Cash on delivery, and what it means for a printed order
Paying the courier when the parcel arrives, on an item made specifically for you. How it works, what to have ready, and when it is the wrong choice.
Cash on delivery means the money changes hands when the parcel does. You order, it is made, it is shipped, and you pay the courier at the door.
What it is good for
- Buying from a shop you have not used before
- Not wanting card details on a new site
- Being certain the thing arrived before paying for it
What to have ready
The full amount, including shipping, in cash, at the address given. Couriers rarely carry change and usually cannot wait. The total shown at checkout is the total to have ready.
Where it is the wrong choice
If the parcel goes to an address where nobody will be present with the money, cash on delivery fails and the parcel goes back. For an office, a school or an event venue, name somebody who will actually be there.
A printed item is made for one person and cannot be resold, so a refused delivery is a real loss rather than stock going back on a shelf. It is worth being sure somebody will be in.
Group orders
One order means one delivery and one payment, which is simpler than collecting from twelve people afterwards but does mean the whole amount arrives at once. Worth agreeing before you order rather than after.
Why some shops do not offer it
Cash on delivery puts the risk on the seller: the item is made, printed with somebody's name on it, and shipped before any money changes hands. For a printed to order product that risk is real, because a refused parcel cannot be sold to anybody else. Shops that offer it are choosing to carry that.
What happens if you are out
Couriers usually attempt delivery more than once and then hold the parcel for collection for a short window. After that it goes back. If you know you will be away, it is far easier to change the address before it ships than to chase it afterwards.