is no reason to feel awkward about using it when a parcel is damaged, wrong, or clearly not what was described.
It is worth knowing what it costs on our side, though, because it explains why small sellers get twitchy about it. A refused parcel means we have paid the outbound courier fee, we pay a return fee, and the piece comes back after two weeks of handling that we then cannot sell as new. On a Rs. 1,800 bracelet that is most of the margin gone.
So: refuse a parcel that is wrong, always. But if you have simply changed your mind, message the seller before it ships rather than declining at the door. Almost all of us will cancel without complaint if you catch it early, and it costs nobody anything.
Getting a COD order delivered on the first attempt
- Answer the courier's call. Riders in most cities will attempt a call twice and then mark the parcel undelivered for the day. This is the single biggest cause of delays in the country.
- Have cash ready, roughly the right amount. Riders carry limited change and a Rs. 5,000 note for a Rs. 2,050 parcel occasionally sends them away.
- Give a landmark, not just an address. Riders navigate by shops and mosques, not by house numbers.
- Tell them if the gate is locked at certain hours, or if the office reception takes parcels.
- If you will be out of town, say so at order time. Holding a parcel is easy; retrieving it from a courier's return leg is not.
When COD is the wrong choice
Two cases. If you are sending a gift to someone else's address, paying by card or transfer avoids the awkwardness of your mother being asked for Rs. 4,000 at the door. And if you are ordering something time-critical before Eid, prepaid parcels are often prioritised in a courier's queue, simply because they carry no cash-handling step.
Cash on delivery is not a payment method here. It is a trust mechanism that a whole market was built on because nothing else was going to work.
Common questions
Is cash on delivery safe in Pakistan?
Yes — it is the safest way to buy from a seller you do not know. You pay nothing when you order and nothing until the parcel reaches your door, so the seller carries all of the financial risk until the moment you have the item in your hand.
Is there an extra charge for cash on delivery?
Not with us — delivery is a flat Rs.250 nationwide however you pay, and free over Rs.5,000. Some sellers do pass on the 2–3% the courier charges them for handling cash. Either is legitimate as long as it is shown before you confirm, not added at the last screen.
Can I refuse a COD parcel at the door?
Yes, and you owe nothing if you do. Refuse anything that arrives damaged, wrong or clearly not as described. If you have simply changed your mind, message the seller before the parcel ships instead — most will cancel it at no cost to anyone.
Can I open the parcel before paying?
Most riders will allow it if you ask politely, though it is at their discretion rather than a guaranteed right. If yours will not, film one unbroken video of the sealed parcel being opened. That is accepted by every serious seller as proof if something is wrong.
Ready when you are
Cash on delivery nationwide, exchanges on sizing.