How courier failures are undermining Bangladesh’s online perishables trade

When Abdur Rahman, a small-scale mango trader from Chapainawabganj, ventured into online sales this mango season, he hoped to tap into new markets beyond his district. His Facebook page quickly gained traction, especially among customers in Dhaka and Chattogram. But fulfilling those orders turned out to be far more difficult than anticipated.

"One of my parcels took nine days to reach Dhaka," he said. "The customer refused to accept it — the mangoes had turned black inside." 

That single rejected delivery cost him not only fruit worth nearly Tk10,000 but also a valuable customer who publicly expressed dissatisfaction through online comments.

In another instance, Rahman recounted how a parcel sent to Narayanganj arrived with fewer mangoes than he had packed. "I don't know if they were stolen or spoiled and thrown away. The courier company didn't give any explanation," he added.

Meanwhile, in Dinajpur, Fatema Khatun has been selling mangoes online for the past four years. While she managed relatively well during earlier seasons, she said that delivery issues have become increasingly common in recent years.

"This year, one parcel reached Khulna five days late, and the box was soaked through — probably left in the rain," she said. Ultimately, she was forced to issue a full refund.

She explained that while her customers have the option to buy mangoes in person and inspect them before purchase, many choose online sellers because they expect better quality. "And if they don't get that — and on top of it, no refund — they won't come back," Fatema said.

These are not just a few stray anecdotes. Over the past few seasons, such experiences have become a pattern. Yet, there is little recourse for the affected traders.

If mangoes are lost or stolen in transit, courier companies might offer some compensation. But when the fruit arrives spoiled, no reimbursement is provided. This consistent lack of accountability is now fuelling growing frustration and anger among mango traders.

On 18 June, frustration peaked in Chapainawabganj when dozens of online mango sellers laid siege to the Kansat office of Steadfast Courier Service. Their complaints: repeated delivery delays, damaged or lost parcels, and unexplained extra charges. Despite filing complaints earlier, they said no meaningful action had been taken. The protest was suspended only after the company assured compensation for recent losses.

Two days later, Zion KM Reidwanul Bari, CEO of Steadfast Courier, shared a Facebook post highlighting mango delivery statistics, "Around 4,100 tonnes of mangoes in 40 days. Nothing major. Just some numbers." 

Many entrepreneurs replied in disappointment, urging the courier company to stop handling mangoes altogether.

In response, Zion again wrote, "Many are suggesting we stop mango deliveries. But the fact that home delivery of mangoes is happening is because we started it in the first place. Everything was delivered smoothly before Eid. There were some delays after Eid, which is normal. It's like suggesting we cut off the head just because there's a headache!"

Later, speaking to a local media outlet, he acknowledged, "There were issues with some mango parcels during the Eid holidays due to traffic congestion on the roads at that time. We are contacting affected customers and refunding 50% of the product value. There's no problem now."

However, recent conversations with several online mango traders from North Bengal suggest that the problems still persist. Many say they're slowly losing faith in the feasibility of mango trading online.

"One major issue here is the shortage of manpower. There's a big difference between sending documents, clothes, or similar items and sending perishable food. If a courier service wants to handle these items, they need additional manpower and separate offices and facilities dedicated to dealing with such goods. But most courier services in our country have yet to develop that kind of infrastructure."

Hafizur Rahman Pulok, President, Courier Services Association of Bangladesh

Apart from mangoes, a wide variety of fruits are now also being sold online in Bangladesh, including banana, apple, orange, guava, pineapple, grape, watermelon, coconut, sapodilla, pear, pomegranate, dragon fruit, kiwi, jackfruit, lychee, longan, rambutan, papaya, avocado, strawberry, China nut, date, dried fig, kokum, and more.

While many of these are less fragile than mangoes, they are not immune to spoilage. Customers often complain of delayed deliveries, receiving fruits well past their prime — bruised, leaking, or worse, inedible.

And this challenge is not limited to fruits. Inter-district online businesses for other perishable food items like vegetables, dairy, fish, or meat are also struggling to take off, precisely because of similar logistical failures.

When we recently visited several courier service offices in Dhaka that handle perishable food deliveries, the condition of incoming parcels told a grim story. Many packages looked battered, were leaking fluids, or were poorly preserved — hardly suitable for further distribution.

Mamun Hawlader, a truck driver of Sundarban Courier Service in Uttara, said, "We're instructed to bring these items to Dhaka within a specific timeframe. Then, apparently, they're supposed to be sent off to other districts from here. But due to frequent traffic jams or other issues on the road, it is often impossible to reach Dhaka on time."

Another worker of S A Paribahan in Kakrail involved in loading and unloading added, "By the time we take them off the truck, we often see that many of the mangoes or other food items are almost rotten. We've even seen mangoes turned completely into juice. You can imagine what condition they end up in when they finally reach the customers."

Hafizur Rahman Pulok, president of the Courier Services Association of Bangladesh, acknowledged that the industry is still grappling with limitations when it comes to transporting perishable food.

"One major issue here is the shortage of manpower," he said. "There's a big difference between sending documents, clothes, or similar items and sending perishable food. If a courier service wants to handle these items, they need additional manpower and separate offices and facilities dedicated to dealing with such goods. But most courier services in our country have yet to develop that kind of infrastructure."

Pulok also believes food sellers must take greater responsibility. "There are several courier services like Sundarban, SA Paribahan, Steadfast, and others. Depending on what kind of business you're running, you need to do some research to find out which service provider is best suited for transporting your particular goods. 

"Many people blindly rely on a courier service without doing this research. That's not the right approach," he added. 

Echoing the concern, Mohammad Ruhul Kader, founder of Future Startup, a digital publication covering the startup and technology scene in the country, said courier services are critical to the country's e-commerce ecosystem — and their current shortcomings are holding the sector back.

"The failure of courier services to provide adequate support is one of the main reasons why the country's e-commerce sector has not reached its full potential yet," he said.

Still, he noted some progress over the last decade. "While it may not be a radical improvement, there has definitely been significant progress. Previously, it used to take up to a week to deliver certain items. Now, many deliveries are completed within just two or three days, and that's something that deserves recognition."

But he warned that both speed and quality must improve further.

"In developed countries, there's advanced infrastructure like high-speed railways. In many places, home deliveries are now made using drones. But before we can move in that direction, we need to improve our country's basic infrastructure — roads, bridges and so on."

Kader also urged for collaboration between e-commerce platforms and courier services to address existing logistical complications.

"Ultimately, we need a cultural shift. For too long, courier services have believed that offering average service is enough because that's what has been considered the norm. But now, with the growing demands of e-commerce, they need to adapt and improve accordingly."