Payments, Checkout & Orders
Can I offer cash on delivery?
Summary
Cash on Delivery availability depends on the merchant's checkout, payment, and logistics setup. If a merchant enables COD or manual payment workflows, the merchant is responsible for collecting payment, managing COD risk, handling returns, reconciling payments, and communicating clearly with customers.
Who this is for: Merchants who want to offer Cash on Delivery or offline payment options to customers.
Can I offer cash on delivery?
Cash on Delivery depends on the merchant's configured checkout, payment, and logistics setup. If COD is available and enabled for the store, customers may be able to place orders without paying online at checkout and pay at the time of delivery. Merchants should verify COD availability in their account, logistics provider, and payment configuration before offering it to customers.
What is Cash on Delivery?
Cash on Delivery means the customer pays when the order is delivered instead of paying online during checkout. In some cases, payment may be collected by the delivery partner. In other cases, the merchant may handle offline collection depending on the fulfillment method.
Can COD be limited by location?
Yes. COD availability may depend on delivery location and logistics provider serviceability. Some merchants may choose to allow COD only for certain pin codes, cities, states, or order values.
Can COD be limited by order value?
Yes. Merchants may choose to allow COD only for orders within certain value ranges. For example, a merchant may allow COD only below a maximum order value or only above a minimum order value.
What are the risks of COD?
COD can increase conversion for some customer segments, but it can also create operational risks. Common COD risks include:
- Order refusal
- Higher return-to-origin rates
- Fake orders
- Delivery delays
- Cash reconciliation issues
- Higher logistics cost
- Inventory blocking
- Customer unavailability
- Increased support workload
Who collects COD payment?
COD payment collection depends on the merchant's logistics or fulfillment setup. If a logistics partner collects COD, settlement and reconciliation depend on that provider's terms. If the merchant handles delivery directly, the merchant is responsible for collecting and recording payment.
Does ShopIQ collect COD payments?
No. ShopIQ does not collect payments on behalf of merchants. COD collection, settlement, reconciliation, and disputes are the merchant's responsibility or the connected logistics provider's responsibility depending on setup.
Can COD orders be cancelled?
COD orders can follow the merchant's cancellation rules. Merchants should clearly define cancellation rules for COD orders, especially before shipment and after dispatch.
Does COD consume AI credits?
No. COD order placement and manual COD management do not consume AI credits. AI credits are consumed only if the merchant uses AI-powered workflows such as order analysis, customer reply generation, or campaign content generation.
COD should be offered carefully. Merchants should define clear COD rules, verify customer details where needed, monitor RTO rates, and understand logistics provider charges before enabling COD at scale.