₹25 to ₹12 a Parcel: Delivery Boy Salary Per Order in 2026

Last Diwali season, an e-commerce delivery rider earned Rs 25-28 for every parcel. This festive season, the same parcel pays Rs 12-15. That is the delivery boy salary per order today, according to staffing firms quoted by Financial Express.

If you were counting on festive delivery shifts as a side hustle this year, the maths has changed. Here is what each type of delivery work pays now, and what it adds up to in a month.

Quick answer

• E-commerce riders get Rs 12-15 per shipment this festive season, down from Rs 25-28 last year.
• Quick-commerce riders get Rs 20-30 per order, plus Rs 8-15 extra in peak hours.
• A good peak day can bring Rs 900-1,100; a lean day, Rs 400-500.
• Delivery workers net about Rs 22,000-23,000 a month on average, the lowest of the major gig types.

What is the delivery boy salary per order in 2026?

It depends on the platform type: e-commerce pays Rs 12-15 per shipment, while quick commerce pays Rs 20-30 per order.

Per-shipment payouts in e-commerce fell to Rs 12-15 from Rs 25-28 in the same period last year, according to staffing firms quoted in this festive gig pay report. Even in the six months to April, riders were earning Rs 15-16 per shipment, so the slide started before the festive season.

Quick-commerce pay has held up better but is still falling. Riders now get Rs 20-30 per order, with Rs 8-15 extra in peak hours. Last festive season the average was Rs 22-30, and in early 2024 quick-commerce riders were paid Rs 34-42 per order.

Comparison of e-commerce delivery pay per shipment: Rs 25-28 last festive season against Rs 12-15 this festive season

Source: Staffing firms via Financial Express

What most guides miss: halving the per-parcel rate does not just cut earnings, it changes the whole job. At Rs 12-15 a parcel, a rider has to carry roughly twice as many parcels as last year to earn the same, in the same traffic and the same hours.

Why is festive delivery pay falling this year?

Pay is falling because fewer parcels are moving, so platforms need fewer riders and offer smaller incentives.

E-commerce platforms hired 20-30% fewer seasonal workers this festive season, says the Financial Express report. Data from Datum Intelligence shows dispatches fell 10-12% and gross merchandise value fell 7-10%.

Fewer orders also make incentive targets harder to hit. "When orders are uncertain, incentive targets become harder to meet, forcing riders to stay online longer," said Shaik Salauddin, founder-president of the Telangana Gig and Platform Workers' Union.

There is one bright spot. Fixed pay now makes up 80-85% of earnings, according to staffing firms, so variable bonuses matter less than before. Warehouse headcount is also up 12%, which means more steady, non-riding work.

Is quick commerce better than e-commerce for delivery jobs?

Right now, yes: quick commerce pays more per order and is hiring faster.

Gig-worker demand is growing 18% in quick commerce against 12% in e-commerce, according to Adecco India's Deepesh Gupta (Financial Express). Groceries made up 9.5% of festive sales this year, up 2.5 percentage points, and quick commerce handled 77% of those grocery sales.

The trade-off is pace. Quick commerce means short trips with tight delivery windows, while e-commerce means long routes with many parcels. If you only have evenings free, quick-commerce peak hours, with the Rs 8-15 extra, fit a side hustle better.

How much does a delivery boy earn in a month?

On average, about Rs 22,000-23,000 a month after costs, according to a Redseer survey of 2,250 gig workers.

That puts delivery at the bottom of the major gig categories in the Redseer report. Ride-hailing drivers net Rs 37,000-39,000 a month, and home-services workers net Rs 70,000-80,000. The average across all groups is about Rs 32,000.

Per hour, though, gig work still beats most informal jobs. Redseer puts gig earnings at Rs 138 an hour against Rs 54 for informal-sector work, a 2.5x premium.

Most people already treat it as a side hustle. Over 90% of gig workers work part-time, averaging about 5 hours a day, 3 days a week, for roughly 3 months a year. Redseer also counts 3.2-3.4 million "parallel earners" who do gig work alongside another job, and 54% of gig workers had no prior paid job.

India has 6 million+ gig workers today, including 2.4 million in delivery, and Redseer expects 17-21 million by 2030.

What are the hidden costs of delivery gig work?

The biggest costs are your own vehicle, long hours and weak insurance support.

A survey of 1,000 platform workers across Delhi, Mumbai and eight other cities found 66.4% used their own two-wheelers, and more than 57% worked at least 49 hours a week (The Wire Desk). Some 62.2% reported near-misses with vehicles, and more than 80% of those who tried to claim accident insurance found the process difficult.

So before you sign up for festive shifts:

• Count fuel and bike maintenance against your per-order rate.
• Ask the platform exactly what accident cover you get and how to claim it.
• Track your real hourly earnings for the first two weeks, not the advertised ones.

Better data may be coming. From January 2027, the government's labour force survey will add a separate category for digital platform workers, BusinessLine reports.

FAQs

How much does a Blinkit or Zepto rider get per order?

Quick-commerce riders currently earn Rs 20-30 per order, with Rs 8-15 extra in peak hours, according to staffing firms quoted by Financial Express. Exact rates vary by city and platform.

How much does an Amazon or Flipkart delivery boy earn per parcel?

E-commerce riders are getting Rs 12-15 per shipment this festive season, down from Rs 25-28 last year. Individual platforms do not publish their rates.

Can I do delivery work as a part-time side hustle?

Yes. Over 90% of gig workers already work part-time, about 5 hours a day, 3 days a week, says Redseer.

How much can a delivery rider earn in one day?

On a peak festive day, Rs 900-1,100; on a lean day, Rs 400-500, according to TeamLease.

Have you done festive delivery shifts this year? Tell us in the comments what you earned per order in your city.

Expert review: pending.

Results vary; nothing here is a promise of income.

Related reading

• ₹22,500 a Month: Gig Workers Salary Per Month, and the Catch
• ₹508 for 19 Orders: Is Blinkit a Good Side Hustle Earning App?
• 2.5 Lakh Festive Jobs at Flipkart: Is a Diwali Gig Worth It?

Sources

• Financial Express: Festive rush leaves gig workers with fewer jobs, flat pay
• Redseer: India Gig Workers Report 2026, growth, earnings and future outlook
• BusinessLine: Govt plans job survey changes to add unpaid work, improve gig workers data
• The Wire Desk: Survey of 1,000 Indian gig workers