Choosing a Courier as a New Online Seller in Bangladesh

Choose a courier by testing two or three services on real parcels to the places your buyers live. Compare coverage, how quickly they settle cash-on-delivery money, what they charge for returns, and whether they pick up from you. On Midmart you arrange delivery yourself and set your own charge for each zone.

Midmart does not book, pay for or recommend couriers. That leaves the choice with you — which is also the chance to pick the service that suits your products and your buyers.

The kinds of courier you will meet

• App-based e-commerce couriers — Pathao, Steadfast and RedX are well-known examples. They usually offer pickup from your door, cash collection on delivery, tracking and a merchant dashboard.
• Traditional parcel and transport services — such as Sundarban Courier and SA Paribahan. They are branch-based with wide district coverage; often the buyer collects from a branch, and the services on offer vary.
• Your own hands — you, a family member or a local rider for nearby orders. Often the cheapest and most reliable option within your own area.

These names are examples, not recommendations, and Midmart has no arrangement with any of them. Services and prices change, so check each courier's current rates and terms with them directly.

What to compare

1. Coverage. Do they reach the districts and upazilas your buyers actually order from, door to door or only to a branch?
2. Cash-on-delivery settlement. How soon is collected money paid to you, by which method, and with what charge?
3. Returns. What happens when a buyer refuses a parcel, how fast it comes back, and what you pay for it.
4. Pickup or drop-off. Pickup saves your time; drop-off may suit you if a branch is close by.
5. Weight and size rules. How they charge for heavy or bulky items, and what they will not carry.
6. Tracking. Whether you can give your buyer a tracking number they can follow.
7. Support. How easy it is to reach someone when a parcel goes missing.

Run a two-week test

Before committing, send a handful of real orders through two or three couriers. For each parcel, write down the days taken, the condition on arrival, how long settlement took and what any return cost. Two weeks of your own notes are worth more than any review you can read, because they cover your products and your buyers' areas.

Turn courier costs into your three zone charges

On Midmart you set a delivery charge and an estimated time for each of three zones: Inside Dhaka, Outside Dhaka City, and Suburban & Rural. Start from what your courier really costs per parcel — including cash-collection charges, returned parcels and packaging — not from what other shops show. Quote a delivery time you can keep in a busy week. Delivery is charged per shop, so explain in your delivery policy that your charge covers your parcel only.

Packing and handover

Pack for the roughest leg of the trip, not the smoothest. Label each parcel with the order number and the buyer's phone number, take a quick photo of the packed parcel, and add the courier's tracking number to the order thread when you ship. If a dispute ever comes up, that photo and message are your record.

Tell buyers who delivers

Buyers from other platforms may assume the marketplace delivers. Say plainly in your delivery policy which courier you use, roughly how long each zone takes, and whether the buyer may check the parcel before paying.

Questions sellers ask

Does Midmart provide a courier or delivery service?

No. Midmart books no couriers and pays for none. You deliver with the courier you choose, or yourself.

Should I use one courier or several?

Start with one you have tested. Many sellers later use one service inside Dhaka and another for the districts, wherever each is strongest.

Who is responsible if a parcel is lost or damaged?

That is between you and your courier under their terms. Your delivery policy should say what the buyer can expect from you; Midmart holds no money and cannot compensate either side.

Sellers across the country already ship this way — see selling online in your district. When you are ready, open your free Midmart shop and set your zone charges on day one.