Pay on Delivery With PayLead: How It Works and How to Use It Well
How PayLead handles pay-on-delivery orders, from checkout to waybill to tracking, what it costs, and how to offer it without losing money to refused parcels.
Many Ghanaian buyers won't pay upfront to a shop they've never used. Pay on delivery removes that fear, which is why it wins so many sales. But managing it through WhatsApp and notebooks is messy, and refused parcels cost money.
Here's how PayLead handles pay on delivery, and how to use it without losing your margin.
Disclosure: PayLead and MediaWura are both part of Wura Group. See what PayLead is.
How it works
- The buyer chooses pay on delivery at checkout, alongside MoMo and card options.
- The order is recorded with the buyer's details and address.
- PayLead creates a waybill for the delivery.
- The buyer gets a tracking page they can check themselves, instead of messaging you to ask where their order is.
- The buyer pays when the parcel arrives.
Because the order lives in the same system as your online orders, you see everything in one place: what's paid, what's out for delivery and what's waiting.
What it costs
At the time of writing, PayLead charges 2% plus GH₵ 1 on pay-on-delivery orders, lower than the 4% plus GH₵ 1 for online mobile money and card payments. Check paylead.app for current pricing.
When to offer pay on delivery
- First-time buyers who don't know you yet.
- Higher-priced items where trust matters most.
- Your main delivery cities, where riders can reach buyers reliably.
- Adverts to cold audiences, where "pay when it arrives" in the advert can lift response.
When to ask for payment upfront
- Custom or made-to-order items you can't resell.
- Distant locations where a failed delivery is expensive.
- Buyers who have refused before.
- Very low-priced items where the delivery cost outweighs the risk.
How to cut refusals
Pay on delivery only works if most parcels are accepted. The habits that matter most:
- Confirm every order quickly by call or WhatsApp.
- Show the total, including delivery, before they order.
- Deliver fast, ideally same day or next day.
- Message before the rider leaves, with the amount to have ready.
- Track your refusal rate by area and act on it.
We cover twelve ways in detail in how to reduce failed deliveries and pay-on-delivery refusals.
Nudge buyers to pay online
Online payment is cheaper for you and removes refusal risk. You can keep pay on delivery while encouraging MoMo:
- Free delivery for MoMo or card orders.
- A small discount or gift for paying online.
- Faster dispatch for prepaid orders.
Make the offer clear in the checkout and on the sales page.
Track it with your adverts
PayLead sends checkout and purchase events to Meta and TikTok through their pixels. When you run adverts, check how your tracking counts pay-on-delivery orders, so your ad results reflect real sales rather than orders that were later refused. See Meta Pixel and Conversions API setup.
Common questions
Can I offer pay on delivery only in some areas?
Set up your delivery options to match where you can deliver reliably, and use clear wording on the page about where pay on delivery is available.
Do I need my own riders?
You can use your own riders or a delivery partner. See delivery for online shops in Ghana.
Is pay on delivery available for digital products?
No. It's for physical products. Digital products are paid and delivered instantly.
Want the whole system set up?
We build PayLead stores and funnels with pay on delivery, then run the adverts to them. See our online shop service and cash on delivery in Ghana.