I published my first WordPress.org plugin: a free courier history check for WooCommerce stores in Bangladesh

Muhibbullah Ansary — Thu, 05 Nov 2026 20:47:44 +0000

Most online stores in Bangladesh still run on cash on delivery (COD). When a parcel comes back, the seller pays the delivery charge, the return charge and loses the stock time. So before confirming an order, many sellers copy the customer's phone number into a separate "courier ratio" website.

I built a small plugin so that check happens where the order already is. EasyLife Courier Check is now live on WordPress.org, free.

What it shows

Total, delivered and returned parcels for the customer's phone number, per courier: Pathao, Steadfast, RedX, Paperfly and Carrybee
A combined success rate
Whether the same number has ordered from your store before
One-click call, WhatsApp or copy for the confirmation call
A separate Fraud Checker page for orders that come in on Messenger or WhatsApp

No API token or sign-up. It supports HPOS. There is a free daily allowance of checks.

A few design decisions

Consent first. Nothing leaves the store until the owner turns on "Courier history lookups" in Settings. The readme documents the external service and links its privacy policy and terms.

No "fake customer" verdicts. A low success rate does not prove someone is a fraud. It can be a new number, or a parcel returned for a fair reason. The plugin says this in the UI and treats the result as one signal to combine with a phone call, an OTP or an advance delivery charge.

Fit the WooCommerce screens. The history appears as an Orders column, a box on the order edit screen, and a popup with the per-courier breakdown.

What the review taught me

The WordPress.org Plugins Team flagged two things in the first round: a comparison with other plugins in the readme (not allowed), and <style> tags printed directly in admin pages instead of wp_add_inline_style() on admin_enqueue_scripts. Both were quick fixes, and the second one is a good habit for any plugin.

Try it

If you build or run WooCommerce stores for Bangladeshi sellers, I would value your feedback on what is missing:

WordPress.org: https://wordpress.org/plugins/easylife-courier-check/
Plugin page: https://app.wpsalehub.com/courier-check-plugin?utm_source=devto&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=plugin_launch

The screenshot uses a demo store; names and numbers are not real customers.

What a courier success rate actually tells a cash-on-delivery seller

Muhibbullah Ansary — Thu, 05 Nov 2026 07:34:19 +0000

75%, 45%, and the two-parcel trap: turning one number into a shipping decision.

In Bangladesh, most online orders are paid in cash on delivery. When a parcel comes back, the seller pays the delivery charge, the return charge and the time. So before confirming an order, many sellers look up the customer's phone number in a courier fraud checker and see a success rate: the share of that number's past parcels that were delivered.

The number is useful. The problem is what people do with it.

One number, four decisions

I build WooEasyLife, and our free checker colours results in four bands. Here is what I suggest a seller does in each:

75% or more (green): confirm as usual. For a large order, one call is still worth it.
45% to below 75% (amber): a mixed history. Call to confirm the name, full address and delivery time. For an expensive item, ask for the delivery charge in advance.
Below 45% (red): most past parcels came back. Don't ship without an advance or a confirmed call, but don't call the customer "fake" either.
No history: usually a new customer or a new number. That is not a bad sign. Do the normal checks.

The two-parcel trap

A ratio means little when it is built on very few parcels. One return out of two parcels is 50%. Ten returns out of twenty is also 50%. They are not the same customer. Always look at the total number of parcels next to the percentage.

Check every courier, not one

A customer can have a clean record with one courier and many returns with another. Looking at a single courier's panel hides that pattern.

A ratio is a signal, not a verdict

Parcels come back for many reasons: a wrong address, a switched-off phone, a late delivery. A low success rate is a reason to take one more step before you ship. It is not proof of anything about the person.

Why I rewrote my own guide

My Bangla guide on this topic used to say "70%+ is good", while the checker itself used 75% and 45%. Two numbers on one site help nobody. The guide now reads its thresholds from the checker's code, and a test fails if they ever drift apart.

The full guide (in Bangla) and the free checker are on app.wpsalehub.com.

DEV Community: Muhibbullah Ansary