Cash on Delivery (COD)

Cash on Delivery is the dominant payment method in Algeria. Customer pays in cash when the courier delivers. ~80% of Algerian e-commerce orders are COD.

How it works

1. Customer places an order; selects "Cash on Delivery".
2. Order moves to pending → you call to confirm.
3. Order moves to confirmed → you ship.
4. Courier delivers and collects cash.
5. Courier remits to you (typically weekly, minus their fee).

Setup

COD is enabled by default on every store. To disable: Dashboard → Settings → Payments → Cash on Delivery → toggle off.

What you charge

The customer pays:

• Item total (DA)
• Shipping fee (DA)

The courier collects this from the customer and transfers to you minus:

• Their delivery fee (per parcel)
• Optional COD-collection fee (some couriers charge ~50 DA extra for COD)

Reducing fake orders

COD is great for trust but invites bots / spam. Defenses:

• Captcha Protection add-on — invisible to humans, blocks bots.
• Limit Orders Per IP — caps repeat orders from same IP.
• Manual call-confirm before shipping (catch fakes by phone).
• Filter wilayas with high return rate.

Accounting

Every delivered COD order has:

• cod_amount (what the customer paid)
• courier_fee (what the courier withheld)
• payout (what you receive)

Use the order export CSV for monthly reconciliation against courier statements.

Frequently asked

Q: What happens if the customer refuses to pay on delivery? A: Courier returns the parcel to you. The order moves to cancelled and stock restores. You pay the round-trip shipping fee.

Q: Can the customer pay partially? A: No, COD is binary — full payment or refusal.

Q: How fast do I get paid? A: Couriers typically settle weekly to your bank account. Yalidine + ZR Express pay every Tuesday/Wednesday. Check with each courier for their schedule.