Cash on delivery in Greece: how it works, who pays the fee, what it does not cover

What exactly does cash on delivery give me, and why does the postal regulator not handle COD disputes?

With cash on delivery you do not pay the seller; you pay the courier, who collects on the seller's behalf when the parcel is handed over. The contract for the collection is between the seller and the courier, and you are not a party to it. That explains why you cannot negotiate terms at the door, and why, if a dispute arises, the postal regulator (EETT) states expressly that it has no competence over cash-on-delivery collections ^[2].

In practice cash on delivery gives you one thing: you do not pay before a parcel arrives. It does not automatically give you the right to open the parcel, inspect the contents or recover money from a third party. This article sets out what applies to each and what to check before ordering.

What cash on delivery is: collection on behalf of a third party

Circular ΣΛΟΤ 2548/2018 describes the flow from the company's side. The courier collects the goods and issues a slip that travels with them; on delivery it collects the invoice amount and remits it to the seller's bank account after a number of working days, which the circular's example puts at four ^[1]. The seller records a receivable from you, not from the courier, and the courier's cost appears separately, with its own invoice for the service ^[1].

For you this means two things. First, the amount you pay is the amount on the seller's invoice, and the courier has no position on a disagreement about the contents. Second, the circular notes that on the date of collection the courier issues no document ^[1]: the proof of your payment is whatever slip or receipt the courier gives you, and you must ask for it and keep it.

The cash-on-delivery fee and where it must appear

The courier invoices the seller for the service ^[1]. Whether the seller passes that cost on to you is its commercial decision. Directive 2011/83/EU requires you to be told the total cost, with any additional charges, before you are bound by the contract ^[4]. In practice the fee should be visible in the basket or order confirmation before the final button, not added at the door.

If the amount the courier asks for includes something you did not see on the order, do not pay immediately. Photograph the slip, note it and ask the seller in writing. Refusing the parcel has its own consequences, described below.

Do you open the parcel before paying?

We found no published rule giving you the right to open the parcel before paying, and we did not confirm what applies for any particular courier. Each company's terms of carriage set what the recipient may do. The practical stance is to assume you may not, unless the terms say expressly that you may.

The same applies to paying by card at the door: it depends on the courier and the shop. Ask before ordering and record the answer. For parcels containing material that needs a specific receiving check, see the goods-in receiving checklist.

The moment of delivery, step by step

Delivery is the only point where you can document something before contact with the courier is lost. Before signing or paying, inspect the outside of the packaging: tape integrity, damage, moisture, a shipping label with your name and address. If you see damage, note it on the courier's slip before accepting, and photograph it with the slip visible.

Then check the amount. It should match the total on the order confirmation, including the cash-on-delivery fee you had seen. If it differs, ask the courier to note it or to contact the shop. A payment once made is not easily undone because, as we saw, no third party examines the collection.

Finally, ask for proof of payment and keep it with the tracking number. The circular's remark that the courier issues no document on the collection date ^[1] is the reason this slip is worth asking for explicitly; otherwise the only evidence of your payment will be the courier's later remittance to the seller, which you cannot see.

Refusing the parcel and return to sender

If you refuse the parcel, the courier returns it to the seller. The cost of the return and its handling are governed by the sales terms and the carriage contract, and you should check them before ordering, not when the courier is at the door. In every case, keep written evidence that you refused and why.

Refusing is not the same as withdrawing from a contract and does not automatically create a refund right, because you have not paid. Whether and how the seller will accept a new order is a matter of agreement with it. For returns after receipt, see the article on returns and cancellations.

Why EETT excludes cash on delivery

EETT's regulation AP 1135/004 on dispute resolution and complaints of postal-service users notes that EETT has no competence over customs clearance, cash-on-delivery collections and unfair competition, nor over complaints unrelated to the provision of postal services. According to the regulation, those matters do not fit its remit to regulate and supervise the postal market ^[2].

That does not mean you have no rights against the courier for the parcel itself. For loss or damage, EETT's page describes three steps: a complaint to the company within six months, to which the company must reply within 15 working days, or 40 if it needs more information; a request to convene the Dispute Resolution Committee; and, if unresolved, a written complaint to EETT ^[3]. EETT examines a complaint only after the first two steps are complete ^[3].

Proof of payment and who issues the invoice

The seller issues the document for the purchase, not the courier. The courier's own invoice for its service is issued to the seller ^[1]. For a purchase by a company or institution, the Greek requirement for a document and tax number is explained in the article on invoicing, and business e-invoicing has its own article.

• A photograph of the packaging and the shipping label before opening.
• The courier's slip or receipt with amount and date.
• Tracking number and delivery time.
• The seller's invoice, kept separately from the courier's slip.
• Written notes on anything that did not match the order.

A good receiving record that ties parcel, lot and date together makes the difference when something is contested. Everything described here concerns materials strictly for research use, which are not intended for administration to humans or animals.