Courier Charges in Bangladesh: Steadfast vs Pathao vs RedX

Short answer: as of October 2026, a 0.5 kg parcel inside Dhaka costs ৳60 with Pathao and ৳65 with Steadfast or RedX. Outside Dhaka, the same parcel costs ৳110 to ৳120. On top of that, each courier takes a cash on delivery (COD) charge of 0% to 1%, and returns can cost extra. The cheapest courier on paper is not always the cheapest once returns are counted.

We took every number below from the couriers' own rate pages and calculators on 1 October 2026. Many rate lists online are older. For example, several still show Steadfast at ৳55 inside Dhaka, while its own calculator now says ৳65. Rates change, so check again before a big campaign.

What are the Steadfast courier charges in 2026?

These are Steadfast's standard rates for a regular parcel with home delivery, from its rate calculator at steadfast.com.bd/pricing. Weight includes the packaging.

• COD charge: 1% of the cash collected, after the delivery charge is taken out.
• Point delivery: ৳15 less on every route above, if the customer collects the parcel.
• Same-day express inside Dhaka: ৳110 for 0.5 kg.
• Returns: Steadfast's own pages disagree. Its terms say it does not charge for return parcels. The FAQ on its business page (steadfast.com.bd/business), checked on 2 October 2026, says "Return charges apply separately". Check the return charge in your merchant panel before you plan around either one.
• VAT: not included in any of these prices.

What are the Pathao courier charges?

Pathao publishes its rate cards on pathao.com/courier. It sorts parcels into three weight slabs and adds a per-kg charge above 2 kg.

• COD charge: Pathao's help centre (updated May 2026) says 1% on all deliveries. An FAQ on its courier page says 0.5% inside Dhaka metro and 1% outside. Check your merchant panel.
• Returns: for orders outside Dhaka, 50% of the delivery charge is added as a return charge. Dhaka metro orders have no return charge, except partial and exchange deliveries.
• VAT: not included.

What is the RedX delivery charge outside Dhaka?

RedX lists one price per delivery zone on its pricing plan page (redx.com.bd, under Coverage Area).

RedX does not publish a return charge on its public pages. Ask your RedX contact before you sign up, and get the answer in writing.

Steadfast vs Pathao vs RedX: which is cheaper?

Here is the same parcel sent from Dhaka with each courier, base delivery charge only:

The gaps are small, ৳5 to ৳20 a parcel. What changes the real cost is the COD charge on expensive items and what you pay when a parcel comes back. On a ৳3,000 order, a 1% COD charge is about ৳30, which is more than the gap between couriers. So a seller of costly items in Dhaka may prefer RedX for its 0% COD. A seller with many outside-Dhaka returns should compare return charges first. Pathao publishes 50% of the delivery charge. Steadfast's terms say returns are free, but its business page says return charges apply separately, so check the number in your Steadfast merchant panel.

How do you work out the real cost of one parcel?

Take a ৳1,200 kurti, 0.5 kg packed, sent from Dhaka to a customer in Chattogram with Steadfast. You charge the customer ৳130 for delivery, so the courier collects ৳1,330 at the door.

1. Steadfast delivery charge: ৳115.
2. COD charge: 1% of (৳1,330 minus ৳115) = about ৳12.
3. You receive ৳1,203, which matches Steadfast's own calculator for this order.

Now the same kurti to a customer in Dhanmondi. You charge ৳80 for delivery, the customer pays ৳1,280, Steadfast takes ৳65 plus about ৳12 COD, and you again receive ৳1,203. Your delivery charge covered the courier both times. Packaging is not counted yet, so add your own cost per parcel.

Count the returns too

A returned parcel earns you nothing and still costs money. With Steadfast you lose the outbound charge, for example ৳115, plus any return charge your merchant panel shows. With Pathao outside Dhaka you lose ৳110 plus a ৳55 return charge, so ৳165.

Spread that loss over the parcels that do get delivered. If 1 in 10 of your outside-Dhaka parcels comes back (use your own number from last month), each delivered Pathao parcel carries about ৳18 of return cost (৳165 × 1 ÷ 9). Your true cost for that 0.5 kg parcel is then about ৳110 + ৳12 COD (1% of the ৳1,200 kurti) + ৳18 = ৳140, before packaging. If you charge customers ৳130, you are losing money on delivery without knowing it.

Cutting returns is usually worth more than switching couriers. Our guide on COD vs bKash advance and fake orders covers the filters sellers use, such as taking the delivery charge in advance for outside-Dhaka orders. Before you ship to a number you do not know, check the customer's parcel history with your courier.

How much delivery charge should you take from customers?

Use a simple rule. Your delivery charge should cover your real cost per delivered parcel, then round up.

1. Pick the courier you use most and note its charge for your usual parcel weight.
2. Add the COD charge on your average order.
3. Add your packaging cost per parcel.
4. Add your return cost per delivered parcel, worked out as in the example above.
5. Round up to a clean number, such as ৳80, ৳100, ৳130 or ৳150.

Weigh one packed parcel of each product type on a kitchen scale. A light product in a sturdy box can still cross 1 kg, and that moves you into the next slab with every courier.

Put the charge where customers see it

"ডেলিভারি চার্জ কত?" is one of the most common inbox questions. Answer it before it is asked: put your inside-Dhaka and outside-Dhaka charges in every post, in your page's About section, and in a saved reply. Our WhatsApp selling guide shows how to set up saved replies.

If you sell from a Kommercly store, you set your own delivery areas and charges, for example Inside Dhaka ৳80, Dhaka suburbs ৳100 and Outside Dhaka ৳130. The customer picks an area at checkout and sees the full total before ordering. The order then arrives on your WhatsApp with the area and total already written. On Premium you can book Steadfast parcels from your Orders page; Pathao and RedX you still book yourself. The store setup guide shows where the delivery fees are set.

How do you open a merchant account with a courier?

All three couriers have a merchant sign-up on their websites: Steadfast at steadfast.com.bd, Pathao at merchant.pathao.com and RedX at redx.com.bd. You give your business name, phone, pickup address and a way to receive your COD money. Steadfast says it pays by bank transfer, bKash, Nagad, Rocket or cash, and lets you pick a payment day each week. Ask each courier which papers it wants from you before you sign up, because the list can change.

Many sellers keep two couriers: one for inside Dhaka and one for outside. Track your return rate for each one for a month, then decide. A courier that is ৳10 cheaper but returns more parcels is the expensive one.

Quick answers

Sources, checked 1 October 2026: Steadfast rate calculator (steadfast.com.bd/pricing) and terms and conditions; Pathao courier rate cards (pathao.com/courier) and Pathao help centre; RedX pricing plan (redx.com.bd, Coverage Area). Standard published rates only. Negotiated merchant rates can be lower.