Refund, accept or respond to a Shopify dispute

Inquiry or chargeback

With an inquiry, no money is taken yet. Shopify says a refund is possible at this stage but not recommended, and an unanswered or weak response can turn into a chargeback. With a chargeback, the disputed amount and a chargeback fee are taken right away, and you cannot refund the order through Shopify any more.

What accepting means

You can accept a chargeback from the chargeback banner on the order, or from the Chargeback response page. The customer keeps the money and the fee is not returned. Every dispute counts toward your chargeback rate, whatever the outcome.

Signs the evidence is thin

• No tracking, or no delivery scan, for an order the customer says never arrived.
• The order was cancelled before it shipped and not refunded.
• No published policy that covers the problem.
• The item really did differ from the listing.

When responding makes sense

Respond when you can show the facts the reason calls for: delivery for not received, payment checks and order history for fraud, the listing and your policy for not as described, the refund record for credit not processed. Shopify sends its own evidence on the due date anyway, so adding yours costs only your time.

A quick worksheet

Nobody can tell you the odds of a dispute. Decide on the evidence you have.

• Disputed amount: [amount].
• Chargeback fee for your country (returned only if the dispute is decided for you).
• Your time to gather evidence.
• The evidence you can show for this reason.