For many Shopee sellers, Cash on Delivery (COD) has quietly become the highest-return payment method. Orders come in, items are packed, airway bills are printed and then the parcel comes back because the buyer didn’t pay. When this happens repeatedly, COD starts to feel less like a growth tool and more like a daily operational problem.

Can Shopee Sellers Turn Off COD?

In general, sellers cannot manually disable Cash on Delivery in Shopee Seller Centre. However, Shopee does review requests to disable COD on a case-by-case basis.

Requests are more likely to be considered for sellers who deal in specific product types, such as:

• Custom-made or made-to-order items

• Food and beverages

• Milk products

• Gold or high-value items

Even for these categories, approval is not guaranteed. Shopee assesses whether the product type genuinely carries higher risk when paired with COD. For most sellers, COD is expected to remain available.

Because of this, sellers should plan their operations with the assumption that COD will stay enabled, and focus on reducing the risk that comes with it.

Why COD Orders Are More Likely to Be Returned

COD lowers the effort required to place an order, since buyers do not need to pay upfront. While this increases checkout conversions, it also means some buyers commit to the checkout before fully committing to the purchase.

Sellers commonly encounter COD buyers who are:

• unprepared with payment

• change their mind after shipping

• treat COD as a “decide later” option

This behaviour leads to a higher rate of delivery rejection compared to prepaid orders.

Shopee does offer protection for sellers, including:

• free returns for failed deliveries

• penalties for buyers who repeatedly refuse to pay

• no impact on sellers’ Non-Fulfilment Rate

However, COD returns still consume packing time, delay stock turnover, and disrupt fulfilment planning, especially for sellers handling manual packing or custom preparation.


 

How Shopee Sellers Can Reduce COD Returns in Practice

Since COD cannot be turned off easily, managing it effectively becomes the more practical approach.

Use the 2-Hour COD Confirmation Period Properly

Every COD order is placed under the “Unpaid” tab for two hours after checkout. Sellers can only arrange drop-off or pickup after this confirmation period.

During these two hours, sellers can:

• Review the buyer’s account activity and order history

• Identify new, inactive, or suspicious buyers

• Reach out to buyers to reconfirm their order

Using the window strategically helps sellers catch potential return risks before packing and shipping.

Confirm COD Orders Clearly Before Shipping

Messaging COD buyers can help reduce returns, but the confirmation needs to be clear and specific.

Instead of asking general questions, sellers should send specific, clear messages covering:

• Product details or custom specifications

• That the order is under COD

• That payment must be made before parcel handover

This ensures buyers understand their commitment and filters out uncertain or low-commitment buyers, reducing returns.

Report Buyers Who Repeatedly Fail COD Orders

For buyers who frequently refuse payment or reject parcels, Shopee allows sellers to report problematic accounts. This helps protect sellers from repeated losses, as buyers who fail COD multiple times may face restrictions or suspension.

Reporting can be done via:

• Profile page (Shopee App only): Tap the three dots ⋮ → Report this user → Choose reason → Submit

• Chat page (Shopee App or Web): Open the chat → Tap ⋮ (App) or dropdown (Web) → Report → Fill in details → Submit

By reporting repeat offenders, sellers contribute to a safer marketplace and reduce the likelihood of future COD returns.


 

Manage COD Risk Smarter with BigSeller

COD can be tricky to manage, and even with Shopee’s protections, sellers often face returns, failed payments, and time-consuming order checks. BigSeller offers practical tools to help sellers regain control and reduce risk, making COD management much easier.

Here are some ways BigSeller can help:

Cloud Blacklist: This shared system flags buyers with a history of returns, fraudulent activity, or other risky behavior. Orders from these buyers are automatically tagged in your Order Processing and Order Details pages, letting you quickly spot potentially problematic COD orders before packing.

Buyer Blacklist: Sellers can also manually add buyers to their blacklist across Shopee, Lazada, TikTok Shop, and Tokopedia. Once blacklisted, their orders are marked in BigSeller, making it easy to filter and review high-risk orders. You can remove buyers from the blacklist anytime if their behavior improves.


 

Pack Order Interception: BigSeller lets you set rules to prevent accidentally packing low-profit or flagged orders in bulk. When an order meets your criteria such as low margin or blacklist status, a pop-up alert gives options to pack all, pack remaining, or cancel the order, so you stay in control.


 

By combining these tools, sellers can proactively manage COD orders, screen high-risk buyers, and reduce unnecessary losses, all while saving time and improving operational efficiency.

Start managing COD smarter with BigSeller. Try it for free today to manage COD orders more efficiently, reduce losses, and save time across multiple e-commerce platforms.

 

(All information in this article is based on Shopee Seller Education Hub: Listing Guidelines - Cash on Delivery (COD) and [Seller Basics] How can I report a user or an inappropriate product?)