I talked to a seller doing Egypt market last week. One COD payment sat for 26 days, and by the time it landed, FX fees ate nearly 12%. You won't see this anywhere else in the Middle East.
COD in Egypt means EGP. Your local agent's remittance goes through bank approval — you can't just move it out. In August, the central bank tightened cross-border transfers from personal accounts. Small amounts slip through; bigger ones go to manual review.
My take: if you can switch to prepaid, do it. Egypt's return rate is high. COD plus returns hits you three ways — lost goods, FX loss, and time.
If you must offer COD, pick a payout partner that locks FX rates, or have your local agent quote in USD, collect EGP on delivery, and pay out in USD. Don't think about exchange rates after the money lands.
One more move: consolidate Egypt volume into your UAE account and use the profit to offset local payables. Only works if you have a reliable local partner.
Honestly, Egypt isn't about whether you can make money anymore. It's about whether you can get it back. What's your take?