Authority to leave: safe-place delivery for Shopify stores

Authority to leave looks like a gift to a busy online store. The courier does not need anyone home, fewer parcels bounce back to a depot, and customers stop complaining about missed deliveries. Then one Monday a customer says the parcel was never there, and you realise the same feature that saved you a failed delivery has just taken away your signature.

Authority to leave is the instruction that lets a courier leave a parcel at the delivery address without handing it to a person. It is convenient and, handled well, it can leave you with better evidence than a signature. Handled badly, it is a standing invitation to a "delivered but not received" dispute. This guide shows how it works with Australia Post, when to offer it, how to word it at checkout, and what to keep so you can prove it later.

This guide is for you if:

You offer, or are thinking about offering, authority to leave or safe-drop delivery on your Shopify store.
You have had a delivered parcel disputed and want to know whether authority to leave helped or hurt.
You want a simple policy that cuts failed deliveries without opening you to avoidable chargebacks.

Last updated: 9 October 2026. Written by the ChargeFix team. Reviewed against sources on 9 October 2026.

The 30-second answer (TL;DR)

Authority to leave (ATL), which Australia Post also calls Safe Drop, lets a driver leave a parcel at the address when nobody is home, but only where there is a safe spot.
According to Australia Post's business page, the sender sets up the option. It can appear as a checkout choice, automatic or customer-selected, and customers can also authorise it through their My Post account while the parcel is in transit.
The driver is supposed to knock or buzz, choose a spot that is not visible from the street and is sheltered, scan the parcel, photograph where it was left, and leave a notification card.
That photo is your best evidence. Without it, an ATL parcel is the hardest kind to defend.
Australia Post lists unsuitable locations, including high foot traffic, properties close to the street, inaccessible apartments, unattended mail rooms and places with no weather or pet protection.
The Australia Post page does not address who bears the risk of loss or theft for ATL parcels, so do not assume you are covered.
Offer ATL on lower-value orders and let the customer choose. Require a signature or a pick-up option on high-value orders.

Quick note: Authority to leave transfers a convenience to the customer and a burden of proof to you. The customer saves a trip. You, as the seller, need the photo, the checkout record and the address to show it was a fair arrangement.

Authority to leave at a glance

Question	Short answer
What is it?	A courier instruction to leave the parcel at the address without handing it to a person
Who sets it up?	The sender, for Australia Post business services, plus the customer through My Post in transit
Where does the parcel go?	A safe spot that is sheltered and not visible from the street
What proof is created?	A photo of where it was left and a notification card
What does the page not say?	Who carries the risk of loss or theft
Best fit	Lower-value orders with a customer who chose it

What is authority to leave and safe place delivery?

Authority to leave is permission for a courier to leave a parcel without a face-to-face handover, which is why it is also called safe place delivery. In Australia you will also hear it called safe drop, safe place delivery or leave at door.

Australia Post's explanation, on its business ideas page, is that ATL "saves customers a trip to collect the item, if that's their preference". It applies only where the property has a safe spot. If there is no safe place, the driver leaves a notification card and the parcel goes to a nearby Post Office for collection.

For a Shopify merchant, three facts matter.

It is a choice someone makes. Either you turn it on for the order, or the customer authorises it. Who made the choice is a key piece of evidence.

It changes what proof exists. A normal delivery may have a scan and nothing else. An ATL delivery is supposed to come with a photo of the drop location.

It shifts the dispute. A customer who says "I never got it" is now arguing about a parcel that was left somewhere, not handed over. The reviewer will want to know whether leaving it there was reasonable.

How does Australia Post's Safe Drop work, step by step?

The business page describes this sequence for drivers:

Go to the front door, knock or buzz, and call out.
Check for a safe spot: not visible from the street, and sheltered from the weather.
Scan the parcel and photograph where it was left.
Complete a notification card showing where the parcel was left.

If those steps are followed, you should end up with a scan, a photo and a card. If the customer later says there was no card or the photo does not show their door, you have a clear path to a carrier enquiry.

Where can't ATL be used?

The same page lists unsuitable locations:

addresses with high foot traffic
properties close to the street
apartments not accessible for delivery
apartment mail rooms with no one in attendance
locations with no protection from weather or pets

Read that list against your customer base. If many of your customers live in apartments, a blanket "leave it anywhere" policy will not match what the courier is allowed to do, and it will produce more dispute-prone deliveries.

Does authority to leave help or hurt in a dispute?

It can do either. The deciding factor is the quality of the record.

When it helps

A clear drop photo. It shows the parcel at the property. A reviewer can see it was delivered, and where.
A customer choice you can prove. If the customer ticked ATL at checkout, you have a record that they asked for it.
A matching address. The photo plus the order address makes a coherent story.
Customer messages. "Thanks, found it behind the plant" ends the discussion.

When it hurts

The same feature that prevents a failed delivery can create a delivered but not received claim.

No photo. An ATL delivery with no photo is a parcel left somewhere with no evidence of where.
ATL applied without the customer's choice. If you made it the default for every order and the customer never saw it, the reviewer may think the parcel was left without permission.
An unsuitable address. A parcel left in a shared hallway or near the street will look careless.
Theft after the drop. The courier recorded a delivery, the customer lost the parcel, and the question of who carries the loss is not answered on the Australia Post page we reviewed.

Illustration: ATL versus signature on a A$150 order

Assume a store ships 300 orders a month at an average of A$150. These are made-up numbers to show the trade-off.

	ATL with photo	Signature required
Failed first deliveries per month	15	60
Cost per failed delivery (redelivery, support time)	A$8	A$8
Cost of failures	A$120	A$480
Delivered-but-disputed claims per month	3	1
Cost per lost dispute (A$150 + A$25 fee)	A$175	A$175
Cost of disputes if all are lost	A$525	A$175
Total	A$645	A$655

The two options cost about the same in this example, and neither is a clear winner. The point is that ATL saves failed deliveries but costs disputes, and signatures do the opposite. Change the numbers to match your store before you decide. We have not verified what each carrier charges for a signature option.

Should you offer authority to leave?

Use the order value, the address type and your dispute history.

Factor	Lean toward offering ATL	Lean away from ATL
Order value	Under about A$100 (your threshold)	Over about A$300 (your threshold)
Address type	House with a covered porch	Apartment, shared hallway, street frontage
Customer	Chose it, or known repeat buyer	Unknown, high-risk order
Product	Durable, not tempting to thieves	Small, high resale value
Your dispute history	Few delivered-but-missing claims	Several recent claims
Photo availability	Carrier reliably provides a photo	No photo for your service

The thresholds are examples. Pick numbers that match your margins.

A simple policy that works for most stores

Default off, customer opt-in. Offer ATL as a checkbox at checkout, not an automatic setting.
Block it on high-value orders. Require a signature or a pick-up option above your threshold.
Block it on risky addresses. If your address data shows an apartment or business, turn it off or warn the customer.
Keep the checkbox record. The customer's choice is evidence.
Save every drop photo. Download it when the delivery completes, not months later.

Australia Post's page says the sender can make ATL automatic or let the customer choose. For delivered but not received disputes, that choice matters. Because you may not be able to prove the customer's consent for an automatic setting, we recommend customer choice for most stores. We did not verify the exact Shopify setup steps for each shipping integration, so check how your app or carrier account handles it.

How should you word authority to leave at checkout?

Clear wording protects you and the customer. Vague wording invites arguments.

A checkbox label

Allow the courier to leave my parcel in a safe place at my address if I'm not home. I understand it may be left out of sight of the street and I'll check the spot.

A line in the shipping policy

If you choose Authority to Leave, the courier may leave your parcel in a safe, sheltered spot at your address when no one is home. The courier records where it was left. If you don't choose it, a notification card will be left and your parcel can be collected from a nearby Post Office.

A line in the shipping confirmation email

Your parcel is on its way. You chose Authority to Leave, so if you're not home it may be left in a safe spot at your address. We'll email you when it's delivered, with a photo if the carrier provides one. If you can't find it, reply to this email.

These lines do three jobs. They show the customer knew. They explain what will happen. They invite contact before a bank is involved.

What should the delivered email say?

Your parcel was delivered on [date]. [If a photo is available: the driver photographed where it was left, attached.] Please check the spot and reply if you can't find it. We'll lodge an enquiry with the carrier straight away.

If a photo is attached and the customer replies "yes, that's my porch", the dispute risk almost disappears.

What evidence do you keep from an ATL delivery?

Treat each ATL delivery as a small evidence file.

The checkout record. A screenshot or export showing the customer chose ATL.
The tracking page. With the delivered status, date and address.
The drop photo. Saved as an image under 2 MB.
The notification card detail, if the carrier provides it.
Your emails. The shipping confirmation and delivered notice.
The customer's replies.

If a dispute opens, Shopify's reason page for product not received suggests fulfilment date and time, billing information, shipping and tracking, and access logs for digital goods. Shopify also auto-uploads a PDF of all fulfilment events. Add the checkout record and the photo, and use the chargeback evidence checklist for file rules: PDF, JPEG or PNG, 2 MB per file, 4 MB total, one file per evidence type.

What if there is no photo?

Not every delivery produces one, and a delivered but not received claim with no photo is hard to answer. The business page describes photographing as a driver step, and a Shippit help article notes that not every delivery includes photos and it depends on the carrier and service level. If you have no photo, rely on the delivered scan, the address match, the checkout record and the messages, and be honest in your cover note. Then ask the carrier whether a photo exists.

How should safe place delivery change by product type?

Safe place delivery suits some products and not others. The test is simple: how bad is it if this parcel is left outside for a few hours, and how tempting is it to someone walking past?

Product type	Safe place delivery fit	Why
Bulky, low resale value (homewares, bedding)	Good	Little theft appeal, tolerates a short wait
Small, high resale value (electronics, jewellery)	Poor	Easy to take, costly to lose
Heat or moisture sensitive (cosmetics, food, supplements)	Poor	Weather and heat damage risk, and the customer may blame you
Fragile items	Mixed	A rough drop is a separate claim from not received
Personalised or custom goods	Poor	Cannot be resold, so a loss is total
Low-value consumables	Good	A small loss is easier to absorb

Use the table as a first filter, then override it with your own history. If one product line produces most of your delivered-but-missing claims, switch ATL off for that line and see whether the claims fall.

Illustration: switching ATL off for one line

A store sells 400 orders a month. Eighty are small electronics at an average of A$180, and ATL is on for all orders. Over a quarter it has nine delivered-but-missing disputes, seven of them electronics.

Seven disputes at A$180 plus the A$25 fee is A$205 each, or A$1,435 if all are lost. If the store requires a signature on electronics, it may add some failed deliveries, but the seven disputes become a handful at most. These are assumed numbers, and the point is to look at which products drive the loss before you change a store-wide policy.

What should you know about safe place delivery for apartments and shared addresses?

Apartments are where safe place delivery most often goes wrong, and Australia Post's own page lists apartments that are not accessible for delivery and mail rooms with no one in attendance as unsuitable locations.

A few practical rules follow.

Collect the unit number and any entry instructions at checkout, as separate fields if your theme allows.
Turn off or warn about ATL when the address looks like a unit or business.
Offer a pick-up option, such as collection from a Post Office, for customers who cannot receive at home.
Tell the customer how the courier will find them, for example by buzzer number or intercom.
Do not promise a specific drop spot. The driver decides where is safe.

If you see repeated delivered but not received complaints from the same building or street, look at that address pattern before you blame the customers.

What does a good ATL set-up checklist look like?

Run through this list before you switch authority to leave on, and again once a quarter.

ATL is a customer choice at checkout, not an invisible default
The checkbox wording explains what will happen
High-value orders require a signature or offer a pick-up option
Unit numbers and entry notes are collected
The shipping policy explains ATL in plain words
The shipping confirmation email repeats the choice
The delivered email asks the customer to check the spot
Drop photos are downloaded and saved on delivery day
The checkout record is exportable for each order
Someone checks monthly for delivered but not received claims by area and product

If you can tick all ten, you have a policy that protects customers and gives you a defensible pack.

How do you audit authority to leave each month?

A short monthly review shows whether the policy is working.

Count ATL orders and failed deliveries for the month.
Count delivered-but-missing complaints and note whether each had a photo.
List disputes that came from ATL orders, with the outcome.
Add up the cost: order value, fees and time for any lost disputes.
Compare with the previous month and with the cost of failed deliveries.
Change one thing if the numbers say so, such as lowering the order-value threshold.

Over a few months the log tells you what a fair threshold looks like for your products and customers. It also helps you answer Shopify's account health questions. Every dispute counts toward your chargeback rate, and Shopify's monitoring page says a won dispute does not remove it, so see Shopify chargeback rate and account health for why this matters.

Worked example: a safe place delivery policy in numbers

Illustration: before and after

A store ships 250 orders a month at an average of A$130, with ATL automatic on every order. Assumed figures follow.

Measure	Before	After
ATL setting	Automatic	Customer choice, off above A$250
Failed first deliveries	10	18
Cost per failed delivery	A$8	A$8
Delivered-but-missing disputes lost	4	1
Cost per lost dispute (A$130 + A$25)	A$155	A$155
Monthly cost	A$80 + A$620 = A$700	A$144 + A$155 = A$299

The change cost the store eight more failed deliveries a month, and saved three lost disputes. Net, it is about A$400 better off in this example. Your numbers will differ, so run the same sum with your own data. What matters is that you measure both sides, because failed deliveries and disputes pull in opposite directions.

What happens when an ATL parcel goes missing?

Follow the sequence in our guide to tracking says delivered but the customer says no, with these ATL-specific steps.

Share the drop photo with the customer and ask whether it matches their property.
Ask them to check the exact spot, plus neighbours and household members.
Lodge a carrier enquiry asking for the delivery location, the photo and the scan details.
Decide on the evidence. A matching photo and a customer who chose ATL is a strong position. A missing photo or a mismatch is a weak one.
If it is an inquiry, consider a full refund, which ends it. If it is a chargeback, you cannot refund, so respond or accept.

Illustration: a stolen porch parcel

A customer chose ATL on a A$140 order. The driver photographed the parcel on a covered porch on Friday 9 October 2026. The customer says it was gone when they got home. The bank files a dispute on Monday 26 October: A$140 and a A$25 fee are taken.

Evidence	Have it?
Customer chose ATL at checkout	Yes, screenshot
Delivered scan, date and address	Yes
Drop photo showing the porch	Yes
Customer message confirming the porch is theirs	Yes

You fight and submit a pack of five files. Whether the issuer treats a theft after delivery as the merchant's problem is up to the issuer, and we cannot predict it. In the meantime, you have also asked Australia Post whether any claim is possible. Its compensation page covers lost items sent within Australia, but it does not address safe-drop theft, so ask before you count on it.

How does ATL fit with returns and exchanges?

Return parcels have the opposite problem. If you send a prepaid return label, the customer drops it off, and the proof of lodgement is theirs. We cover the return side in a separate post on customer returns lost in the post. For now, remember that ATL applies to deliveries to the customer, not to returns.

What do you say to a customer who does not want authority to leave?

Some customers prefer a signature or a Post Office pick-up, and that is a perfectly good choice. Make it easy for them and keep the record.

Hi [name], no problem. We've switched your order to signature on delivery, so the courier will only hand it over in person, or leave a card so you can collect it from a nearby Post Office. This may mean a short wait if you're not home. Reply if you'd like to change it back.

Save the message. If the same customer later disputes a delivery, the record shows their preference was respected, and if the parcel went somewhere else, the carrier enquiry has a clear starting point.

What's different for Australian merchants?

The courier sets the rules. Australia Post's page lists where ATL is and is not suitable, and a driver may decline to leave a parcel. Check your carrier's terms for any other service.

Housing mix. Many Australian customers live in apartments, townhouses or shared properties. That makes careful wording and address checks important.

Weather and pets. Australia Post's unsuitable list includes places with no weather or pet protection. Parcels left outdoors in heat or rain can be damaged, and a damage claim is a different dispute from not received.

Local time, local money. Use A$ and write dates in full in cover notes, such as 9 October 2026.

Consumer law and delivery. The ACCC's refund guidance covers failed consumer guarantees, and says "no refund" terms do not override consumer rights. It does not address risk after a parcel is left in a safe place, and we have not verified that point. Do not rely on a line that says "responsibility ends once the parcel is left".

Long cardholder windows. NAB gives cardholders up to 120 days for Visa and Mastercard disputes, varying by reason, and 210 days for eftpos. CHOICE reports it can run from the expected delivery date, up to 540 days for Visa. Keep your photos and checkout records for months.

Common mistakes

Making ATL the default for everyone

You lose the customer's consent record and invite disputes on unsuitable addresses.

Using ATL on high-value orders

Above your threshold, the cost of one lost dispute outweighs the convenience.

Not saving the photo

Photos on a tracking page can disappear. Download them on delivery day.

Vague wording

"Safe place" means different things to different people. Say where and what.

Treating the customer's address as fixed

Check for units, apartments and business addresses before you allow ATL.

Assuming the carrier is liable

The Australia Post page we reviewed does not address liability for ATL parcels. Ask in writing.

Forgetting the dispute clock

The Shopify due date is usually 7 to 21 days after filing. Evidence locks after you click Submit now. See the chargeback deadline guide.

What we could not verify

Who bears the risk of loss or theft for ATL parcels. Australia Post's business page does not address it.
Whether every ATL delivery produces a photo. The page describes it as a driver step.
How to switch ATL on in each Shopify shipping setup. It depends on your app or carrier account.
How a card issuer weighs a drop photo versus a signature.
ATL practices at Sendle, StarTrack and Aramex. See our post on courier proof of delivery.

If a decision depends on one of these, ask the carrier in writing and keep the reply.

Frequently asked questions

What is authority to leave?

Authority to leave is permission for a courier to leave a parcel at the delivery address without handing it to someone. Australia Post calls it Safe Drop. The driver chooses a sheltered spot out of sight of the street, scans the parcel, photographs where it was left, and leaves a notification card.

Who sets up authority to leave with Australia Post?

According to Australia Post's business page, the sender sets up the option, and it can appear as a checkout choice that is automatic or customer-selected. Customers can also authorise it through their My Post account while the parcel is in transit.

Is authority to leave good or bad for chargebacks?

It cuts failed deliveries but can add delivered-but-missing claims. It helps when you have a drop photo, a matching address and proof the customer chose it. It hurts when there is no photo, the address is unsuitable, or ATL was applied without the customer's choice.

Who is liable if a parcel left under authority to leave is stolen?

Australia Post's business page on authority to leave does not address liability, so we cannot say. Its compensation page covers lost items sent within Australia but does not mention safe drop. Ask Australia Post in writing before relying on a claim, and keep your evidence either way.

Should I use authority to leave on expensive orders?

Usually not. Above your own threshold, a signature, a pick-up option or insured delivery makes more sense, because one lost dispute costs the order value plus the A$25 fee. Choose the threshold from your margins, your product mix and your dispute history, and review it every quarter.

What proof does authority to leave create?

Australia Post's page describes the driver photographing where the parcel was left and completing a notification card. You also have the delivered scan and, if you offered it at checkout, the customer's choice. Save the photo promptly and attach it to any dispute.

Can I use a drop photo in a Shopify dispute?

Yes. Shopify accepts PDF, JPEG and PNG files up to 2 MB each and 4 MB in total, with one file per evidence type. Add the photo to the tracking screenshot and cover note. Links are not accepted, so upload the image itself.

What if the customer did not choose authority to leave?

Your position is weaker, because the reviewer may question whether leaving it there was authorised. Rely on the delivered scan, the photo, the address match and your messages, and consider a refund if the value is small and the evidence thin.

How long should I keep ATL photos and records?

At least as long as the cardholder's dispute window, which is often up to 120 days and sometimes longer, plus the time the bank takes to decide. We could not verify a legal retention period, so ask your accountant about general business records.

Start free trial with ChargeFix

ChargeFix helps Australian Shopify merchants turn their order, delivery and message records into a ready response. You review and file it, or let Auto mode handle them. If authority to leave deliveries are turning into disputes, you can try it on a free trial first.

Start free trial