Cash on Delivery

Cash on Delivery (COD) still drives a meaningful share of UAE e-commerce, particularly outside Dubai and among new shoppers. SamVertex collects cash at the door, reconciles it the same day, and pays you out on a weekly cycle.

How COD works at SamVertex

1. Buyer chooses COD at checkout. Your storefront flags the order as COD, with the AED amount to collect.
2. Driver collects on delivery. Photo proof, signature, and cash count. If the buyer pays card-on-delivery via our terminal (where available), that goes straight to the digital pool.
3. Driver reconciles to cashier. All cash and terminal receipts are reconciled to our cashier at end of shift.
4. Daily ledger update. Your dashboard shows the day’s COD collected, refused, and returned.
5. Weekly payout. Every Tuesday, the previous week’s net COD lands in your bank account in AED.

See COD reconciliation and payouts for the full ledger logic and dispute timeline.

COD fees

The COD service fee is 2.5% of the collected amount, with a minimum of AED 5 per order. This covers cash handling, reconciliation, and the payout transfer. Refused-at-door orders are billed at the standard last-mile delivery rate plus a return fee, not the COD fee. See COD fee and Returns fee.

Refusal and reconciliation rates

Typical UAE seller numbers:

• Refusal rate. 5 to 12% of COD orders are refused at the door. Reasons vary: buyer not home, buyer changed mind, address wrong. Refused orders return to our warehouse for restocking. See Returns handling.
• Reconciliation accuracy. 99.9% target. Cash short or over against the ledger triggers an investigation the same day.

Tip

Sellers with high refusal rates often improve them by limiting COD on first-time buyers, or by adding a deposit step (small prepaid amount at checkout, balance on delivery).

Limits and rules

• Maximum COD per order: AED 5000 per order. Higher amounts need pre-approval and additional buyer verification.
• Currency: AED only. We do not collect foreign currency at the door.
• Card-on-delivery (POS terminal): available in Dubai only; rolling out to the other Emirates. We charge no extra fee for POS-on-delivery.

Payout details

• Cycle: Weekly, every Tuesday for the previous Monday-to-Sunday window.
• Method: Bank transfer to your registered AED account.
• Statement: A reconciliation report is attached to every payout. It lists every order, every collection, every refused delivery, every fee.

Next steps

Proof of Delivery The photo and signature proof captured on every drop.