Your Shopify dispute says the reason is "General". Not fraud, not a missing parcel, not a faulty product. Just money gone from your balance and a deadline ticking. Here is how to find out what the customer really means.
To respond to a general dispute, first find out what the customer is really claiming, because "General" is only a catch-all label. Then send one tidy, labelled file: the order, payment checks, delivery proof, customer messages and any refund. Submit it days before the due date.
This guide is for you if:
- You sell on Shopify in Australia and a dispute has just arrived marked "General".
- You cannot tell what the customer is unhappy about.
- You want a file a bank reviewer can follow in two minutes, and a straight answer on whether a fight is worth it.
Last updated: 19 October 2026. Written by the ChargeFix team. Reviewed against sources on 19 October 2026.
The 30-second answer (TL;DR)
- "General" is a catch-all label. It tells you almost nothing, so your first job is finding the real complaint.
- Five quick checks usually find it: the amount, the timing, your inbox, the order timeline and the delivery.
- Lead with the proof that answers that complaint, then add everything else in date order, each item labelled.
- A lost dispute costs the amount plus the A$25 fee. A win returns both.
- Even a win still counts in your chargeback rate, so prevention matters.
- Submit days early. Shopify Payments sends whatever is on file when the due date arrives.
Do this today (10 minutes):
- Write down the amount, the reason and the due date.
- Search your inbox for the customer's email address and the order number.
- Open the tracking page and screenshot it.
Those three steps usually reveal the real claim.
From dispute to decision
| Stage | What happens | Your move |
|---|---|---|
| Day 0: dispute lands | The amount and the A$25 fee come out of your balance | Read the reason, the amount and the due date |
| Days 1 to 3 | The window runs, usually 7 to 21 days | Work out the real claim, export the order record |
| Days 4 to 8 | Gaps get filled | Contact the customer, save messages and tracking |
| Before the due date | You respond | Submit a finished file a few days early |
| After you submit | The card company reviews, up to 75 days | Keep your records, watch your balance |
A quick story (illustration). Mia sells handmade candles from Brisbane. An order worth A$240 is disputed as "General". She searches her inbox and finds an email from nine days earlier that she never answered: one jar arrived with a cracked lid. The "General" label was really a damaged-item complaint. She offers a replacement, saves the thread, and leads her file with the listing photos and her offer. Same label, completely different file. That is the whole skill of a general dispute: read past the label.
What is a general dispute on Shopify, and how does it differ from other reasons?
A general dispute is a chargeback that does not fit any of Shopify's other reason categories. Shopify's reasons page says a chargeback is marked as General "if it doesn't fit into one of the other categories". So it is a catch-all label, not a specific accusation, and that is what makes it hard to read.
Shopify's reasons page lists eight categories: Fraudulent, Unrecognised, Duplicate, Subscription cancelled, Product not received, Product unacceptable, Credit not processed and General. Seven of them tell you the story in two words. Some people call the leftover box an uncategorised dispute, which is a fair description. A customer who says "I never got it" lands in Product not received. A customer who says "I was charged twice" lands in Duplicate. The General box is for everything left over. A Shopify Payments dispute with that label can come from any of the claims in the table below.
That matters because evidence advice for the other seven is narrow and specific. For a duplicate charge you explain the two charges and show separate receipts. For a cancelled subscription you show the policy and the cancellation emails. For a general dispute, nobody has told you which of those stories to tell. You have to find it.
Think of it like a letter that arrives with no subject line. You still have to reply, and you still have a deadline, but you cannot reply well until you know what the sender wants. Everything in this guide is a way of finding the subject line.
Why do banks use the General reason, and what claims hide behind it?
Banks use General when the customer's claim, or the card network's code, does not map to a standard box. Stripe, a payments provider that publishes its dispute categories, describes General as an uncategorised dispute where you should contact the customer to find out why they disputed. Several different claims can sit behind the same label.
Stripe's categories page maps a set of Visa codes into its General category, including requests for a copy of the signed receipt, a cardholder request due to dispute, a legal process request, declined or missing authorisation, late presentment and an incorrect transaction code. That is Stripe's mapping, not Shopify's, but it shows how mixed the label is. Some General disputes are paperwork. Some are the customer being vague. Some are a real complaint that was typed into the wrong field.
Stripe also calls General disputes "fairly rare" for card payments. So if you are seeing several in a month, treat that as a signal about your own store, not about the card networks. A pattern of vague disputes often means the customer cannot recognise the charge, cannot reach you, or cannot find your return rules.
Here is how the hidden claims tend to break down in practice. The right column is where you should look first.
| Hidden claim | What the customer might say | Where to look first |
|---|---|---|
| Item never arrived | "My order did not come" | Fulfilment date, tracking, delivery scan |
| Item not as described | "It was not what I ordered" | Listing, photos, order contents, return offer |
| Did not authorise | "I did not make this purchase" | Payment checks, IP and country, billing details, past orders |
| Amount query | "I was billed more than I agreed" | Checkout total, shipping line, tax, discount codes |
| Cancelled or returned | "I sent it back" or "I cancelled" | Return policy, return records, refund log, messages |
| Paperwork request | A request for a copy of the receipt or order | Invoice, receipt, order confirmation email |
The point of the table is not to sort the dispute perfectly. It is to give you a first guess, so that the first thing you open is the right record and not a random one.
What evidence does Shopify list for the general chargeback reason?
Shopify's reasons page says that for a General chargeback, if you believe the customer is mistaken, you can send product details, the fulfilment date and time, billing information, IP address and country, customer communications, shipping or tracking confirmations, and proof of prior refunds or replacement shipments. That is the widest evidence list of the eight reasons.
That list is a menu, not a mandate. You do not send everything. You send what answers the real claim, then the supporting facts that make it believable. Shopify's own page on responding to a chargeback sorts evidence by strength, from direct evidence such as signed delivery or refund records, to customer acknowledgement, to policy documents, to context such as order records and verification results. It also says to label each piece and to use screenshots of tracking and messages rather than links, since links can expire or require a login the reviewer does not have.
One more line on Shopify's reasons page is worth underlining. The page expects customers to contact the merchant first. If the customer never did, say so in your response and show that your inbox, your contact page and your order emails were open to them. If they did, include the thread. Either way, the contact history belongs in a general dispute file, because the bank is trying to understand what went wrong between two people, and the messages are the clearest record of that.
Shopify's list names USPS, FedEx and UPS tracking, which are United States carriers. For an Australian store, use the tracking page or scan history from whichever carrier you used.
How do you find the real claim behind a general dispute?
The general chargeback reason gives no clue, so the clues come from your own store. Read everything on the notice, then check your store, then ask the customer. The notice may show the amount, which already helps: a partial amount often means one item or one fee is the problem. Your store's order timeline and inbox usually point to the rest. Ask the customer last, kindly.
Work through these five checks in order. Each takes a few minutes.
1. Check the amount. Is the disputed amount the full order total or only part of it? Stripe's guide notes that a disputed amount can differ from the original charge when only part of an order is disputed, when a charge was partly refunded, or when currency conversion moved the figure. A partial amount points to one item, one fee or one shipment.
2. Check the timing. How many days passed between the order and the dispute? A dispute that lands a day or two after checkout often means the customer did not recognise the charge. One that lands three or four weeks later often means a delivery or product problem. Stripe says card networks typically allow cardholders about 120 days, with more time in some cases, so the gap can be long.
3. Check your inbox. Search the customer's email address and order number, and read all earlier customer communications. Did they write in, even once? A short, annoyed message you never answered is the most common cause of a vague dispute. If you find one, that is your real claim, and also the thing to fix first.
4. Check the order timeline. Look at the Shopify order page for notes, refunds, exchanges, address edits, fulfilment events and returns. A refund you issued last week for a different item can make a customer think the whole order was refunded.
5. Check the delivery. Open the tracking. Did it show delivered, held at a depot, or still moving? A parcel that sat for ten days is a quiet cause of general disputes, because the customer gives up and phones the bank.
Customers rarely use bank language. They write the way they talk, so it helps to have a decoder. Here is what people tend to say, what it usually means, and what to lead your file with.
| What the customer says or writes | What it usually means | Lead your file with |
|---|---|---|
| "I never got my order" | Not received | Tracking, delivery scan, delivery address |
| "It arrived broken" or "It's not what I ordered" | Damaged or not as described | Listing, photos, packing record, your replacement offer |
| "I don't know this charge" | Unrecognised | Statement name, order confirmation email, receipt |
| "I was charged more than I expected" | Amount query | Checkout total with shipping, tax and discount lines |
| "I sent it back" or "I cancelled" | Credit not processed | Return policy, return record, refund log |
| "I got charged twice" | Duplicate | Both order records and why there are two |
| Nothing at all | Unknown | Order record and fulfilment, then your message asking what happened |
If those five checks do not explain it, send the customer a short, friendly message. The template later in this guide does that. A reply, even a short one, often turns a vague dispute into a clear one, and sometimes ends it, since customers can withdraw a dispute once the problem is fixed.
What should you do in the first 48 hours when you respond to a general dispute?
Read the notice, note the due date, check your balance, and open the order. Do not refund in a panic and do not write an angry message. In the first two days the goal is to learn the real claim and to save the records that can disappear, then to build the file calmly.
Here is a day-by-day plan for a general dispute on an order placed on Tuesday 3 November 2026. The dispute lands on Tuesday 1 December 2026, with a due date of Tuesday 15 December 2026. Your own due date will be on the notice, and Shopify says the window is usually 7 to 21 days. Because of the festive closures, the plan submits well before the date shown.
| Date | Task | Output |
|---|---|---|
| Tue 1 Dec | Read the reason, amount and due date. Check your balance. | One-line note of the claim guess |
| Wed 2 Dec | Run the five checks. Export the order record and payment checks. | Order record saved |
| Thu 3 Dec | Save tracking screenshots, your confirmation emails and the listing as shown at purchase. | Delivery and product exhibits saved |
| Fri 4 Dec | Send the customer a short, kind message asking what went wrong. | Message sent and saved |
| Mon 7 Dec | Read any reply. Decide: fight, fix and fight, or accept. | Decision logged |
| Tue 8 Dec | Draft the cover note and number the exhibits. | Draft v1 |
| Wed 9 Dec | Read it cold, as a reviewer who knows nothing. Fill gaps. | File v2 |
| Thu 10 Dec | Submit, three business days before the due date. | Confirmation saved |
A half-built file at the deadline still goes out, because Shopify Payments files whatever is on record when the clock runs out. Submit the finished version on the Thursday, and print the dispute evidence checklist further down to tick as you go. If a reply from the customer arrives on the Friday or the Monday, you still have time to add it.
Should you contact the customer, and what should you say?
Yes, almost always. A general dispute has no stated reason, so the customer is the only person who can tell you what it is. Keep the message short, kind and free of accusations. Ask what went wrong, offer to help, and say you want to put it right. Save the thread.
Shopify's own guidance leans the same way. Its reasons page says customers are expected to contact the merchant before disputing, and its preventing chargebacks page suggests making it easy for customers to reach you and keeping them informed. A calm message now is also useful evidence later, because it shows you tried to resolve the problem.
Do not ask the customer to cancel the dispute in the first message. That reads as pressure. Ask what happened, fix what you can, and let them decide. If you fix the problem and they choose to withdraw, good. If they do not reply, your message still goes in the file.
Here is a template you can copy.
Subject: Your order #[number] - can I help?
Hi [first name],
I saw that your payment for order #[number] ([date], A$[amount]) has been
questioned with your bank, and I wanted to check that you are looked after.
Could you tell me what went wrong? For example, did the order arrive, was
everything in the box as expected, or is there a charge you do not recognise?
I can [resend / refund / explain the charge] as soon as I know.
You can reply to this email or call [number]. I am here [days and hours].
Thanks,
[Name]
[Store name]
A few notes on the wording. "Questioned with your bank" is accurate without sounding like a threat. The list of examples gives a nervous customer an easy way to answer. And offering a specific fix shows the bank you are reasonable. Do not copy the template word for word if your store has a different voice. A message that sounds like you works better than one that sounds like a form.
What evidence should you lead with once you know the claim?
Lead with the record that answers the claim directly, and put it first in the file. A not-received claim leads with delivery proof. A not-as-described claim leads with the listing and the order contents. A did-not-authorise claim leads with payment checks and the match between the order and the buyer. Context goes last.
| Real claim | Lead with | Then add | Last |
|---|---|---|---|
| Not received | Tracking showing delivery, delivery address | Fulfilment date, order emails, messages | Policy, past orders |
| Not as described | Listing, photos and description at the time of purchase | Order contents, return offer, messages | Policy, packing record |
| Did not authorise | Payment checks, billing and shipping details | IP address and country, past undisputed orders, messages | Order timeline |
| Amount query | Checkout total with lines for shipping, tax and discounts | Confirmation email showing the same total | Policy |
| Cancelled or returned | Return policy shown at purchase, return records | Refund log, messages | Order timeline |
| Paperwork request | Invoice and receipt | Order confirmation email | Nothing else needed |
If you cannot tell which row applies, lead with the order record and the fulfilment story, then include the customer thread. That mix covers the most likely claims and shows the reviewer the whole timeline.
Shopify's list also includes proof of prior refunds or replacement shipments. If you have already made the customer whole in some way, put it high up. A refund log with a date is some of the strongest evidence a merchant can show, because it is a direct record, not a claim. Check with Shopify Payments before you issue a second refund on a disputed order.
How do you write the response when you respond to a general dispute?
One page. Dated facts. Numbered exhibits. Start with a two-line summary of the order and your best reading of the claim, then list what happened in date order with an exhibit number beside each fact, then say what you ask for. Do not argue with the customer. Describe what the records show.
RESPONSE TO DISPUTE: Order #[number]
Summary
On [date], [cardholder name as on the order] bought [product(s)] for A$[amount].
The dispute is marked "General". From the order record and the customer's
messages, we understand the concern to be [your best reading of the claim].
Facts, in date order
1. [Date, time]: Order placed and paid. Payment checks: [AVS], [CVC],
[3D Secure if used]. (Exhibit 1)
2. [Date, time]: Order confirmation emailed to [email]. (Exhibit 2)
3. [Date, time]: Order fulfilled and shipped with [carrier], tracking
[number]. (Exhibit 3)
4. [Date, time]: Tracking shows [delivered to ... / current status]. (Exhibit 3)
5. [Date, time]: Customer contacted by us. [Reply, if any.] (Exhibit 4)
6. [Date, time]: [Refund, replacement or other help offered, if any.] (Exhibit 5)
What the records do and do not show
The records show [what is proven]. They do not show [any honest gap].
Request
We believe the charge was valid and the order was fulfilled as described.
We ask that the dispute be decided in our favour.
Notice the "do and do not show" paragraph. Reviewers read a lot of one-sided files. A short, honest admission of a gap builds trust, and it stops the reviewer from finding the gap alone and doubting everything else. If the tracking shows "delivered" but the customer says no, you write exactly that, and you add the address the parcel went to.
Keep the tone flat. Words like "clearly", "obviously" and "fraudster" do not help. Facts, dates and exhibit numbers do. If you want a longer treatment of the message side of a file, see the guide on customer emails and chats as dispute evidence.
What does a general dispute cost, and is it worth fighting?
A chargeback takes the disputed amount and the A$25 Shopify Payments fee at once. If you win, both come back. If you lose, both are gone, and you also lose the goods and postage if the order was a physical one. So the decision is about the chance of winning and the cost of your time.
Both of the sums below are illustrations with assumed numbers, not benchmarks, and they apply to any Shopify Payments dispute of this size.
Illustration 1: a full-order general dispute. A customer buys two items for A$240 in total. The goods cost you A$110 and you paid A$14 postage. A general dispute lands for the full A$240, plus the A$25 fee.
| Outcome | Money in your hands (before processing fees) |
|---|---|
| Win | A$240 sale, A$25 fee returned. After A$110 goods and A$14 postage: A$116 profit |
| Lose | A$240 gone, A$25 gone. After A$110 goods and A$14 postage: loss of A$149 |
| Accept at once | The same as losing: loss of A$149 |
The gap between winning and losing is A$265. Suppose it takes you two hours to build the file and you value your time at A$40 an hour, which is an assumption. That is A$80. You break even on effort if your chance of winning is at least A$80 divided by A$265, or about 30 percent. If you think the file has a better chance than that, fight. If it is a coin flip, fight.
Illustration 2: a partial general dispute. A customer orders three items for A$320 and disputes only an A$85 item. The fee is A$25. A short response takes 45 minutes, which at A$40 an hour is A$30.
| Outcome | Result |
|---|---|
| Win | You keep the A$85 and get the A$25 fee back |
| Lose | A$85 and A$25 gone: A$110 |
| Fight and lose | A$110 plus A$30 of time: A$140 |
Break-even is A$30 divided by A$110, or about 27 percent. For a small disputed amount, a clear and quick file still pays if you have decent evidence. If the evidence is thin and the customer's complaint sounds fair, accepting the dispute and fixing the cause may be the better use of your afternoon.
Two points apply to both. Shopify says winning does not remove a dispute from your chargeback rate, because the rate is based on disputes filed, not on outcomes. So even a win still counts against you, which is the strongest reason to prevent disputes rather than only win them. Second, Shopify's payout page says a negative balance from chargebacks delays payouts until future sales cover it, and chargeback activity can contribute to an account review that holds payouts. Cash flow is part of the cost.
How do you decide whether to fight or accept a general dispute?
Fight when you have direct evidence that answers the real claim, or when the customer's story does not match the record. Accept when the record backs the customer, when you made the mistake, or when the amount is small and the evidence is thin. Accepting a fair claim and fixing the cause is a legitimate choice.
Use this short checklist before you decide. It is the dispute evidence checklist to keep next to the Shopify admin on every general dispute.
DISPUTE EVIDENCE CHECKLIST: General reason
[ ] I know the real claim (not received / not as described / authorisation /
amount / cancelled or returned / paperwork)
[ ] Order record exported: lines, totals, tax, shipping, discount codes
[ ] Payment checks saved: address check, security code check, 3D Secure
[ ] Billing name matches the order and the paperwork
[ ] Fulfilment date and time saved
[ ] Tracking screenshot with the delivery scan and address
[ ] Order confirmation and shipping emails saved as sent
[ ] Product listing, photos and policies saved as shown at purchase
[ ] Customer thread saved, including my message to them
[ ] Any refund, replacement or fix logged with a date
[ ] Exhibits numbered and labelled; screenshots, not links
[ ] Cover note drafted and read cold
[ ] Submitted at least two business days before the due date
If you cannot tick the first box of the dispute evidence checklist, stop and go back to the five checks. A file written without knowing the claim is a guess, and a reviewer can feel a guess.
What if the customer never replies, or says something different from the bank?
Then you answer the record, not the story. If the customer does not reply, show your message and the date you sent it, then build the file from the order, fulfilment and payment records. If their account to you differs from the bank's, put both versions side by side and let the dates speak.
An uncategorised dispute with a silent customer is the hardest case, and a silent customer is not proof of anything. Do not write "the customer refused to respond". Write "we wrote to the customer on [date] and have not received a reply", which is true and neutral.
If the customer tells you a different story from the one you guessed, change the file. A common case: you assumed not received, and the customer says the item arrived but was the wrong colour. Now the delivery proof is context, not the lead. The listing, the photos and the order contents lead, and you should say honestly whether you offered a return or exchange. If you did not offer one, the reviewer will notice, and it may be worth offering one now and saving the message.
Customer communications are what most often turn a general dispute around. In a general dispute, a friendly thread where the customer says "thanks, it arrived" and later disputes anyway is some of the best evidence you can hold. A thread where the customer asked for help and you ignored them is the opposite, and you should know that before you submit. Read the thread as the reviewer will.
How do you set up your store to make a general dispute easier to answer?
Make the records easy to find and the story easy to tell. That means clear order emails, tracking on every parcel, a recognisable name on card statements, easy ways to reach you, and a visible returns policy. Shopify's preventing chargebacks page recommends most of these, and each one removes a reason for a vague dispute.
| Set-up item | Why it helps with a general dispute | How to check it |
|---|---|---|
| Recognisable statement name | Customers who do not recognise a charge often file vague disputes | Look at a test charge on your own card |
| Order confirmation with items, total and your contact details | Gives the reviewer the order in the customer's own inbox | Open the last email you sent |
| Tracking on every parcel | Turns "it never came" into a dated scan | Check three recent orders |
| Fast, visible contact options | Customers expected to contact you first | Send yourself a test message and time the reply |
| Returns policy on the product page, cart and checkout | Shows what the customer was told before paying | Screenshot it with the date |
| Reply to every message within one business day | Silence is the main cause of vague disputes | Review the last week of the inbox |
| Notes on the order for anything unusual | Creates a time-stamped trail | Add notes when you edit an order |
Shopify's page also suggests shipping quickly, giving accurate delivery estimates, replacing damaged items fast and refunding promptly when a refund is due. None of that is exciting. All of it is cheaper than a dispute, because a dispute costs you the A$25 fee and your afternoon even when you win.
Keep a small habit going: once a week, spend ten minutes reading recent customer emails for anyone who sounds unhappy and unanswered. That one habit catches more future disputes than any tool.
What is different for Australian merchants?
General information, not legal advice.
Fees and process
The chargeback fee on Shopify Payments in Australia is A$25, returned if you win. The response window is usually 7 to 21 days and the card company's review can take up to 75 days after you submit. If your balance is short, Shopify says it debits your bank account and tries again after 3 business days.
Payouts and cash flow
Shopify's payout page says Australian payouts have a minimum settlement time of 2 business days, with weekends and holidays not counted. It also says refunds and chargebacks can settle faster than charges and reduce a payout, and that a negative balance delays payouts until future sales cover it. Plan your cash for a Shopify Payments dispute landing in a quiet week.
Time limits and records
State consumer bodies say chargeback time limits commonly run from 45 to 120 days depending on the card provider, and the ACCC notes that time limits may apply when you sell online. I carried the range from earlier research and could not re-open the Consumer Affairs Victoria page. Pay Advantage, an Australian payments provider, advises keeping records for 12 to 18 months, which is a sensible window for a general dispute file.
Banks and rules
Pay Advantage says chargebacks in Australia are governed by the ePayments Code, administered by ASIC, and apply to most Australian banks and to Visa, Mastercard and American Express. It also advises that the cardholder name should match your invoice, and that you tailor evidence to the dispute reason and send it as a PDF.
What I could not verify for a Shopify Payments dispute: whether Shopify Payments uses the same mapping of bank codes to the General reason as the one Stripe publishes, what share of general disputes end in a win, and how a refund interacts with an open dispute.
What are the common mistakes when you respond to a general dispute?
- Sending everything on Shopify's list without working out the real claim first.
- Reading the general chargeback reason as an accusation, when it is only a label.
- Treating an uncategorised dispute as hopeless, when five quick checks usually find the claim.
- Skipping the customer message, which is the fastest way to learn the claim.
- Attaching links instead of screenshots, so the reviewer cannot open the proof.
- Leaving exhibits unlabelled, so the reviewer has to guess what each one shows.
- Writing an angry or accusing cover note instead of dated facts.
- Hiding a gap, such as a missing delivery scan, instead of saying so.
- Issuing a second refund without checking how it interacts with the open dispute.
- Waiting for the due date, when Shopify Payments sends whatever is on file.
- Treating a win as a full reset, when the dispute still counts toward your chargeback rate.
Frequently asked questions
What does a general dispute mean on Shopify?
Shopify marks a chargeback as General when it does not fit one of the other reason categories. The general chargeback reason is a catch-all, so the label alone does not say what the customer claims. Your job is to work out the real claim from the amount, the timing, your inbox and the delivery record.
How do I respond to a general dispute in Shopify Payments?
Open the dispute, read the due date, work out the real claim, then upload labelled evidence: product details, fulfilment time, billing details, IP address and country, customer messages and tracking. Add proof of any refund or replacement. Shopify Payments sends your response on the due date even if you add nothing.
What evidence does Shopify list for a general chargeback reason?
Shopify's reasons page lists product details, fulfilment date and time, billing information, IP address and country, customer communications, tracking or shipping confirmations, and proof of prior refunds or replacement shipments. It is the widest list of the eight reasons, so choose what answers the real claim.
Is a general dispute easier or harder to win?
I could not find a published win rate, so I cannot say. It is harder to aim, because the claim is unclear. It becomes easier once you find the real claim and lead with matching proof. A clear, honest file with direct evidence gives you the best chance.
Should I contact the customer when I get a general dispute?
Yes. The customer is the only person who can tell you why they disputed. Send a short, kind message offering help, and save the thread. Shopify expects customers to contact the merchant first, so your message, or proof they never wrote, belongs in the file.
How long do I have to respond to a general dispute?
Shopify says the window is usually 7 to 21 days, shown as a due date on the notice. Whatever is on file goes out when the date arrives, so plan to submit at least two business days early. Allow extra time around public holidays.
What does it cost if I lose a general dispute?
You lose the disputed amount and the A$25 fee, and for a physical order you also lose the goods and the postage. If you win, you get the amount and the fee back. Winning does not remove the dispute from your chargeback rate.
Should I refund the customer while a general dispute is open?
Shopify says you can refund from your admin if you owe one, that you might still lose the chargeback, and that a refund shows good service. Check with your payment provider first, so the customer is not paid twice, and note the date of any refund in your file.
Does a general dispute count toward my chargeback rate?
Yes. Shopify says the chargeback rate is based on disputes filed, so a won dispute still counts. That is why prevention matters. Fast replies, tracking on every parcel and a clear statement name stop vague disputes before they reach the bank.
How long should I keep records for a general dispute?
Pay Advantage suggests 12 to 18 months for transaction and customer records. Keep the order record, payment checks, tracking, emails and the full customer thread for that long, since disputes can arrive weeks after the order and time limits can run up to about 120 days.
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Sources
- Reasons for a chargeback or inquiry, Shopify Help Center
- Overview of the chargeback and inquiry process, Shopify Help Center
- Preventing chargebacks and inquiries, Shopify Help Center
- Payout timing, Shopify Help Center
- Dispute reason code categories, Stripe Docs
- How disputes work, Stripe Docs
- Understanding chargebacks, Pay Advantage
- Selling online, ACCC
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