Short answer: Courier COD caps change your COD mix. Failed COD deliveries are pure loss — outbound shipping, return legs and handling with zero revenue.
Hedge: fee figures are illustrative; confirm the live Seller Centre rate card. Not tax/legal advice.
Key table
| Outcome | Revenue | Hidden cost |
|---|---|---|
| COD delivered | Order value | Normal fees+COGS |
| COD failed | 0 | Two-way ship+handle |
| COD share rises | Cash timing shifts | Fail rate × loss |
What to do
- Track COD fail rate by state and courier
- Price COD SKUs with fail cost loaded
- Offer prepaid incentives where margin is thin
- See COD failed-delivery cost deep-dive
Links and tools
Internal reading: cod · returns · fees_sp · price.
Model fees with the fee calculator.
Inseller
Inseller is the profit layer next to Seller Centre — actual fees, ads and SKU contribution so dashboards do not hide red contribution margin.