How to Set Up Cash on Delivery on Shopify: Complete Guide for European Stores
Cash on delivery remains one of the most important payment methods in Central and Eastern European e-commerce. While its share is gradually declining as customers gain more trust in online payments, COD still accounts for approximately 25-30% of all orders in Czech online stores. For many customers, paying upon receipt is the only acceptable option. If your Shopify store does not offer COD, you are missing out on a significant portion of potential orders.
In this guide, we will show you how to properly set up cash on delivery on Shopify. We will cover why Shopify lacks native COD support, which poor solutions exist on the market, and most importantly, how to set up COD elegantly and without complications using ShipDock.
Why Shopify Does Not Have Native COD Support
Shopify is a platform designed primarily for the American and Western European markets, where cash on delivery is virtually unused. In the US, customers pay by card or through PayPal. In Germany, SEPA transfers and Klarna dominate. Central and Eastern Europe is different. In the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, or Hungary, COD is historically established and customers actively seek it out.
Therefore, Shopify does not have a built-in "Cash on Delivery" payment method as we know it from local platforms. While there is a manual payment method that you can name "Cash on Delivery," it displays to all customers regardless of the selected shipping method. This creates confusion. A customer can select shipping without COD support (such as international shipping) and still see the cash on delivery payment option.
Additionally, Shopify cannot automatically add a COD fee to the order total. If you charge a 30 CZK surcharge for COD (which is common), you need to include it in the total price somehow. And this is where most problems arise.
Poor Solutions You Should Avoid
Before we get to the proper solution, let us review approaches that sometimes work but bring more problems than benefits.
Manual Order Editing
Some online stores handle COD by manually adjusting the order value after completion. The customer places an order, selects cash on delivery, and the merchant then adds the fee by editing the order in Shopify admin. This approach has several major disadvantages.
First, the customer does not see the final price before confirming the order. This can lead to complaints and distrust. Second, manual work on each order is time-consuming and prone to errors. Third, with higher order volumes, this workflow becomes unsustainable.
Separate Product for COD Fee
Another "creative" solution involves creating a product called "COD Fee" for 30 CZK and adding it to the cart when the customer selects cash on delivery. This approach requires complex cart modifications using JavaScript, creates confusion in reports and inventory movements, and overall looks unprofessional. The customer then sees a strange "product" in their cart that they did not actually order.
Apps That Charge Per Order
There are apps on the market that handle COD by adding the fee only after order completion. These apps edit the order retroactively, which can cause problems with accounting, Shopify reports, and sometimes customer communication. Moreover, they often charge a fee for each COD order, which quickly adds up at higher volumes.
The Right Solution: ShipDock COD Fee
ShipDock offers an elegant COD solution that requires no order editing, works natively in Shopify checkout, and is included in the app at no additional cost. The principle is simple and logical.
How It Works
The foundation is duplicating shipping methods. For each shipping option where you want to offer cash on delivery, you create two variants in Shopify. One regular and one with COD.
For example:
- PPL: 99 CZK
- PPL (Cash on Delivery): 129 CZK
- Packeta: 69 CZK
- Packeta (Cash on Delivery): 99 CZK
The COD fee (30 CZK in this case) is directly included in the shipping price. The customer sees a clear price before completing the order and knows exactly how much they will pay.
Automatic COD Recognition
In the ShipDock app, you set a keyword that identifies shipping methods with cash on delivery. Typically this is "Cash on Delivery" or "COD". The app then automatically recognizes when a customer selects COD shipping and behaves accordingly.
Automatic Payment Method Hiding and Display
Here is where the real magic happens. When a customer selects shipping containing the keyword in checkout (for example "PPL (Cash on Delivery)"), ShipDock automatically hides all other payment methods and displays only cash on delivery. The customer cannot make a mistake and select card payment for COD shipping.
Conversely, when a customer selects regular shipping (for example "PPL" without COD), the cash on delivery payment method is automatically hidden. The customer sees only online payment methods such as cards, Apple Pay, or bank transfer.
This dynamic display of payment methods is fully automatic. You do not need to program anything or set up complex conditions. Just configure the keyword once and the system works.
Automatic Rounding
Cash on delivery is paid in cash, so it is practical to round the total amount. Nobody wants to count change for 1,287.43 CZK. ShipDock automatically rounds the COD amount to whole crowns (or according to your settings), so the courier and customer work with simple numbers.
No Order Editing
Because the COD fee is part of the shipping price, the order is not modified after completion. The customer sees the final price in checkout, pays exactly this amount upon delivery, and you have clean data in Shopify without additional modifications. Accounting, reports, and analytics work without issues.
Step by Step: How to Set Up COD in ShipDock
Let us go through the specific setup steps. The entire process takes approximately 15-20 minutes.
Step 1: Duplicate Shipping Methods
In Shopify admin, go to Settings and select Shipping and delivery. For each shipping method where you want to offer cash on delivery, create a copy.
Original: "PPL Parcel" for 99 CZK New: "PPL Parcel (Cash on Delivery)" for 129 CZK
Add the COD fee to the original shipping price. The typical fee ranges between 20-50 CZK depending on the carrier type and your costs.
Step 2: Create a Manual Payment Method
In Shopify Settings, select Payments. In the Manual payment methods section, add a new method named "Cash on Delivery" or "Payment on Delivery". This method will display to customers as a payment option.
Step 3: Configure COD in ShipDock
Open the ShipDock app in Shopify admin. Go to settings and find the COD (Cash on Delivery) section. Here, set the keyword you used in your shipping names. In our case, it is "Cash on Delivery".
Save the settings. From this moment, the app will automatically recognize COD shipping methods and control the display of payment methods in checkout.
Step 4: Test the Entire Process
Place a test order in your store. Select shipping with cash on delivery and verify that only the COD payment method appears in checkout. Then try shipping without COD and make sure the cash on delivery payment method does not appear.
Generate a label and check that the COD amount is correctly displayed on the label and in the carrier system.
For a detailed guide with images, visit our help article: How to charge Cash on Delivery fee
Which Carriers Support Cash on Delivery
Not all carriers offer cash on delivery. Here is an overview of major Czech carriers and their COD support in ShipDock.
Packeta fully supports cash on delivery for all delivery types. Whether the customer selects a Z-BOX, pickup point, or home delivery, COD works. Packeta is the most used carrier for COD shipments in the Czech Republic.
PPL offers cash on delivery for address delivery (PPL Parcel CZ Private) and pickup points (PPL ParcelShop). The maximum COD amount is usually limited by contract.
DPD supports cash on delivery for home delivery and DPD Pickup. DPD is a reliable choice for higher-value COD shipments.
GLS offers cash on delivery for delivery and ParcelShops. GLS is a popular choice for Slovak COD shipments.
Balikovna (Czech Post) fully supports cash on delivery. The combination of Balikovna and COD is popular especially among older customers who prefer traditional payment methods.
InPost supports cash on delivery for its parcel lockers and pickup points, primarily in Poland and selected markets.
ShipDock automatically transfers the COD amount to the selected carrier's system when generating a label. You do not need to enter anything manually.
COD Statistics and Trends in the Czech Republic and Slovakia
Let us look at current data on cash on delivery usage in Czech and Slovak e-commerce.
According to e-commerce association surveys, approximately 25-28% of online shoppers in the Czech Republic use cash on delivery. In Slovakia, this number is slightly higher, around 30-35%. Five years ago, COD was the dominant payment method with a share exceeding 50%. The trend is clear. Cash on delivery is declining, but declining slowly.
The demographic breakdown is interesting. Customers over 50 use COD significantly more often than younger generations. Among seniors over 65, the COD share reaches up to 45%. Conversely, customers under 30 prefer card payments and Apple Pay, choosing cash on delivery in only 10-15% of cases.
There are also product categories where COD is above-average in popularity. Electronics and more expensive goods tend to have a higher COD share because customers want to see the product before paying. Similarly, new or unknown online stores see higher COD rates because customers do not trust paying in advance.
What does this mean for your online store? If you sell to the Czech Republic or Slovakia, cash on delivery should be part of your payment method offering. It is estimated that online stores without COD lose 15-25% of potential orders. For some target groups, this number can be even higher.
At the same time, cash on delivery is more expensive than online payments. Carriers charge for cash collection, you charge a fee to the customer, and the entire process is administratively more complex. That is why it is important to set up COD correctly and efficiently, without unnecessary manual work.
Frequently Asked Questions About COD on Shopify
Can I set different COD fees for different carriers?
Yes. Because the fee is part of the shipping price, you can set a different surcharge for each carrier. For example, Packeta can have a 25 CZK surcharge while PPL has 35 CZK.
What if the customer refuses to accept a COD shipment?
Undelivered shipments are unfortunately a reality of COD sales. ShipDock helps you with an overview of shipments and their statuses, but resolving undelivered shipments depends on your agreement with the carrier and your terms and conditions.
Does COD work for international shipments?
Yes, if the carrier supports it. Packeta, for example, offers cash on delivery to Slovakia. For other countries, it depends on the specific carrier and service.
How is the COD amount rounded?
ShipDock automatically rounds to whole crowns. If the total order price is 1,287.43 CZK, the COD amount will be 1,287 CZK or 1,288 CZK depending on the rounding setting.
Conclusion
Cash on delivery is not natively supported on Shopify, but with the ShipDock app, you can set it up elegantly and without complications. The key is the right approach. Instead of editing orders or complex workarounds, simply duplicate shipping methods, add the fee to the shipping price, and let the app automatically control the display of payment methods.
The result is a clean checkout where the customer sees a clear price, automatic rounding, correctly filled labels, and no extra manual work. That is cash on delivery as it should work.
Want to set up cash on delivery on your Shopify store? Install ShipDock and have COD configured within minutes. We support all major Czech and Slovak carriers including Packeta, PPL, DPD, GLS, and Balikovna.