Punishing senior citizens? Flipkart, Shopsy stop Cash on Delivery in Ahmedabad!

By Rajiv Shah

The other day, someone close to me attempted to order some goodies on Flipkart and its subsidiary Shopsy. After preparing a long list of items, this person, as usual, opted for the Cash on Delivery (popularly known as COD) option, as this senior citizen isn't very familiar with online prepaid payment methods like UPI, credit or debit cards, or online bank transfers through websites.

In fact, she is hesitant to make online payments, fearing, "I may make a mistake," she explained, adding, "I read a lot about online frauds, so I always choose COD as it's safe. I have no knowledge of how to prepay online."

She has a valid concern. Many senior citizens in Ahmedabad, where I live, wish to shop online but refrain due to the fear of fraud, which seems imaginary to me but very real to them. "What if the item I purchased online with an advance payment is delivered to someone else?" one of them questioned. I observed this individual struggling with online shopping apps to order necessities, as age limits his and his wife's ability to venture out.

Upon discovering that Flipkart and Shopsy were refusing COD for online shopping, I attempted to use this option myself on the Flipkart and Shopsy apps—but to my surprise, I was also refused COD! Thinking it might be a locality-specific issue, I contacted their helpline, where I was informed the restriction was indeed area-related.

However, the helpline could not confirm whether this was temporary. I decided to try a different address in Ahmedabad—a posh locality in the Ellisbridge area where a relative resides. I thought that since my locality is a lower-middle class and middle-class area, COD might have been discontinued there, but surely it would be available in Ellisbridge. However, I was mistaken—COD was refused even in Ellisbridge!

Curious about the situation, I did some research to understand the change. We’ve frequently used COD on Flipkart and Shopsy before, so why the sudden restriction? I discovered that Flipkart hasn’t entirely discontinued COD; rather, it's unavailable in certain areas due to logistical challenges, security concerns, or courier partner policies. For high-value orders, Flipkart has restricted COD to prepaid options for quite some time.

Further investigation revealed that Flipkart and Shopsy are not exceptions in this matter. ShopClues has entirely stopped COD due to security and delivery efficiency concerns, as have Fynd, Paytm Mall, and Shopify India (which is "ending support for advanced COD apps for merchants"). Even Amazon India, the most popular online store, "sometimes disables COD for select areas or high-value orders." Similarly, Snapdeal "imposes caps or disables COD during certain periods."

This raises the question: Isn’t stopping COD compelling senior citizens to use prepaid options, which they are reluctant to adopt? And doesn’t this limit the business potential of online shops? I don't know the answer.

Meanwhile, I recall speaking to a senior citizen couple who have been living in the US for several decades. During my visit to their residence in New Jersey last year, the husband, in his late 60s, shared an experience about renewing his driving license. "I went to the office and told the person there that I am not familiar with computers, so I can’t book an appointment online. What options do I have?" he recounted. "The reply was prompt: No worries. We will handle it right away. My license was renewed after the official filled in all my details on the computer, while I provided the necessary documents and doctor's certificate."

Comments

From plagiarism to proxy exams: Galgotias and systemic failure in education

By Sandeep Pandey* Shock is being expressed at Galgotias University being found presenting a Chinese-made robotic dog and a South Korean-made soccer-playing drone as its own creations at the recently held India AI Impact Summit 2026, a global event in New Delhi. Earlier, a UGC-listed journal had published a paper from the university titled “Corona Virus Killed by Sound Vibrations Produced by Thali or Ghanti: A Potential Hypothesis,” which became the subject of widespread ridicule. Following the robotic dog controversy coming to light, the university has withdrawn the paper. These incidents are symptoms of deeper problems afflicting the Indian education system in general. Galgotias merely bit off more than it could chew.

Covishield controversy: How India ignored a warning voice during the pandemic

Dr Amitav Banerjee, MD * It is a matter of pride for us that a person of Indian origin, presently Director of National Institute of Health, USA, is poised to take over one of the most powerful roles in public health. Professor Jay Bhattacharya, an Indian origin physician and a health economist, from Stanford University, USA, will be assuming the appointment of acting head of the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), USA. Bhattacharya would be leading two apex institutions in the field of public health which not only shape American health policies but act as bellwether globally.

The 'glass cliff' at Galgotias: How a university’s AI crisis became a gendered blame game

By Mohd. Ziyaullah Khan* “She was not aware of the technical origins of the product and in her enthusiasm of being on camera, gave factually incorrect information.” These were the words used in the official press release by Galgotias University following the controversy at the AI Impact Summit in Delhi. The statement came across as defensive, petty, and deeply insensitive.

Farewell to Saleem Samad: A life devoted to fearless journalism

By Nava Thakuria* Heartbreaking news arrived from Dhaka as the vibrant city lost one of its most active and committed citizens with the passing of journalist, author and progressive Bangladeshi national Saleem Samad. A gentleman who always had issues to discuss with anyone, anywhere and at any time, he passed away on 22 February 2026 while undergoing cancer treatment at Dhaka Medical College Hospital. He was 74.

Growth without justice: The politics of wealth and the economics of hunger

By Vikas Meshram* In modern history, few periods have displayed such a grotesque and contradictory picture of wealth as the present. On one side, a handful of individuals accumulate in a single year more wealth than the annual income of entire nations. On the other, nearly every fourth person in the world goes to bed hungry or half-fed.

From ancient wisdom to modern nationhood: The Indian story

By Syed Osman Sher South of the Himalayas lies a triangular stretch of land, spreading about 2,000 miles in each direction—a world of rare magic. It has fired the imagination of wanderers, settlers, raiders, traders, conquerors, and colonizers. They entered this country bringing with them new ethnicities, cultures, customs, religions, and languages.

Thali, COVID and academic credibility: All about the 2020 'pseudoscientific' Galgotias paper

By Jag Jivan* The first page image of the paper "Corona Virus Killed by Sound Vibrations Produced by Thali or Ghanti: A Potential Hypothesis" published in the Journal of Molecular Pharmaceuticals and Regulatory Affairs , Vol. 2, Issue 2 (2020), has gone viral on social media in the wake of the controversy surrounding a Chinese robot presented by the Galgotias University as its original product at the just-concluded AI summit in Delhi . The resurfacing of the 2020 publication, authored by Dharmendra Kumar , Galgotias University, has reignited debate over academic standards and scientific credibility.

Conversion laws and national identity: A Jesuit response response to the Hindutva narrative

By Rajiv Shah A recent book, " Luminous Footprints: The Christian Impact on India ", authored by two Jesuit scholars, Dr. Lancy Lobo and Dr. Denzil Fernandes , seeks to counter the current dominant narrative on Indian Christians , which equates evangelisation with conversion, and education, health and the social services provided by Christians as meant to lure -- even force -- vulnerable sections into Christianity.

Unpaid overtime, broken promises: Indian Oil workers strike in Panipat

By Rosamma Thomas Thousands of workers at the Indian Oil Corporation refinery in Panipat, Haryana, went on strike beginning February 23, 2026. They faced a police lathi charge, and the Central Industrial Security Force fired into the air to control the crowd.

Search This Blog