Offer cash on delivery without losing money on returns
Decide who can pay in cash when the parcel arrives, for which order sizes and pincodes, whether to take an advance online, and how to stop risky COD orders that come back unpaid.
What this page is for
Cash on delivery (COD) lets a buyer pay when the parcel reaches them. It brings more orders, but some buyers refuse the parcel. The courier then brings it back (RTO, return to origin) and you pay shipping both ways.
This page sets how much COD you allow and how you protect yourself. Every row saves by itself: switches save when you flip them, amounts when you tap Save. You need the Manage settings permission.
The two buttons at the top open the pages these settings drive: COD remittance (cash the courier owes you) and Failed deliveries.
Set up COD in 5 steps
- 1
Switch COD on
Offering COD → Offer cash on delivery
It is on for a new store. Turn it off if you want only prepaid orders.
- 2
Set the order sizes that may use COD
Minimum order for COD, Maximum order for COD
Below the minimum or above the maximum, the buyer must pay online. 0 minimum and an empty maximum mean no limit.
Example: minimum ₹300 and maximum ₹5,000. A ₹250 order or an ₹8,000 order must be prepaid.
- 3
Cap one buyer's unpaid COD orders
COD limit per buyer
The most one buyer can have in undelivered COD orders at once. It frees up as orders are delivered or cancelled.
- 4
Limit COD to pincodes you trust (optional)
Pincodes with COD
Add the starting digits of pincodes where COD is offered, like 4110 for parts of Pune. Leave it empty to offer COD everywhere you deliver.
- 5
Add a COD fee or ask to accept each order (optional)
COD handling fee, Accept each COD order first
A COD handling fee is added to every plain COD order as a separate line, for example ₹40.
With Accept each COD order first on, new COD orders wait in COD to accept on the Orders page. Call the buyer if unsure, then Accept or Reject. Rejecting cancels the order, puts the stock back and tells the buyer.
Take an advance online (part payment)
Buyers who have paid some money rarely refuse the parcel. Set Advance paid online to a percentage, for example 20%. Buyers then see one more choice at checkout: pay 20% online now and the rest in cash. Plain COD is still offered.
Minimum advance makes sure the advance is never too small. With 20% and a ₹100 minimum, a ₹300 order asks ₹100 online (not ₹60), and ₹200 in cash.
Connect a payment gateway on the Payments page first, or buyers can't pay the advance. The COD handling fee is not added to part-payment orders, and the COD limits check only the cash-at-door amount.
Set Advance paid online to 0 to switch part payment off.
Stop risky COD orders
Block risky COD orders scores each COD order from 0 to 100 using only your own store's delivery history: this buyer's past deliveries and returns, how often parcels to that pincode came back, the order size, and how complete the address is. A buyer with past deliveries and no returns earns trust and scores lower.
At or above Refuse COD at risk score (75 by default) COD is refused. A blocked buyer can still pay online or use part payment. Suggest paying online at risk score is saved, but checkout doesn't use it yet.
- Block risky COD orders is off for a new store. Turn it on after you have recorded some delivery outcomes. A new store has no history, so scores say little at first.
- Delivery attempts before return (3 by default): after this many failed attempts, the Failed deliveries page suggests returning the parcel instead of trying again.
What the settings on this page mean
- Offer cash on delivery
- Buyers can choose to pay in cash when the parcel arrives.e.g. Off: checkout shows only online payment (and credit, for approved trade buyers).
- COD limit per buyer
- The most one buyer can owe you in undelivered COD orders at the same time. Empty means no limit.e.g. Limit ₹3,000. A buyer with a ₹2,500 COD order on the way can't place another ₹1,000 COD order until the first is delivered.
- Pincodes with COD
- Starting digits of the pincodes where COD is offered. Empty means everywhere you deliver.e.g. Add 110 and 400: Delhi and Mumbai pincodes get COD; others must prepay.
- COD handling fee
- A fixed amount added to every plain COD order as its own line. 0 means no fee.e.g. ₹40 fee on a ₹900 order → buyer pays ₹940 in cash.
- Accept each COD order first
- New COD orders wait in COD to accept until you tap Accept. Reject cancels the order and puts the stock back.e.g. A ₹4,000 COD order from a new number: call first, then accept.
- Advance paid online
- The share of the order total the buyer pays online up front; the rest is cash on delivery. 0 turns part payment off.e.g. 20% of a ₹1,500 order: ₹300 online, ₹1,200 in cash.
- Minimum advance
- The advance is never less than this amount.e.g. Minimum ₹100: a ₹200 order at 20% still asks ₹100 online.
- Block risky COD orders
- Scores each COD order from your own delivery history and refuses COD for high-risk buyers. They can still pay online.e.g. A buyer whose last 2 COD parcels came back scores high and sees only online payment.
- Refuse COD at risk score
- The score (1 to 100) at or above which COD is refused. Only used while blocking is on.e.g. 75: a score of 80 → COD refused; 60 → COD allowed.
- Suggest paying online at risk score
- Saved for a prepay suggestion at checkout. Checkout doesn't use it yet, so it changes nothing today.e.g. 50 (the default).
- Delivery attempts before return
- After this many failed delivery attempts, Failed deliveries suggests returning the parcel.e.g. 3: after the third "buyer not available", return it.
The cheapest fix for returns Most stores cut COD returns most with two settings: a small advance (Advance paid online 10–20%) and a COD limit per buyer. Try those before refusing COD outright.
Read next
Common questions
- How do I stop COD for big orders?
- Set Maximum order for COD, for example ₹5,000. Bigger orders must be paid online.
- How do I turn COD off completely?
- Switch off Offer cash on delivery. Checkout then shows only online payment.
- Can I charge extra for COD?
- Yes. Set COD handling fee, for example ₹40. It shows as its own line on plain COD orders, not on part-payment orders.
- What is part payment?
- The buyer pays an advance online (Advance paid online, as a percentage) and the rest in cash. It needs a payment gateway connected on the Payments page.
- How does Slaby decide an order is risky?
- From your own store's history only: the buyer's past deliveries and returns, how often parcels to that pincode came back, the order size and the address. Other stores' data is never used.
- A good customer was refused COD. What do I do?
- They can still pay online. If it happens often, raise Refuse COD at risk score, for example from 75 to 85, or turn on Accept each COD order first instead of blocking.
- Where do I see COD orders waiting for me?
- On the Orders page, in COD to accept, when Accept each COD order first is on. Open one and tap Accept or Reject.
- Where do I track the cash my courier collected?
- Tap COD remittance at the top of this page. It lists the cash collected on delivery that the courier still owes you.
- Do these changes affect orders already placed?
- No. They apply to new checkouts. Orders already placed keep their payment method and fee.