What to send for each Shopify chargeback reason
Disclosure: we make a paid chargeback response kit (see the end). Everything below is free to use and comes from Shopify’s own help pages, read on 4 October 2026. Written with AI assistance. Not legal advice.
A chargeback that is lost on Shopify is often a dispute answered with the wrong evidence. The bank is deciding one question, set by the reason on the chargeback, and your response has to answer that question. Here is what Shopify’s help lists for each reason, and the mistake to avoid.
First: where, when and what you cannot do
Open the disputed order in your admin and click Add evidence in the chargeback banner.
The due date is 7 to 21 days after the chargeback is filed. It is shown on your own chargeback, so use that date.
Save as you go. You can edit until the due date. After you click Submit now you cannot edit.
After the due date you cannot add evidence. Shopify’s help says there are no exceptions.
If you do not submit early, Shopify sends your saved evidence on the due date.
You cannot refund a chargeback once the process has started.
The bank’s review can take up to 75 days. Shopify’s help says the decision is final and there is no appeal.
Reason 1: Fraudulent or unrecognized
The question: did the real cardholder make or agree to this purchase? Delivery proof alone does not answer it.
Send what Shopify lists: AVS and CVV results, the 3D Secure record if there is one, device and IP data that matches the customer’s earlier orders, earlier successful orders from the same customer, delivery to the verified address, and any message where they acknowledged the order. Check the order first, because some Shop Pay orders are covered by Shopify Protect.
The mistake: sending only tracking and a delivery photo. In a forum case, a merchant sent texts and a delivery photo against a fraud dispute and lost.
Reason 2: Product not received
The question: did the customer receive the order?
Send the carrier, tracking number and delivery status, proof of delivery (a signature or photo if you have one), confirmation that it went to the address entered at checkout, and any delivery notifications you sent. For a digital product, send access logs, the email with the link or key, and usage timestamps. Shopify uploads a PDF of your fulfillment events by itself.
The mistake: tracking that stops at in transit or label created, or a delivery address that does not match the one on the order.
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Reason 3: Product unacceptable or not as described
The question: does what arrived match what you sold and described?
Send the listing as it was at purchase, pre-shipment photos, your order and fulfillment records, the customer’s messages and what you offered to fix it, and your return policy showing they agreed to it. If they never contacted you before going to the bank, send evidence of that.
The mistake: promising a refund after the chargeback has started. Shopify says you cannot refund it.
Reason 4: Subscription canceled
The question: did the customer cancel before the charge, and were they told how billing works?
Send the terms they accepted (billing cycle and auto-renewal), your cancellation policy and where they saw it, your cancellation records (or evidence that none exist), usage after the date they say they canceled, and renewal reminders or receipts sent before the charge. If you charged someone after they canceled, Shopify’s help says to accept the chargeback.
Reason 5: Duplicate
The question: were there two charges for two different things, or one thing billed twice?
Check your orders first. If you did charge twice for the same product, Shopify says to accept it. If not, put the two orders side by side with order numbers, timestamps and items, add the receipts, and explain any temporary authorization hold that cleared, which customers sometimes mistake for a second charge.
Reason 6: Credit not processed
The question: was the customer owed a refund, and did you give it before they went to the bank?
Send the refund record with timestamp, amount and confirmation number, a statement showing it matches the disputed charge, and your refund policy as shown at checkout. A refund can take days to show on a statement, so say when you issued it. Refunding after the chargeback has started does not stop it.
If it was not a card payment through Shopify Payments
PayPal: respond in your PayPal Resolution Center. PayPal’s US help says to respond within the first 10 days, or it can resolve the case in the buyer’s favour if they escalate. Other countries can differ.
Stripe: you respond in the Stripe Dashboard, and you get one chance to submit. You cannot edit or add files afterwards.
Klarna: Klarna decides the outcome. Use the due date shown on your own dispute.
One rule for every reason
Never state anything you cannot back with a file. Every sentence in the response should point to a document you attach, and any line you have no file for should be deleted.
The free evidence checklist and a fill-in response template for each reason are on our page: https://proskillpacks.github.io/shopify/chargebacks/ We also sell a $5 Chargeback Response Kit for Shopify that drafts the response from your own facts. You do not need it to use the checklists. We are not affiliated with Shopify Inc.
