How to Check a Parcel Before You Pay: A Cash on Delivery Guide

Cash on delivery is the backbone of online shopping in Bangladesh, and for good reason: you do not pay until the parcel is in your hand. But that protection only works if you use the two or three minutes you have at the door.

Here is a practical routine.

Before the courier arrives

Keep the order details ready. Your order number, the product name, the price you were quoted and the delivery charge. If the amount the courier asks for does not match, you want to know immediately, not after they leave.

Be available on the number you ordered with. Most failed deliveries in Bangladesh are simply unanswered calls. If you will be out, say so when the confirmation call comes.

At the door: the four checks

1. Check the amount first

Ask the total before you take the parcel out of the bag. It should equal the product price plus the delivery charge you agreed. If it is higher, do not pay — call the seller while the courier is still there.

2. Check the packaging

Look at the outer bag or box before you open it. Torn packaging, a re-taped seam or a box that rattles is worth photographing before you open it. That photo is the difference between a clear claim and an argument.

3. Check the product itself

Most couriers in Bangladesh allow you to open and inspect the parcel before paying, though policies vary by seller and courier. Ask politely — a legitimate seller has no reason to refuse.

What to look at:

• Is it the product you ordered — correct model, colour, size?
• Is the quantity right? Count multi-packs.
• Any visible cracks, scratches or dents?
• For electronics, is the seal intact and the accessory list complete?

4. Check that it powers on

For anything electronic, switching it on takes fifteen seconds and settles most disputes on the spot.

If something is wrong

Do not pay first and argue later. Once money changes hands, you move from "refusing a delivery" to "requesting a refund", and the second is always slower.

Instead:

1. Tell the courier you are not accepting the parcel.
2. Call the seller immediately, while the courier is present.
3. Photograph the product, the packaging and the delivery slip.
4. Note the courier's name and the time.

A seller who handles this well will arrange a replacement or a return pickup without making you chase them. How a business behaves at this exact moment tells you whether to order from them again.

Keep your records

After a successful delivery, keep:

• The delivery slip or invoice
• Your order confirmation message
• Photographs of the product as received
• The warranty card, where one applies

Most warranty and return claims fail in Bangladesh not because the seller refuses, but because the buyer cannot show what arrived or when.

What a trustworthy seller looks like

Before ordering, check that the store publishes:

• A working phone number, not only a Facebook inbox
• A clear delivery charge, stated before checkout
• A written return and refund policy with a stated time limit
• A way to track the order after it is placed

None of these guarantee a good experience. All of them together make a bad one much less likely.

In short

Cash on delivery puts you in a strong position — you hold the money until you have seen the goods. Check the amount, check the packaging, check the product, and do not pay for something you have decided not to keep. Two minutes at the door saves a week of messages.