Nyah Eliud
Delivery is a pricing decision, not an afterthought
A store can do everything right and still lose money, because the delivery rate was set by copying a competitor rather than by measuring anything. Across a city, the real cost of a drop varies enormously by distance, traffic and time of day.
Before you publish a rate, deliver ten orders yourself and write down what each one actually took. That week of inconvenience is worth more than any advice, this article included.
Zones beat a flat rate
A single national rate is simple and quietly punishing: nearby customers subsidise distant ones, and the distant orders you are most pleased to receive are the ones costing you most.
Zones fix it. Group the areas you serve into three or four bands with a rate each, and set a separate rate for everywhere else, quoted on request. It takes an afternoon to set up and it protects the margin on every order afterwards.
Free delivery is not freeIf you offer it, put the cost in the product price and set a minimum order that covers it. Free delivery on a small order is a discount you did not decide to give.
Decide what happens when nobody answers the door
A refused or missed delivery costs you the trip, and on cash on delivery it costs you the trip twice. Decide the rule before it happens: how many attempts, who pays for the second one, and how long you hold an item before it goes back on the shelf.
Write it on the website. A customer who knows the rule complains far less than one who discovers it.
Tell people where the parcel is, or they will ask
The single most repeated question any seller here gets is where the order has reached. Every one of those messages costs somebody time.
Even a basic status the customer can check themselves removes most of them, and an automatic message at dispatch removes most of the rest. It is unglamorous work and it pays back faster than any advertising you could buy with the same money.
Delivery options compared
| Option | Best for | Cost pattern | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your own rider | Steady volume in one city | Fixed: wages, fuel, maintenance | Paying for idle days |
| Freelance riders | Variable volume | Per delivery | Reliability and cash handling |
| Courier company | Customers who want tracking | Per parcel, higher | Cut-off times |
| Travel agency parcel service | Other cities | Per parcel, by distance | Collection times and packaging |
| Customer collects | Customers near you | Free to you | A clear pickup point and hours |
Write the delivery rules on the siteZones and prices, delivery days, how many attempts are included, what happens if nobody answers, and who pays for a second trip. A rule the customer read in advance is a rule they rarely argue with.
Riders, couriers, or your own delivery
All three work and they suit different volumes. Your own rider makes sense when orders are dense in one city and steady enough to justify the wage. A courier makes sense the moment you are shipping between cities, or when volume is uneven.
Whichever you use, keep the customer-facing promise slightly slower than what you can actually do. Beating your own estimate is free goodwill. Missing it is the review you will be living with.
Go further: the selling online guide, our online store service, store prices, or taking mobile money.
Questions people ask
By zones rather than a flat rate. Group areas into three or four bands, set each rate from what a delivery there really costs you, and quote other cities per order.
It increases trust for first-time buyers but adds risk: refused parcels and cash to collect. Many sellers ask for mobile money in advance for new customers and allow cash on delivery for returning ones.
Most sellers use the parcel services of intercity travel agencies, or a courier when the customer wants tracking. Package for the journey and send the customer the collection details.
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