In Slovakia, Czechia, Poland, Hungary, Romania and the rest of Central and Eastern Europe, many customers still prefer to pay the courier at the door. For an online store that sells with cash on delivery, the warehouse is only half the job. The other half is the money: how fast it comes back, in which currency, and how clearly you can see it. This guide explains what to check and what to ask before you choose a fulfillment partner for COD orders in the region.

Why COD is different in Central and Eastern Europe

Selling with cash on delivery in one country is simple. Selling in five is not. Each market has its own couriers, its own currency and its own habits:

Czech koruna, Polish zloty, Hungarian forint, Romanian leu and the euro can all be on your COD statement in the same week;
customers expect to choose the courier, the pickup point or the parcel locker they know;
until the courier pays the collected amount, the money from a delivered parcel is not yet in your account;
refused and unclaimed parcels come back and need to be checked and returned to stock.

A store that ships a few thousand COD orders a month can have a large amount of money on the way at any moment. That is why payout speed, currency and transparency matter as much as packing speed.

Getting COD money back fast

Ask every provider two questions: how often do they pay out, and how many days pass between delivery and the money reaching you.

How it works with us: you choose the payout frequency in the panel, from once a month up to daily. In the best case, the money reaches us 1 day after delivery and you the next day. In Serbia, which is outside the EU and works under a separate model, payouts are up to twice a week.

Payouts in the currency you need

Couriers collect COD in the local currency of each country. If your business runs in euro, a provider who pays every country out in its own currency leaves the conversion and the bookkeeping to you.

How it works with us: we collect the local currencies from the couriers and pay you out in any currency you need. If you have an account in the same currency, we can pay out in that currency without conversion. The conversion is transparent: you see the exchange rate used for every payout.

Seeing every COD amount in real time

A spreadsheet at the end of the month is not enough when you ship thousands of COD parcels. You need to know which parcels were paid, how much was collected and how much has already been paid out to you.

How it works with us: the collected and paid-out COD amounts and the exchange rate used sync in real time, and all settings are in the panel. The COD payment status of each order syncs back to your store, on every platform we integrate with. The same data is available via API (what was collected, what was paid out and when), and we send email notifications.

Fees: what you pay for COD

Some providers add their own fee on every cash on delivery parcel, on top of the courier's price. Over thousands of orders a month, that adds up.

How it works with us: we do not charge a COD fee of our own. The only COD fee is the courier's own, if it has one. The price for fulfillment comes in a quote based on your volumes.

Several stores, one warehouse

Many COD sellers in the region run more than one store: a Shopify store for one country, a WooCommerce store for another, or separate stores per brand. Splitting the stock between them makes no sense.

How it works with us: one company can connect an unlimited number of stores, on 5+ platforms at the same time, all working from the same inventory. Each store can have its own bank account for payouts, so you see the COD flow and the profit and loss per store. There is no fee for extra stores and the setup is free.

Expanding to a neighbouring country

For a COD store, the next market is usually the country next door. You do not need a new warehouse for that: you ship from the same one.

How it works with us: every one of our warehouses ships across Europe, and we offer cash on delivery in 24 countries. From our warehouse in Kostolné Kračany, Slovakia, orders reach Slovakia, Czechia, Poland, Hungary and Slovenia in 1 working day. Within Romania delivery is next day, and within Bulgaria 1 day.

What to ask a 3PL in Central and Eastern Europe

Use this table when you compare offers. The right column is our answer.

Question	Why it matters	BigArena
How is the price calculated?	Storage, packing and courier rates add up differently for every store	Price after a quote based on your volumes
How fast and how often do you pay out COD?	Money on the way is money you cannot use	From once a month up to daily, you choose in the panel; best case: with us 1 day after delivery, with you the next day
In which currencies do you pay out?	Conversion and bookkeeping for every country cost time	Any currency you need; same currency if you have an account in it; the exchange rate is visible
Do you charge a COD fee?	A fee per parcel adds up over thousands of orders	No COD fee from us, only the courier's own fee, if any
What do you charge for a failed delivery?	Refused and unclaimed parcels are part of COD	Ask for it in your offer
How long does onboarding take?	Every week of waiting is a week without sales	2-8 days; store integration is free
Is there a minimum number of orders?	Minimums are a risk for new and seasonal stores	No minimum
Can I connect several stores?	Shopify and WooCommerce stores should share one stock	Unlimited stores, 5+ platforms at once, own payout account per store, no fee
Does the COD status reach my store?	Without it, your team checks payments by hand	Yes, on every platform, plus API and email notifications

What else a COD store needs from the warehouse

Proof of what was sent. 96% of our orders are recorded on video during packing, so a dispute comes with proof.
Returns handled for you. We process returns and exchanges: every returned parcel is opened, each product is scanned, and good items go back to stock. Processing takes 1 to 4 working days, usually 2.
The courier your customer wants. You add the couriers we offer to your store and your customer chooses at checkout. We work with 40+ couriers.
Same-day dispatch. Orders received by 14:00 leave the warehouse the same day.

For tips on keeping refusals low, read how to reduce refused and unclaimed COD parcels, and for the basics by country, our guide to cash on delivery in Europe.

Frequently asked questions

In which countries can my customers pay cash on delivery?

In 24 countries: Bulgaria, Romania, Greece, Hungary, Serbia, Poland, Czechia, Slovakia, Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Cyprus, Malta, Ireland, Germany, Austria, Italy, Spain and Portugal.

Can I receive all COD payouts in euro?

Yes. We collect the local currencies from the couriers and pay you out in the currency you need, with the exchange rate shown. If you have an account in a local currency, we can also pay out in that currency.

How quickly do I get the money from a delivered parcel?

You choose the payout frequency in the panel, from once a month up to daily. In the best case, the money reaches us 1 day after delivery and you the next day.

I run a Shopify store and a WooCommerce store. Do I need two warehouses?

No. Both stores work from the same inventory in our warehouse. Each can have its own bank account for COD payouts, and there is no fee for the extra store.

COD in 24 countries, paid out the way you need.

Tell us how many COD orders you ship a month, to which countries and from which stores, and we will send you a quote. Learn more about BigArena fulfillment.

Request a quote

Cash on delivery in Central and Eastern Europe: a guide for COD stores