How to Shop Online Safely in Bangladesh: Cash on Delivery, Fake Pages and Your Rights

Short answer: buy from pages or marketplaces that show a real address and phone number, prefer cash on delivery or a small advance over full prepayment to an unknown seller, check the parcel at the door before paying, keep the order message and the receipt, and know that the Consumer Rights Protection Act 2009 and the Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection (DNCRP) exist for when something goes wrong. Most problems come from one of three things: a fake page, full payment in advance, or paying before opening the box.

Spot a fake page in two minutes

• Age and history. Open the page's "About" and "Page transparency": a page created last month with a thousand followers and no reviews is a warning sign. Established sellers have months of posts, replies and tagged photos from buyers.
• Address and phone. A real seller gives an area or shop address and a number that is answered. "Inbox for price" with no contact details is not a shop, it's a funnel.
• Prices that make no sense. A ৳40,000 phone for ৳12,000 is not a deal, it's the reason the page exists.
• Stolen photos. Reverse-image-search the product photos; if the same images appear on five pages and on the seller has never held the item.
• Pressure to prepay. "Pay full in advance to confirm, stock is almost gone" from an unknown page is the single most common pattern in reported scams.

Marketplaces add a layer: on PrimeHat, every seller is verified with a national ID (and trade licence for larger shops) before they can list, their shop page shows how long they've sold and their delivery record, and you can report a seller from the order page. See Trust & safety.

Pay in the way that keeps you in control

• Cash on delivery (COD) is the safest for a first order from a seller you don't know: you pay when the parcel is in your hands. Many sellers ask a small advance (৳100–200) for out-of-Dhaka or expensive orders; that is normal and protects them from fake orders. Paying the full amount in advance to a page you haven't bought from before is where most losses happen.
• bKash / Nagad. Send money only to the number shown on the seller's page or marketplace, never to a "different number because the main one is busy". Use Payment to a merchant number where offered — it leaves a clearer trail than Send Money to a personal number. Keep the transaction ID.
• Never share an OTP with anyone, including someone claiming to be from bKash or the courier.

At the door: check before you pay

In Bangladesh you can usually open a COD parcel in front of the delivery rider before paying; many couriers allow it, and reputable sellers expect it. Check that it's the right product, size and colour and that it isn't damaged. If it's wrong, refuse the parcel: you pay nothing, and the seller gets it back. Once you've paid and the rider has left, the return becomes a conversation with the seller — see Returns & refunds for how it works here.

Keep three things

The order conversation (screenshot), the payment transaction ID, and the courier's tracking number. Every dispute, with the seller, the courier, the marketplace or a regulator, starts with those three.

Know your rights

• The Consumer Rights Protection Act 2009 covers online purchases. Selling a product different from what was advertised, charging more than the stated price, or refusing a lawful refund are all complaints the Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection (DNCRP) accepts; complaints can be filed online or at a district office, usually within 30 days of the incident.
• The Digital Commerce Operation Guidelines (2021) set rules for online sellers, including delivery timelines and refund handling for advance payments. Their details have changed since 2021, so check the current text before relying on a specific timeline.
• For outright fraud (money taken, nothing sent, page gone), it's a police matter; a GD at the local station with your three records is the first step.

A marketplace should make this easier, not harder: on PrimeHat, a refund for a cancelled or returned order goes back to your bKash/Nagad number from the platform, not from the seller's goodwill.

Related: How to order · Payment methods · Trust & safety

Last updated 15 October 2026. Legal references are a summary; the Acts and guidelines are the authority.