Guide · Processors
Shopify chargebacks: how to respond to a Shopify Payments dispute
When a customer disputes a Shopify Payments order, the bank takes the amount plus a chargeback fee, $15 in the US, right away. You usually get 7 to 21 days to add evidence in your Shopify admin. Shopify sends your response automatically on the due date, so whatever is there by then is your case.
Key takeaways
- The money leaves first. The disputed amount and a $15 fee (US) are taken as soon as the chargeback is filed.
- Shopify submits for you on the due date. Whatever evidence is in the form by then is what the bank sees.
- One version only. Once it’s submitted, you can’t edit it or add more.
- Shopify passes it on; the bank decides. The decision is final, with no appeal.
How a Shopify chargeback shows up
A customer contacted their card issuer and disputed an order paid through Shopify Payments. Shopify tells you in three places:
- Email to your store contact email (check it under Settings, then Store details).
- A chargeback banner on the order in your Orders page, with a chargeback details section.
- An Orders filter. Filter by Chargeback and inquiry status, then choose Open, to see every case you haven’t sent yet.
Shopify shows each case as Open (you can still add evidence), Submitted, Won or Lost. A fourth status, Resolved, means the case was settled automatically through a network dispute resolution program and the customer was reimbursed, with no evidence window.
Look for the issuer claim too. When the bank provides it, it explains why the customer disputed the charge. That’s the complaint your response has to answer.
Inquiry or chargeback?
Shopify uses both terms. On an inquiry, no money is taken while the bank looks into it, and Shopify says the review usually takes 65 to 75 days. If the bank sides with the customer, an inquiry can escalate to a full chargeback.
On a chargeback, the disputed amount and the fee are taken right away. Shopify deducts them from your next available payout. Treat both seriously; see chargeback vs inquiry.
Shopify’s deadline and fee
| What Shopify says | |
|---|---|
| Time to respond | Usually 7 to 21 days after filing; 11:59 PM store time if no time is shown |
| Chargeback fee | $15 USD, returned with the amount if you win |
| Bank review | Up to 75 days after you submit |
| If you accept | No evidence goes in and the fee isn’t returned |
| Appeal | None. The decision is final |
Shopify also says winning doesn’t remove a chargeback from your chargeback rate, which is based on disputes filed. A high rate can affect your Shopify Payments account. For the bigger picture, see processor dispute deadlines and chargeback fees.
Shopify’s chargeback reasons
Shopify sorts each chargeback into a reason category. The card network’s own reason code sits behind it, and that code sets what the bank will look for.
| Shopify reason | What the customer says | Related codes |
|---|---|---|
| Fraudulent | They didn’t authorize the charge | Visa 10.4, Mastercard 4837 |
| Unrecognized | They don’t recognize your name on the statement | Unrecognized charges |
| Duplicate | They were charged twice for the same thing | Discover DP |
| Subscription canceled | They were charged after cancelling | Visa 13.2 |
| Product not received | The order never arrived | Visa 13.1 |
| Product unacceptable | It was defective, damaged or not as described | Discover RM, Visa 13.4 (counterfeit) |
| Credit not processed | They returned or cancelled and got no refund | Visa 13.6 |
| General | Anything that doesn’t fit the others | Check the network code on the notice |
What to gather
Shopify fills in what it already has for Shopify Payments orders: product details, billing and shipping addresses, and shipping and tracking information. Your job is the rest of the story, the records that only you have:
- Your conversation with the customer. Emails, chat or messages about the order, especially anything after delivery.
- Your policies as the customer saw them. Refund, return and cancellation terms, and where they appeared before checkout.
- Proof of delivery or access. Screenshots of tracking and delivery confirmation, or an access log for digital products.
- Anything that answers the specific reason. A refund already issued, a replacement shipped, product photos from your listing.
Shopify’s file rules are strict: PDF, JPEG or PNG only; PDFs must be PDF/A and under 50 pages; each file 2 MB or less and 4 MB in total; one file per evidence type; no audio, video or links. Shopify adds that many banks receive evidence by fax, so use high-contrast images that print clearly in black and white. Our evidence checklist covers the general basics.
Insight: because Shopify submits automatically on the due date, doing nothing doesn’t mean “no response.” It means the bank gets Shopify’s auto-filled order data and nothing from you. If your strongest proof isn’t in the form by the deadline, it isn’t in the case.
Before you submit
- Review the whole response. For card disputes, Shopify includes its own generated insights by default. You can leave them in or clear the checkbox in the evidence form. Either way, read what goes out.
- Submit now locks it. Clicking Submit now sends it early, and you can’t edit afterward. You can download a copy from the order page.
- Don’t refund during the chargeback. Shopify blocks refunds while a chargeback is open. If you agree to refund in exchange for a withdrawal, Shopify says to wait until the chargeback officially resolves.
- A customer withdrawal still needs evidence. Shopify asks for the bank’s withdrawal letter, not a screenshot, submitted in the response form.
Using Dispute Daddy with Shopify
Dispute Daddy doesn’t connect to Shopify or any processor. You download the chargeback details and your order records, upload them, and Dispute Daddy builds a finished, cited response package with the due date kept in view. You approve it, then add it to the order in your Shopify admin yourself. A flat $99 a month. See how the Dispute Daddy Method works.
