Last month, a client of mine shipped power banks to a small town called Al Qurayyat in northern Saudi Arabia. Out of 100 COD orders, 62 were refused. That's a 62% rejection rate, and the shipping plus storage costs ate up 12,000 RMB.
This isn't an isolated case. Since June 2026, COD rejection rates in remote Saudi areas have hit 50%-65% across the board. Let's face it: buyers click order without any intention to pay — especially for parcels over 200 SAR (about 380 RMB).
My advice: don't rely on "buyers will come to their senses." For addresses outside Riyadh, Jeddah, and Dammam — especially postcodes starting with "7" or "8" (like Tabuk, Hail, Jazan) — either cap COD orders at 150 SAR or turn off COD entirely.
Take a home goods seller I know. He switched remote area deliveries from COD to "prepaid + courier pickup" and saw rejection rates drop from 55% to 11%. But prepayment also hit conversion by about 20%. You have to weigh the trade-offs.
Also, Saudi Post (SPL) takes over 7 days in remote areas. By the time it arrives, the buyer has lost interest. Alternative: use local carriers like SMSA or Aramex with store pickup — delivery within 3 days, rejection under 15%.
Honestly, there's no silver bullet. But at least this: before every shipment, check the address via Saudi's WASEEL system. If flagged as remote, force prepaid + pickup, or simply don't ship.
Are you still betting on COD in Saudi's boonies?