Delivery Charge Inside and Outside Dhaka: How to Set Yours

"Delivery charge koto?" is probably the most common question in every Bangladeshi seller's inbox. Getting your delivery charge inside and outside Dhaka right matters more than it looks. Set it too low and you quietly lose money on every parcel. Set it too high and customers leave, or refuse the parcel at the door.

This guide shows you how to calculate your real delivery cost, decide whether to absorb it or pass it on, plan a free delivery offer with worked Taka examples, and present the charge clearly on Facebook and your website.

Why delivery charges are split inside and outside Dhaka

Most courier services in Bangladesh price by zone. A parcel that stays inside Dhaka city is cheaper and faster to deliver than one going to Chattogram, Sylhet or a district town. Many couriers also have a middle zone for Dhaka suburbs such as Savar, Gazipur or Narayanganj.

Because your courier charges you by zone, your shop usually does the same. The simplest setup, which customers understand immediately, is two prices:

• Inside Dhaka: the lower charge.
• Outside Dhaka: the higher charge, for everywhere else.

If a large share of your orders come from the suburbs, and your courier charges a separate rate there, you can treat them as outside Dhaka or explain the suburb rule clearly. Keep it simple: complicated delivery rules confuse customers.

Some couriers also offer faster options, such as same-day or next-day delivery inside Dhaka, at a higher price where available. If you offer these, show them as a separate paid choice rather than changing your normal charge, and only promise speeds your courier actually delivers.

What goes into your delivery cost

Before deciding what to charge, work out what a delivery actually costs you. There are four main parts.

1. Courier charge

This is the base fee your courier takes per parcel. It usually depends on:

• Zone: inside Dhaka, suburbs, outside Dhaka.
• Weight: most couriers have a base rate up to a certain weight (often around 0.5 kg or 1 kg) and charge extra per additional kg.
• Service type: regular, express or same-day delivery cost different amounts where offered.

Rates differ between couriers and change from time to time, so take the numbers from your own courier's current rate card or merchant panel. Our guide to choosing a courier service explains what to compare.

2. COD charge

Many couriers charge a cash handling fee on cash on delivery parcels, commonly around 1% of the amount collected (sometimes calculated after deducting the delivery fee). On a ৳2,500 order that's about ৳25. Read your courier's terms to see exactly how they calculate it.

3. Packaging

Poly mailer or box, bubble wrap, tape, label and maybe a thank-you card. For a small clothing parcel this might be a few Taka; for a fragile item in a box it can be much more. Add up what you actually spend per parcel.

4. Returns allowance

Some parcels will come back. When that happens you may pay the delivery charge and a return charge with no sale. If, say, 1 in 10 of your outside Dhaka parcels returns, spread that cost over the other nine by adding a small allowance per parcel.

How to calculate your delivery charge: a worked example

Let's take a hypothetical clothing shop in Mirpur. The numbers below are examples only; replace them with your own.

Suppose the courier rate card for a parcel up to 1 kg shows ৳70 inside Dhaka and ৳130 outside Dhaka. Average order value is ৳1,500, the COD charge is 1%, packaging costs ৳15, and returns add about ৳10 per parcel inside Dhaka and ৳20 outside.

Now the shop knows that every inside Dhaka order really costs about ৳110 to deliver, and every outside Dhaka order about ৳180. If it charges customers ৳70 and ৳130, it is losing ৳40 and ৳50 per parcel, which must come from the product margin.

Heavy and bulky products

If you sell items like rice cookers, blenders, books in sets or home decor, one flat charge rarely works. A parcel of 3 kg can cost several times more than a 500 g kurti, because couriers add a fee for every extra kg above the base weight.

You have three practical options:

• Price delivery into the product. Add the expected extra weight cost to the product price, and keep your normal delivery charge.
• Show a separate charge for heavy items in the product description, for example "Extra ৳60 delivery for this item outside Dhaka".
• Use a slightly higher charge for the whole shop if most of your products are heavy.

Whichever you choose, say it before the order, never at the door.

Absorb, pass on or split?

Once you know your real cost, you have three options.

Pass it on fully

Charge the customer close to your real cost. Your margin stays safe, but the charge may look high compared to other pages.

Absorb it fully

Offer free delivery and build the cost into your prices or margin. This works for high-margin products, but on a ৳500 product a ৳180 delivery cost can wipe out the profit.

Split it (most common)

Charge customers a familiar, round amount close to the courier's base rate, and cover the smaller extras (COD charge, packaging, returns) from your margin. Most Bangladeshi shoppers are used to seeing round numbers for inside and outside Dhaka delivery, so this feels normal to them.

Whichever you choose, make sure the product price plus delivery charge still leaves you a profit after all costs. If it doesn't, adjust the product price, not just the delivery charge.

Free delivery thresholds with Taka examples

Free delivery is one of the strongest offers in Bangladeshi online shopping. The trick is to offer it above a minimum order amount, so it increases your order value instead of eating your profit.

How to pick the threshold

A common approach: set the threshold a bit above your current average order value, so many customers need to add one more item to qualify.

Suppose a home-made food business in Sylhet has an average order of ৳900 and a real delivery cost of about ৳110 inside the city zone. It sets free delivery above ৳1,200.

• A customer with ৳900 in the cart adds a ৳350 jar of achar to reach ৳1,250 and get free delivery.
• If the margin on that extra jar is ৳120, it more than covers the ৳110 delivery cost the shop now absorbs.
• Customers who don't reach ৳1,200 still pay the normal charge.

Inside vs outside Dhaka thresholds

Because outside Dhaka delivery costs more, some shops offer free delivery inside Dhaka only, or set a higher threshold for outside Dhaka. For example:

• Free delivery inside Dhaka above ৳1,500.
• Free delivery everywhere above ৳3,000.

If your checkout only supports one free delivery amount, choose a level that still works for your outside Dhaka cost.

Seasonal offers

Eid and Puja are when free delivery offers pull hardest. Run them for a limited period, announce the end date, and check your margins first. A short, clear offer ("Free delivery all over Bangladesh above ৳2,000 until 25 Ramadan") is more effective than a permanent vague one.

How to show the delivery charge on Facebook and your website

Hidden or confusing delivery charges are a top reason for refused cash on delivery parcels. Show the charge everywhere the customer makes a decision.

On Facebook

• In every product post and ad caption: "Price ৳1,850. Delivery: Inside Dhaka ৳70, Outside Dhaka ৳130. Cash on delivery all over Bangladesh."
• In a pinned post with your full delivery and return policy.
• In your Page's About or Intro section.
• In saved replies for Messenger, so every answer is consistent.

On your website

• On product pages, near the price or in the description.
• In the announcement bar if you have a free delivery offer.
• At checkout, where the customer picks Inside Dhaka or Outside Dhaka and sees the charge and total before confirming.
• On the order confirmation page, showing the total to pay on delivery.

In Messenger and WhatsApp replies

Most order conversations still happen in the inbox. Save a short reply that gives the price, the delivery charge for both areas, the total and your website link, and use it every time. When a customer tells you their district, reply with their exact total, for example "To Chattogram, your total is ৳1,980 including delivery, payable on delivery." Exact numbers in writing prevent disputes later.

A website that calculates the charge automatically from the customer's area choice removes mistakes on both sides. For more on why this matters, see Facebook Page vs website for your online business.

Common delivery charge mistakes

• Copying another page's charge without knowing your own costs.
• Forgetting weight. A heavy product such as a blender or rice cooker may cost much more than your standard rate.
• Ignoring the COD charge and returns, which turn a profitable order into a loss.
• Changing the charge often, which confuses repeat customers.
• Not saying it up front, leading to "I didn't know" refusals. See how to reduce fake orders in cash on delivery.
• Free delivery with no minimum on low-priced products.

Review your delivery charge every few months, or whenever your courier changes its rates.

Set delivery charges with EasyMall

EasyMall makes delivery charges simple for Bangladeshi shops:

• Set your own Inside Dhaka and Outside Dhaka delivery charges.
• Add an optional free delivery amount, so orders above it ship free automatically.
• Customers choose their area at checkout and see the charge and total before confirming.
• The order confirmation page shows the order number and the exact amount to pay on delivery.
• An announcement bar you can edit to promote your free delivery offer.
• A website chat assistant that answers "delivery charge koto?" from your own settings, in Bangla, Banglish or English.

Courier booking with Steadfast, Pathao and RedX is coming soon. You can create your free store website, free forever with no card or bKash needed.