Evidence to save at fulfilment: a Shopify routine for Australian sellers

Most chargeback wins are decided before the chargeback exists. The photo you took of the packed parcel, the tracking screenshot, the order note: they take seconds at fulfilment and are very hard to recreate three months later. This guide shows what to save, and when.

The evidence to save at fulfilment is the set of records showing what you sold, what you packed, when and how it shipped, and how it was delivered. Save it the day you ship, label it, and keep it for 12 months, because a dispute can arrive months later.

This guide on the evidence to save at fulfilment is for you if:

• You pack orders yourself or with a small team and want a routine that does not slow you down.
• You have lost a dispute because you could not prove what was in the parcel or when it left.
• You want to know which records matter most for each Shopify dispute reason.

Last updated: 10 October 2026. Written by the ChargeFix team. Reviewed against sources on 10 October 2026.

The 30-second answer (TL;DR)

• Shopify automatically includes order details, addresses, IP, fulfilment and tracking, refunds, and prior orders and disputes. You add the rest: customer messages, policies, delivery photos and digital access logs.
• Save five things at fulfilment: the order as sold, a photo of what you packed, the label and tracking, the delivery proof, and any customer contact.
• Shopify accepts PDF, JPEG or PNG files, 2 MB each and 4 MB in total, one file per evidence type, with no links, audio or video. Capture in those formats at the time.
• Label every item with its type, date and what it shows. Reviewers may spend only minutes on a case.
• Scale the effort to the order: a light routine for small orders, a full pack for high-value ones.
• Keep records for at least 12 months, based on the longest cardholder dispute limit we found, 210 days, plus the response and decision periods.

Quick note: Evidence made after a dispute starts looks like evidence made after a dispute starts. A photo with a timestamp from the packing bench, or a tracking page saved the day the parcel was delivered, is believable because it was never made for a reviewer. That is the whole case for saving it at fulfilment.

The evidence to save at fulfilment at a glance

Moment	What to save	Dispute reasons it answers
Order placed	Order confirmation, product page and policy as shown	Product unacceptable, credit not processed, duplicate
Packing	Photo of items and packing, with the order number visible	Product unacceptable, product not received
Dispatch	Label, tracking number, carrier receipt	Product not received, fraudulent
Delivery	Tracking page, delivery photo or signature	Product not received, fraudulent, unrecognized
Any contact	Customer messages and your replies	All reasons

What evidence should you save at fulfilment?

Save the order as sold, a photo of what you packed, the label and tracking, the delivery proof, and any customer contact. Shopify's chargeback-process page says reviewers may spend minutes on a case, so the strongest direct proof should come first. Fulfilment evidence is the strongest kind because they were made before any dispute existed.

Shopify Payments includes a lot automatically: order details, addresses, IP address, fulfilment and tracking information, refunds, and prior orders and disputes. It also uploads a PDF of fulfilment events for "product not received" disputes. What it cannot see are the things in your hands: what was in the box, what the customer said to you, what your policy said when they bought, and where the courier actually left the parcel. Those are the items to capture. Our chargeback evidence checklist for Australian Shopify stores lists every item by dispute reason. This post is about the routine that produces the evidence to save at fulfilment, so the checklist is already done when a dispute lands.

Which five moments matter most?

The order, the pack, the dispatch, the delivery and any contact. Each answers a different question a reviewer asks.

Moment	The reviewer's question	Your answer
Order	What did the customer agree to buy and on what terms?	Order confirmation, product page and policy as shown at checkout
Pack	Did you send what they ordered?	Photo of items, packing slip and sealed parcel
Dispatch	When did it leave, and with whom?	Label, tracking number, drop-off or collection receipt
Delivery	Did it arrive where they asked?	Tracking record, delivery photo or signature
Contact	Did they raise a problem, and what happened?	Messages, refund or replacement offers

Why does timing matter so much?

Because a timestamp from the day is evidence, and a recreation is not. A reviewer sees your packing photo with the order number visible and a date, and can match it to the fulfilment date Shopify already supplied. A photo you took after the dispute opened proves only that you took a photo. The same goes for delivery: a tracking screenshot saved the day of delivery stays valid even if a carrier later removes the page.

Which Shopify dispute reasons does each record answer?

Each of Shopify's eight reasons has its own evidence list, and the fulfilment records map onto them closely. Product not received leans on fulfilment, tracking and delivery proof. Product unacceptable leans on descriptions, photos and returns. Credit not processed leans on policies and refund proof. Fraudulent and unrecognized lean on billing, IP and tracking.

Shopify's chargeback-reasons page, opened on 10 October 2026, lists these.

Shopify reason	Evidence Shopify lists	What to save at fulfilment
Fraudulent	Fulfilment date and time, billing information, IP address and country, shipping and tracking	Tracking record, delivery proof, matching addresses
Unrecognized	The same as fraudulent	The same, plus the order email showing your shop name
Product not received	Fulfilment date and time, billing information, shipping and tracking, digital activity log	Tracking, delivery photo, signature, ATL record
Product unacceptable	Fulfilment details, tracking, descriptions or pictures from your store, proof of any return or replacement	Packing photo, product page capture, return or replacement record
Credit not processed	Refund and return policies, when the customer was told, related emails, proof of any prior refund	Policy as shown at checkout, refund confirmation
Duplicate	Explanation of two charges, receipts for separate items, communications	Both order confirmations and receipts
Subscription canceled	Cancellation policy, notices, activity log after the cancellation date	Policy capture, cancellation emails, access log
General	Product details, communications, tracking, proof of prior refunds	A short summary file linking the above

Our posts on item not received disputes with Australia Post and tracking says delivered but the customer says not received show how the delivery records are used.

What does Shopify not capture for you?

Photos, signatures, messages outside Shopify, and anything stored in another system. Shopify's chargeback-process page says to add customer communications, policies, delivery photos and digital access logs yourself. If a customer messages you on social media, by phone or in a separate inbox, Shopify cannot see it. If you want it as evidence, save it at the time as a screenshot or PDF.

How do you save evidence in a form Shopify will accept?

Capture it in PDF, JPEG or PNG, keep each file under 2 MB, and keep the total under 4 MB. Shopify allows one file per evidence type, with no links, audio or video, so combine related items into a single PDF. PDF/A files must be under 50 pages. Do the combining at fulfilment, not on deadline day.

The upload rules are strict, which is why the format matters. Shopify says to use screenshots of tracking and messages instead of links. A link to a carrier page can change or expire; a screenshot cannot. The due date follows your store's timezone and is 11:59 PM if no time is shown. Evidence can be edited until the due date but not after you select Submit now. Our post on the Shopify chargeback deadline in Australia goes through the rule.

Rule	Detail	Practical effect
File types	PDF, JPEG or PNG	Convert HEIC or screenshots before saving
File size	2 MB per file, 4 MB total	Compress photos at capture
Files per type	One per evidence type	Merge related items into one PDF
Links, audio, video	Not accepted	Screenshot instead of link
PDF/A	Under 50 pages	Keep the pack short
Editing	Until the due date, not after Submit now	Finish early

How should you name and label files?

Use a name that shows the order, the item and the date, so you can find it in seconds and a reviewer can read it. Shopify's page says to label each item with its type, date and what it shows. A consistent file name makes that automatic.

FILE NAMING PATTERN

[ORDER NUMBER]_[EVIDENCE TYPE]_[YYYY-MM-DD].pdf

Examples:
#1042_packing-photo_2026-10-21.jpg
#1042_tracking-delivered_2026-10-26.pdf
#1042_policy-at-checkout_2026-10-20.pdf
#1042_customer-messages_2026-12-03.pdf
#1042_refund-confirmation_2026-11-02.pdf

Add a one-line caption in the PDF or the order note: "Tracking page captured 26 October 2026, shows delivery to 12 Example St, Sydney NSW 2000 at 2.14pm." That is the type, date and what it shows, as Shopify asks.

What does a routine for the evidence to save at fulfilment look like day to day?

A good routine is short, repeatable and tiered by order value. Small orders get a light routine that relies on what Shopify already records. Mid-value orders add a packing photo and a tracking capture. High-value orders get the full pack, including a signature on delivery where the carrier offers it.

Here is an example of a three-tier routine. The tiers and values are our suggestion, not a Shopify rule, so adjust the dollar lines to suit your margins.

Tier	Order value	What to save	Time per order
Light	Under A$50	Rely on Shopify's automatic records, keep the policy page capture	0 minutes
Standard	A$50 to A$200	Packing photo with order number, tracking capture on delivery	About 2 minutes
Full	Over A$200	Packing photo, item close-ups, signature or ATL photo, tracking capture, order note	About 6 minutes

For a store taking 100 orders in a month, with 60 light, 30 standard and 10 full, the time is 0 + (30 × 2) + (10 × 6) = 120 minutes, or two hours a month. That is a small price against one lost dispute, as the next example shows.

Illustration: a dated A$420 order with a full pack

A customer orders A$420 of goods on Tuesday 20 October 2026. You pack on Wednesday 21 October, ship on Thursday 22 October and tracking shows delivery on Monday 26 October 2026. The customer disputes on Thursday 3 December 2026, 38 days after delivery, as "product not received".

Date	Event	Evidence you saved
Tuesday 20 October 2026	Order placed	Order confirmation, policy page capture
Wednesday 21 October 2026	Packed	Photo of items, packing slip and sealed parcel
Thursday 22 October 2026	Shipped	Label, tracking number, drop-off receipt
Monday 26 October 2026	Delivered	Tracking capture, delivery photo
Thursday 3 December 2026	Dispute opened	Reason: product not received
Thursday 10 to Thursday 24 December 2026	Response window	7 to 21 days from the notice
Tuesday 8 December 2026	You submit	Pack was ready, so no rush
Sunday 21 February 2027	Latest bank decision	75 days after submission

The goods cost A$190, postage was A$18, and processing was A$7.44 (1.7% of A$420 is A$7.14, plus 30 cents). Lose and you are minus A$240.44 including the reported A$25 fee. Win with the fee returned and you are plus A$204.56. The gap between the two outcomes is A$445.00, the A$420 sale plus the fee. That is what a ready evidence pack is protecting. The A$25 is a third-party figure that we could not find on Shopify's Australian pages, so confirm it with Shopify Support.

What should an order note say?

Short, factual and dated. A note on the order takes a minute and stays attached to the order. Use this template.

ORDER NOTE (add at dispatch)

Order: #[NUMBER]    Packed by: [NAME]    Date: [DATE]
Items packed: [ITEM x QTY, ITEM x QTY] - matches order: [YES]
Condition at packing: [e.g. new, sealed, checked for damage]
Packing photo: saved as [FILE NAME]
Carrier and service: [e.g. Australia Post Parcel Post, signature
  required: YES/NO, authority to leave: YES/NO]
Tracking number: [NUMBER]
Handed to carrier: [DATE, TIME, drop-off or pickup]
Delivery address checked against order: [YES]
Notes: [e.g. customer asked for delivery after 3pm]

What extra records do special orders need?

Orders with longer lead times, personalised items, digital delivery or overseas shipping need a few extra records, because the standard five do not show the whole story. Save the customer's agreement to the terms, the production proof, and the access or customs records that match the product type.

Order type	Extra evidence to save	Why it matters
Pre-order or backorder	Delivery estimate shown at checkout, update emails	Shows the customer knew the delay; see pre-order disputes
Personalised or made to order	Customer approval of the proof, spelling or size confirmation	Shows what they asked for
Digital goods	Activity log showing download or access, with dates	Shopify lists it for product not received and subscriptions
International order	Customs declaration, duties terms, delivery scans	See international orders and customs disputes
Address changed after order	The customer's written request and your confirmation	See wrong address chargebacks
Return received	Return label, tracking and receipt photo	See customer returns lost in the post
Pick-up in person	Signed collection slip or photo ID check note	Shows who collected

Digital goods are an example of why the routine differs by product. Shopify says an activity log showing access can answer both product-not-received and subscription-cancelled disputes.

What about delivery photos and signatures?

Save whatever the carrier gives you as fulfilment evidence, and know what each one offers. Australia Post's authority to leave page says a driver who leaves a parcel in a safe place photographs where it was left and may leave a notification card. Aramex's FAQ says proof of delivery, including a photo of where it was delivered, is available through its portal. A Shippit support article says not every delivery includes a photo and that a signature or slip depends on the carrier.

We could not verify proof of delivery options for Sendle or StarTrack, so check what your carriers offer before you rely on them. Our post on authority to leave and safe place delivery in Australia explains what the option means for liability, and the Australia Post page we opened does not itself address who is liable.

Proof	What it shows	Limit
Tracking record	Scan events and a delivered status	Does not show who received it
Delivery photo	Where the parcel was left	Not every delivery has one
Signature	Who accepted it	Not available for every service
Authority to leave record	The customer or you chose safe-place delivery	Liability is a separate question
Customer message	The customer acknowledged the parcel	Only if they actually wrote one

How long should you keep fulfilment evidence, and where?

Keep it for at least 12 months from the sale. The longest cardholder limit we found is 210 days for eftpos, according to NAB's merchant page, and the response and decision periods can add roughly another 96 days. Store it in a folder per order, a shared drive or the order notes, and keep personal information secure.

Our post on chargeback time limits in Australia shows how those windows stack up. Consumer Affairs Victoria says customers have roughly 45 to 120 days depending on the provider, but the page was last updated in 2023, so plan for the longer figure. Tax records follow separate periods set by the ATO or your accountant, and we have not given a figure for those.

Where	Good for	Watch for
Shopify order notes and timeline	Short notes, links to files	Not suited to large photos
A cloud folder per month and order number	Photos, PDFs and screenshots	Keep names consistent
A shared drive for a team	Several packers	Control who can access customer details
A dispute-ready PDF per high-value order	The Full tier	Keep under 2 MB per file

Because the pack contains customer names and addresses, store it where only the people who need it can open it, and delete it when your retention period ends. We have not cited a specific Australian privacy rule here, so check your own obligations.

Use this checklist at the packing bench.

FULFILMENT EVIDENCE CHECKLIST

BEFORE YOU PACK
[ ] Order number visible on the packing slip
[ ] Items match the order (count and variant)
[ ] Item condition checked

PACK
[ ] Photo: items laid out with the order number visible
[ ] Photo: parcel sealed with the address label
[ ] Fragile or high value: close-up of the item and padding

DISPATCH
[ ] Label address matches the order address
[ ] Tracking number written on the order note
[ ] Signature or authority to leave choice noted
[ ] Drop-off receipt or pickup scan saved

DELIVERY
[ ] Tracking page captured the day it shows delivered
[ ] Delivery photo or signature saved
[ ] Customer sent a delivery notice from Shopify

CONTACT
[ ] Messages saved as PDF or screenshot with dates
[ ] Refund or replacement confirmations saved

How do you keep saving evidence at fulfilment when you are busy or work with a team?

Make the routine small, put it on the packing slip, and give each packer the same checklist. The evidence to save at fulfilment only works if it happens every time, so the aim is a habit that survives a busy day. Tier it by order value so the effort goes where the risk is, and agree who owns each record.

Busy periods are when the routine slips and when disputes come later. Sale events such as Click Frenzy on 12 November 2026, Black Friday on 27 November and Cyber Monday on 30 November concentrate orders into days when nobody has time. Disputes from those orders can arrive from December through to June 2027, depending on the limits in our post on chargeback time limits in Australia. The Light tier above is designed to survive a rush: it asks for nothing beyond what Shopify already records.

Team situation	What to set up	Who owns it
You pack alone	A phone shortcut that saves a photo into a dated folder	You
One or two packers	The checklist printed at the bench; order notes filled at dispatch	The packer on shift
A larger team	A named person checks 10 random orders a week for photos and notes	The fulfilment lead
Outsourced packing	A written request for photos or confirmations per order	You, with the provider

What if someone else ships your orders?

If a supplier or a packing provider ships for you, ask in writing what records they can supply per order: a packing photo, the label, the tracking number and the delivery proof. We have no source on what any particular provider offers, so treat this as a question to put to them. Without those records, your evidence to save at fulfilment is limited to what Shopify records and what the carrier shows. Our post on dropshipping chargebacks in Australia covers that case.

How do you check the routine is working?

Once a month, pick five shipped orders at random and try to build a response from the saved items alone. If you can fill the evidence table for each in five minutes, the routine works. If not, find the missing record and fix the step that should have produced it. Treat it like a fire drill: better to find the gap on a quiet day than on a deadline day.

Monthly test	Pass if
Open the folder for a random order	You find the packing photo and tracking capture in under a minute
Read the order note	It names the carrier, tracking number and handover date
Check the policy capture	It shows the policy version the customer saw
Check file sizes	Every file is under 2 MB and in PDF, JPEG or PNG format

What's different for Australian merchants?

The differences for Australian merchants are in the carriers, the dispute fee and the time limits. Delivery proof depends on which Australian carrier you use, the fee is unconfirmed on Shopify's pages, and customers can dispute for months. Consumer law runs alongside, so your records also help you resolve genuine problems.

• Carrier proof varies. Australia Post, Aramex and others offer different delivery proof, and not every delivery has a photo. Sendle and StarTrack options are unverified.
• Authority to leave needs a record. If the customer chose it, save the checkout choice, because the Australia Post page does not address liability.
• Time zones matter for deadlines. The due date follows your store's timezone, and is 11:59 PM if no time is shown.
• Banks look at reasonable efforts. AFCA says it checks whether the bank made reasonable efforts and cannot review a scheme decision, so clean records help at every stage.
• The fee needs confirming. Shopify's Australian pricing page lists card rates and no dispute fee. Third parties report A$25, and NAB charges its own merchants A$25.
• Address checks differ. Shopify's AVS advice names the US, UK and Canada, not Australia, so your own address match note matters more.
• Consumer law is separate. Under Australian Consumer Law, a major problem entitles a customer to a refund whatever your records show. See major vs minor failures.
• Other payment methods differ. Afterpay and PayPal use their own systems. See Afterpay and Zip disputes and PayPal disputes.

What mistakes make the evidence to save at fulfilment useless?

The common mistake with the evidence to save at fulfilment is saving it too late or in the wrong form. After that come unlabelled photos, links instead of screenshots, files over 2 MB and records that sit in one person's phone. Each one is easy to avoid with a routine.

1. Waiting for the dispute. A recreated record looks recreated.
2. Saving links instead of screenshots. Shopify does not accept links, and pages change.
3. Unlabelled photos. Without the order number and date, a photo proves little.
4. Files over 2 MB. The upload fails on deadline day. Compress at capture.
5. Evidence on a personal phone. If the packer leaves, the evidence goes with them.
6. Not saving the policy as shown at checkout. Policies change, and you need the version the customer saw.
7. Skipping contact records. Messages outside Shopify are invisible to it.
8. Applying the full pack to everything. It wastes time on small orders. Tier the routine.

Frequently asked questions

What evidence should I save at fulfilment?

Save the order as sold, a photo of what you packed with the order number visible, the label and tracking number, the delivery proof, and any customer messages. Shopify adds order details, addresses, IP, fulfilment and tracking automatically. You add photos, messages, policies and access logs.

Does Shopify save evidence automatically?

Partly. For Shopify Payments disputes it includes order details, addresses, IP, fulfilment and tracking, refunds, and prior orders and disputes. It also uploads a PDF of fulfilment events for product not received. It cannot see delivery photos, messages outside Shopify, or what you packed.

What file formats does Shopify accept for evidence?

PDF, JPEG or PNG. Each file can be up to 2 MB and the total up to 4 MB, with one file per evidence type. Links, audio and video are not accepted, and PDF/A files must be under 50 pages. Use screenshots in place of links.

How long should I keep evidence?

At least 12 months from the sale. The longest cardholder limit we found is 210 days for eftpos, and the response and decision periods can add roughly another 96 days. Keep anything tied to an open dispute until it closes, and a won dispute can be re-opened.

Do I need a photo of every parcel?

Not necessarily. We suggest tiering by value: rely on Shopify's records for small orders, add a packing photo and tracking capture for mid-value orders, and use the full pack for high-value orders. The tiers are our suggestion, and you should set the dollar lines to fit your margins.

What proof of delivery can I get from Australian carriers?

It varies. Australia Post drivers photograph where a parcel is left under authority to leave, and Aramex provides a delivery photo through its portal. Shippit says not every delivery includes a photo. We could not verify Sendle or StarTrack options, so check with your carrier.

Is a tracking page enough evidence?

It is useful but may not be enough alone. Tracking shows a delivered scan, not who received it. Add a delivery photo, a signature or a customer message where you have them. Save the page as a screenshot the day it shows delivered, because pages can change.

Should I save customer messages?

Yes. Shopify says to add customer communications yourself. Save any conversation from email, social media or phone as a dated PDF or screenshot, and label it. Messages that show the customer acknowledged the parcel or raised no problem are often the strongest items.

Can saving evidence stop a chargeback?

No, but it makes a response stronger and can help you decide early whether to fight or refund. Shopify says the bank decides, and winning does not remove a dispute from your chargeback rate. Good records also support an appeal if a reserve is placed on your account.

Start free trial with ChargeFix

ChargeFix helps Australian Shopify merchants turn their order, delivery, message and policy records into a ready response. You review and file it, or let Auto mode handle them. If you want the evidence to save at fulfilment organised and ready before a dispute lands, you can try it on a free trial first.

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Sources

• Responding to chargebacks and inquiries, Shopify Help Center
• Chargeback reasons, Shopify Help Center
• Preventing chargebacks and inquiries, Shopify Help Center
• Chargebacks and inquiries, Shopify Help Center
• Chargeback and dispute monitoring, Shopify Help Center
• Shopify pricing, Australia
• What is authority to leave, Australia Post
• FAQ, Aramex Australia
• Chargebacks: prevention and dispute guide for merchants, NAB
• Chargebacks, Consumer Affairs Victoria
• Chargebacks factsheet, Australian Financial Complaints Authority
• Repair, replace, refund, cancel, ACCC