Cash on delivery
The appeal is obvious: the customer trusts you because they pay only once they have the goods. The cost is that you carry the risk of a refused or fake order. A few habits reduce it:
- State the total, including delivery, in writing before you send anything.
- Ask the customer to have the amount ready, ideally in notes you can make change for.
- Confirm a phone number that the courier can actually call.
- For a first-time customer with a large order, consider asking for a small deposit.
Bank or wallet transfers
Transfers get you paid before you spend money on stock or fuel. Make it easy to do correctly: send the account or wallet details in a message that contains nothing else, so the customer can copy it, and state the exact amount.
Then ask for a screenshot. It gives you a record, and it gives the customer a way to say “done” that you can match to the order.
A screenshot is not money
This is the one that costs people. A screenshot of a transfer can be edited, can show a payment that is still pending, or can be for a different amount than the order. Before you prepare or dispatch a large order, check that the money actually arrived in your account or wallet. Look at the amount, the date and the reference, not just the green tick.
It takes a minute and it is the difference between a sale and a lesson.
When the amount is off
Customers sometimes send too little (they forgot the delivery fee) or too much (they rounded up). Tell them straight away what is missing or what you will return, and note it on the order. Do not wait until the delivery to sort it out.
Deposits for custom or large orders
If you make something to order (a cake, a piece of furniture, a printed item), a deposit protects your time. Agree it up front, say what it covers and say whether it is refundable. Put it in writing in the same chat, so the terms are right there if anyone forgets.
What you should never ask for
Do not ask customers to type card numbers, PINs or one-time codes into a chat. Legitimate payment methods do not need them, and a seller who asks teaches customers a habit scammers love. If someone offers you those details, do not store them.
Cancellations and refunds
Decide your rules before the first request arrives, because the awkward ones always arrive at the worst moment. When can a customer cancel for free? When does a deposit stop being refundable? What happens if you cannot deliver?
When you do refund, do it quickly and the same way the money came in, tell the customer in writing that it is done, and note it on the order. A fast, boring refund is one of the best advertisements a small shop can have.
Keep a record
For every order, note how it was paid and whether you have checked the money. A tidy record turns a payment dispute from your word against theirs into a quick look at the order.
General advice from the 2sra3 team, written from how online ordering usually works. It is not legal, tax or financial advice, and your own rules and local regulations come first.