Cash on Delivery: How to Reduce Cancelled and Refused Orders in Your Store
Matjarji · · 3 min read
In short
Cash on delivery increases trust and sales, but some customers refuse orders at the door. To reduce this: confirm every order by message or call before shipping, make photos and descriptions match reality, show delivery fees and times clearly, ship quickly, and ask for a deposit only for large or custom orders.
Create your store on Matjarji →In most Arab markets, cash on delivery is still the preferred way to buy from a new store. It removes the customer's fear — but the cost to the seller is orders cancelled or refused at the door after you've paid for delivery.
Why do customers refuse orders?
- They ordered on impulse and changed their mind.
- Delivery was late, so they bought elsewhere.
- The product differed from the photo or description.
- They were surprised by the delivery fee.
- A fake or prank order.
1. Confirm every order before shipping
A WhatsApp message or short call: «We received your order: X and Y, total with delivery Z, arriving tomorrow. Shall we confirm?». This single step filters out most unserious orders before they cost you anything.
2. Make photos and descriptions match reality
A bad surprise at delivery is a major reason for refusal. Real photos, accurate colours, clear sizes.
3. Show delivery fees and times from the start
Show the delivery fee for each area before the order is confirmed, and state the expected time honestly. A customer who knows the final total isn't surprised at the door.
4. Ship fast
Every day of delay raises the chance the customer changes their mind. Aim to ship within 24–48 hours of confirmation, and tell the customer when the order is on its way.
5. When to ask for a deposit
For large orders, made-to-order products, or a customer who refused before, ask for a partial deposit through a payment method you accept, such as Sham Cash, and explain why politely.
6. Track what happens
Track your refusal rate and where it repeats — which areas, which products. The numbers tell you where the problem is: an inaccurate description? A slow delivery area?
How to create your store on Matjarji
On Matjarji you can turn on cash on delivery and Sham Cash, show your delivery fee before the customer orders, and track the status of every order. Matjarji is an online store builder made for Arab merchants wherever they are: you create your store in about five minutes, with no technical skills and no commission on your sales.
- Go to the store creation page.
- Choose your business type (clothing, supermarket, perfumes, cars, real estate and more) and a plan.
- Write your store's name and pick its own address, like your-name.matjarji.com.
- Add your WhatsApp number, how customers pay (cash on delivery, Sham Cash) and your delivery fee.
- Press create: your store is online with sample products you edit with your own photos and prices.
What you get:
- Organised orders in a dashboard or sent to your WhatsApp, with guest checkout if you want it.
- Cash on delivery and Sham Cash, with your delivery fee shown before the customer orders.
- Discount coupons, notifications for your customers and statistics on visitors and orders.
- Product and category pages built for search engines, so new customers find you on Google.
- A fixed subscription with no commission on your sales, paid by Sham Cash or Western Union.
Plans: «Intilaqa» is the low-cost plan to begin with; «Tawassu'» and «Riyada» are for more orders and come with a free trial, so you can try your store before paying. Current prices and offers are in the pricing section.