With cash on delivery, the courier collects the recipient's money on the sender's behalf, then hands it over. In between, that cash sits with someone who doesn't own it. Most disputes start there, and almost all of them are avoided with three habits: agree before pickup, count at the door, and keep a record of every handover. In Morocco, where most online orders are still paid in cash at the door, this is everyday business for couriers and shops alike.
In this guide8
01Who owns the cash collected?
The sender. The courier carries it; they don't earn it. What they earn is their fee, paid in one of two ways:
- at pickupthe sender pays the fee in cash when the courier collects the parcel. The courier then hands back everything collected;
- from the cash collectedthe courier keeps their fee from the recipient's payment and hands back the rest.
| Example: parcel at 450 DH, fee of 30 DH | Fee paid at pickup | Fee taken from the cash |
|---|---|---|
| The recipient pays | 450 DH | 450 DH |
| The courier has already received | 30 DH, from the sender | nothing |
| The courier hands the sender | 450 DH | 420 DH |
- The recipient pays450 DH to the courier
- The courier keeps the fee30 DH
- The sender receives420 DH, hand to hand
The second option saves the sender paying anything before the delivery. But if the recipient refuses to pay, there's nothing collected, so nothing to take the fee from: talk about that case before setting off.
02Before pickup: three things to agree
- How the fee is paidat pickup, or from the cash collected.
- When the cash comes backthe same evening, the next morning, at the end of the round. A fixed time saves chasing.
- How it comes backin person, most of the time. If you'd rather use a bank transfer or a money-transfer agency, say so now, and agree who pays the charges.
Those three answers fit in one message. Write it down: a written agreement can be re-read; a spoken one gets argued about.
03At the door: collecting without mistakes
- State the exact amount before handing over the parcel. The recipient already knows it: the sender confirmed it when the order was placed.
- Count in front of them, note by note, and say the total out loud.
- Carry change. Many recipients pay with a 200 DH note.
- Check the notes, especially 100 and 200 DH: held up to the light, the watermark and the security thread should show.
- Refuse withdrawn notes. Since 1 January 2026, Bank Al-Maghrib's 1987 series (10, 50, 100 and 200 DH), the 1990 10 DH note and the 1996 20 DH note are no longer legal tender. Banks and Bank Al-Maghrib still exchange them until 31 December 2030, but nobody has to accept them.
- If the recipient pays less than agreed, don't decide alone: call the sender before leaving the parcel.
On Delivery Center, the handover itself leaves proof. The sender sends the recipient a four-digit delivery code; at the door, the courier asks for it and enters it, and the delivery is confirmed on the spot. No code? The courier calls the sender, or delivers with a photo of the parcel.
04After the delivery: hand back fast, and in one go
- One envelope per sender, with the parcel references. Other people's cash never mixes with yours.
- Don't carry more than you need. The more cash you carry, the more a loss or a theft costs, and the bigger the temptation around you.
- Hand over at the agreed time. A courier who pays back fast is a courier who gets called again.
- Group handovers: several parcels for the same sender are handed back at once, with a single count.
That's also why, on Delivery Center, every new courier starts with a cash ceiling: they can only take parcels whose cash value stays under that ceiling, which rises with their confirmed deliveries. Nobody hands 5,000 DH to a stranger on day one, and nobody carries it before they're ready.
Delivery Center
Keep a record of every handover
A cash handover leaves no bank statement. So you have to create a record, and have the other side confirm it.
On Delivery Center:
- The couriertaps “I handed over” with the amount, for one parcel or several
- The sendergets a notice and answers “I received” or “Not received”
- No answer within 48 hoursthe handover counts as received
A “Not received” shows on the courier's offers until the sender changes their answer.
It's a record, not a payment: the money never goes through Delivery Center. And nobody on our side rules on a disagreement: you settle it between yourselves, with that record in front of you. Outside the app, a summary message ("Handed over 420 DH for Karim's parcel, Tuesday 6 pm") does the same job.
06When it goes wrong
The recipient refuses to pay. The courier records it as such. The parcel stays with them: they can try again or return it to the sender. This case doesn't count as the courier's failure.
The recipient doesn't answer. Same logic: the courier calls again, records it, then tries again or returns the parcel. To reduce both cases, read our guide to reducing cash-on-delivery returns.
A disagreement about the amount handed back. Go back to the record: how much was collected at the door, which fee option was agreed, which handover was declared. Check the fee option first: a fee taken from the cash explains, on its own, a gap equal to that fee.
Loss or theft. Tell the sender straight away, and file a complaint with the police. The longer you wait, the less your word carries.
Someone asks you for a code or a payment "to release" a parcel. It's a scam. Our guide to parcel scams in Morocco describes the common ones.
07For senders: three habits that prevent disputes
- Confirm the exact amount with your customer before shipping, delivery included.
- Send the delivery code to the recipient only, never to the courier.
- Confirm receipt as soon as you have the cash. It takes one tap, and it's what builds a reliable courier's history.
08Frequently asked questions
Can the courier keep their fee from the cash collected?
Yes, if the sender chose that option when posting the parcel. The fee then can't be more than the amount to collect, and the courier hands back the rest.
What happens if the sender doesn't confirm the handover?
With no answer within 48 hours of "I handed over", the handover counts as received. The sender can answer "Not received" before then, and the courier then sees they need to call.
Does Delivery Center hold the money?
No. The cash goes hand to hand, from the recipient to the courier, then from the courier to the sender. Delivery Center collects nothing, keeps no bank card and takes no commission.
How much cash can a new courier collect?
At first, a ceiling set by the operator and shown in the app. It rises after deliveries confirmed by senders. For a new courier's whole journey, read our guide to becoming an independent courier.
