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How do I reduce returns and refused deliveries with cash on delivery?

By Mahmoud SaiedLast updated 27 October 20262 min read

The short answer

Confirm every order before shipping, describe products and sizes accurately, shorten delivery, and reward customers who pay in advance. Tell the customer when the order will arrive, then record the reason for every refusal so you fix the source, not just the result.

Step by step

  1. 1

    Confirm before shipping

    A message or call that confirms the product, size, address and amount, and an unconfirmed order is not shipped.

  2. 2

    Show the product honestly

    Real photos, a size chart and a description of the material, so the customer receives what they expected.

  3. 3

    Shorten the wait

    The longer delivery takes, the more likely the customer changes their mind. Tell them the arrival time and the courier's number.

  4. 4

    Encourage prepayment

    A small discount or faster shipping for those who pay online, or the shipping fee paid upfront on higher-risk orders.

  5. 5

    Record refusal reasons

    Wrong size, delay, a change of mind or a wrong address. Each reason has a different fix, and phone numbers with repeated refusals need extra confirmation.

  6. 6

    Agree terms with the carrier

    The number of delivery attempts, contacting the customer before returning the parcel, and how long a return takes to reach the warehouse.

A common mistake

Shipping every order the moment it arrives without confirmation makes you pay shipping both ways on orders whose buyers were never serious.

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