Proof of delivery for Australia Post and other couriers: what to save and when

The parcel was delivered on a Tuesday. The customer disputed it on a Friday three weeks later, and by then the carrier page said "no information available". Your proof of delivery was real once. Now it is gone.

Proof of delivery is the record that shows a parcel reached the customer: the carrier name, the tracking number, the delivered scan with its date and time, and any signature or photo. Save it on the day of delivery, because carrier pages do not keep it forever.

This guide is for you if:

• You ship from Australia with Australia Post or another courier and get "product not received" disputes.
• You have lost a dispute because you could not show the delivery scan when it mattered.
• You want a simple routine for saving proof of delivery without spending your evenings on screenshots.

Last updated: 14 October 2026. Written by the ChargeFix team. Reviewed against sources on 14 October 2026.

The 30-second answer (TL;DR)

• Shopify says evidence for a product not received dispute includes the carrier name, the tracking number and the delivery status.
• Proof of delivery is strongest when it shows a delivered scan, a date and time, and an address that matches the order. A signature or photo makes it stronger.
• Save it on the day of delivery. One seller reports Australia Post keeps tracking for about 35 days. I could not verify that, so do not rely on a carrier to keep it for you.
• A two-minute screenshot costs about A$1.33 at A$40 an hour. A lost A$85 dispute costs A$110 once the A$25 fee is added.
• I could not verify what proof Sendle, StarTrack or Aramex provide, or their claim limits. Check each carrier's current terms.
• Tracking that says "delivered" does not settle a dispute by itself. The bank decides, and Shopify does not decide outcomes.
• If you have no proof of delivery, say so plainly and send what you do have, such as the dispatch record and your messages.

Quick note The misunderstanding: the carrier keeps your proof of delivery for as long as you need it. The correct version: carrier pages can expire, so the copy you save on delivery day is the one that counts.

What counts as proof of delivery?

Item	What it shows	How strong it is	Verified for AU carriers?
Carrier name and tracking number	Who carried it and which parcel	Needed for everything else	Shopify lists both as evidence
Delivered scan with date and time	The carrier says it arrived	The core of proof of delivery	Shopify lists delivery status as evidence
Delivery address on the record	Where it went	Strong if it matches the order	Depends on the carrier, not verified
Signature	A person accepted it	Strong, where the service offers it	Not verified for each service
Delivery photo	The parcel at the door	Strong, where the service offers it	Not verified for each service
Safe-place or leave-at-door note	The instruction followed	Moderate, since the customer may deny it	Not verified for each service
Customer messages	The customer's own words	Strong if they confirm receipt	Your own records

What is proof of delivery in a Shopify dispute?

Proof of delivery is the carrier's record that your parcel arrived, saved in a form you can send to the bank. In a product not received dispute it is the most important single item, because the claim is that the goods never came. Shopify says the evidence includes the carrier name, tracking number and delivery status.

Shopify's help centre describes product not received as a scenario where tracking says delivered but the customer says it never arrived, and it asks for the carrier, the tracking number and the delivery status. It also says that for these disputes it adds AI-generated insights to the evidence it submits. That helps, but it does not replace your own copy. If the record is not saved, it cannot be sent.

Think of proof of delivery as a small file with four parts: who carried it, which parcel, what the carrier says happened and where. If any part is missing, the file is weaker. The rest of this guide shows how to capture each part, what to do when a carrier gives you less, and how to build the habit so it takes minutes.

Why does proof of delivery disappear?

It disappears because carrier tracking pages are not archives. They show recent activity, and older records can drop off, expire or change shape. One seller reports that Australia Post keeps tracking for about 35 days. I could not verify that from the carrier, so I give it as a warning, not a rule.

The practical risk comes from the dispute timing. Shopify says the response deadline is typically 7 to 21 days after the dispute is filed, but the customer can file weeks or months after the order. Consumer bodies and one payments provider put customer time limits at roughly 45 to 120 days depending on the provider, which I verified earlier in this project. So the dispute can arrive well after the parcel was delivered, and the carrier's page may have moved on by then.

That gap is the whole argument for saving proof of delivery on the day. If the dispute arrives at day 60 and the page expired at day 35, the only copy is yours. Your copy is also the only one you control. It will not change, move or vanish.

What should the proof of delivery show?

It should show five things: the carrier, the tracking number, the delivered status with date and time, the address, and the parcel's contents or order reference. If one is missing, add it from your own records. The bank compares the pieces, so every piece that matches helps.

Check each one against the order:

1. Carrier and service. Name them as they appear on the record, such as the carrier and the service level.
2. Tracking number. It must match the one in your Shopify fulfilment.
3. Delivered status. A scan that says delivered, with a date and a time.
4. Address. The suburb and postcode should match the shipping address on the order.
5. Order link. The order number and the date you shipped, so the parcel and the sale are tied together.

If the record says delivered to a different suburb, a parcel locker, a post office or a neighbour, say so. A true record that is awkward is better than a tidy one that is wrong. The bank may not accept it, but you will not be caught out.

How do you save proof of delivery on the day?

Save it when the carrier shows delivered: take a full-page screenshot of the tracking page, save the page as a PDF if you can, and store it against the order. The whole job takes about two minutes. Do it for every order you care about, and for high-value orders without fail.

Use this routine:

1. Open the carrier's tracking page with the tracking number.
2. Wait for the delivered status, then take a screenshot that shows the status, the date, the time and the tracking number in one image.
3. Save the page as a PDF too, if the carrier lets you.
4. Name the file with the order number and the date, for example 1042-delivered-2026-10-14.pdf.
5. Store it in one folder, or attach it to the order as a note.
6. Add one line to your log: order, carrier, delivered date, file saved.

PROOF OF DELIVERY CAPTURE (2 minutes per order)

Order number: __________   Shipped on: __________
Carrier and service: ______________________
Tracking number: ______________________
Delivered status shown (Y / N): ____   Date and time: ______________
Delivery address on record matches order (Y / N): ____
Signature or photo available (Y / N): ____
Screenshot saved as: ______________________
PDF saved as: ______________________
Saved by (initials) and date: ______________

Is it worth saving proof for every order?

Not always. If you ship hundreds of parcels a month, a manual screenshot for each one is too much. A sensible rule is to save proof for orders above a value you choose, for signature or photo deliveries, and for any customer who has raised a concern. Illustration 2 below puts numbers on it.

Where should you store it?

Store it where you can find it in under a minute, under a name that starts with the order number. A folder per month works for small stores. Whatever you choose, test it: pick an order from last month and see how long it takes to find the file. If it takes more than a minute, simplify the system.

What does a lost proof of delivery cost?

A lost proof of delivery costs the order value plus the A$25 Shopify fee, if you lose the dispute. Shopify's fee table lists Australia as a country where the A$25 fee is refunded if you win, so a win brings the amount and the fee back. A loss leaves both gone.

Illustration 1: one A$85 order

Say a customer disputes an A$85 order as not received, and the parcel was delivered. You have the proof saved, so you send it. If you win, the A$85 and the A$25 fee come back. If the proof is gone and you lose, you are out A$85 plus A$25, which is A$110.

The time to save the proof on the day was about two minutes. At A$40 an hour that is A$1.33. Finding the proof weeks later, if you can find it at all, takes far longer. Say it takes 25 minutes of chasing the carrier and your records. That is A$16.67. So a two-minute habit is worth A$15.34 on time alone, before you count the chance of losing the dispute because you could not produce the record.

Illustration 2: how much does saving proof cost across a month?

Say you ship 300 parcels a month. Saving every one at two minutes takes 600 minutes, which is 10 hours, or A$400 at A$40 an hour. That is too much. Now say you save proof only for orders above A$150, and 40 orders a month meet that. At two minutes each that is 80 minutes, or A$53.33.

If one of those 40 orders ends up disputed and lost for want of proof, the loss is at least A$150 plus the A$25 fee, which is A$175. So saving proof for high-value orders costs A$53.33 a month, and one prevented loss of A$175 pays for more than three months of it. These are illustrations. Your threshold and your dispute rate will differ, and the point is to set a rule that costs less than the losses it prevents.

Approach	Orders saved	Minutes	Cost at A$40 an hour
Save every order	300	600	A$400.00
Save orders above A$150	40	80	A$53.33
Save only on request	About 0 in advance	0, then 25 per chase	Varies, and the record may be gone

How does proof of delivery work with Australia Post and other couriers?

Each carrier gives you different proof, and I could verify very little of it. Shopify names the carrier, tracking number and delivery status as evidence, and that holds for any carrier. What a carrier adds, such as a signature or photo, depends on the service. Check each carrier's current terms before you rely on any of it.

Here is what I could and could not confirm. I did not find authoritative carrier pages in this research pass, so the right-hand column is deliberately cautious.

Carrier	What I could verify	What I could not verify
Australia Post	One seller reports tracking is kept for about 35 days	The official retention period, which services give signature or photo, and claim limits
Sendle	Nothing from an authoritative source in this pass	Proof options, retention and claim limits
StarTrack	Nothing from an authoritative source in this pass	Proof options, retention and claim limits
Aramex	Nothing from an authoritative source in this pass	Proof options, retention and claim limits
Any carrier	Shopify lists the carrier name, tracking number and delivery status as evidence	Everything beyond that

So the safe approach is the same for every carrier. Save the tracking page on delivery day. Ask the carrier, in writing, what proof it can provide and for how long. Keep its answer with your records. If a carrier cannot tell you, plan on your own copy being the only one.

EMAIL TO A CARRIER ABOUT PROOF OF DELIVERY

Subject: Proof of delivery request, tracking number [number]

Hi,

I am the sender of the parcel with tracking number [number], sent on [date]
to [suburb, postcode]. A customer has disputed the payment and says it did
not arrive. Could you please send me:

1. The delivered scan with date and time.
2. The delivery address recorded.
3. A signature or photo, if one exists.
4. Written confirmation of how long you keep this record.

My response to the bank is due on [date], so I would appreciate a reply
by [date, two days earlier].

Thank you,
[Name], [Store name]

What if the carrier shows delivered but the customer says it never arrived?

Send what you have and tell the facts plainly. The delivered scan, the address match and the date are your case. Add any signature or photo, your messages with the customer and your shipping policy. Do not argue the customer's honesty. Show the record and let the bank decide.

Shopify describes this exact scenario: tracking shows delivered but the customer says the product never arrived. The bank looks at whether your evidence shows delivery to the address on the order. Say if the delivery was to a safe place, a neighbour or a locker, because the bank may treat those differently and a customer may genuinely not have seen the parcel.

It can be worth a friendly message to the customer before the deadline. A neighbour, a partner or a building office may hold the parcel. If the customer then confirms receipt, you have a stronger record, and they can withdraw the dispute with their bank. Keep that message and its date. For the full response structure, see the product not received guide.

What if you have no proof of delivery?

Say so plainly and send what you do have. That means the dispatch record, the tracking history you can still reach, your messages and your policies. Do not invent a delivery record or describe one you did not see. A true, thin response is better than a confident false one, and it protects your credibility.

Shopify says it submits the evidence you have saved on the due date, and that a dispute whose deadline has passed cannot be changed. So decide by your internal cutoff, two days before the due date, whether to respond with what you have or accept the dispute. If you accept it, you lose the amount and the fee. If you respond and lose, the result is the same, minus your time. The sums for that choice are in the chargeback cost calculator.

Then fix the cause. If you had no proof because you never saved it, start the routine in this guide tomorrow. If you had none because the carrier gave you none, consider a service that does.

How do you set up the habit in a week?

Pick a rule, test it on three orders, and write it down. Here is a seven-day plan starting Thursday 15 October 2026. By the following Wednesday you will have a rule, a folder and a log, and you will know how long it takes.

Day and date	What to do
Thu 15 Oct	List the carriers and services you use. Note which offer signature or photo.
Fri 16 Oct	Email each carrier the proof of delivery questions above and keep the replies.
Sat 17 Oct	Choose your rule: every order, orders above a value, or signature orders only.
Sun 18 Oct	Create the folder and the log. Test by saving proof for one delivered order.
Mon 19 Oct	Save proof for every delivered order in your rule. Time yourself.
Tue 20 Oct	Check you can find a saved file in under a minute. Fix the naming if not.
Wed 21 Oct	Review the carriers' replies and update your rule. Put a monthly check in your diary.

What's different for Australian merchants?

Australian merchants ship with a small set of carriers, pay an A$25 fee per dispute and deal with long distances and mixed delivery options. Proof of delivery here often depends on the carrier's own tracking, so saving it yourself matters more than most overseas guides suggest.

Three Australian points:

• Carriers differ, and local detail is thin online. Most guides assume US carriers. I could not verify what Sendle, StarTrack or Aramex provide, so ask each in writing.
• The fee is in A$. Shopify's fee table lists A$25 and refunded if you win. Use that in your sums, as in the examples above.
• Consumer rules apply. WA Consumer Protection says online orders from Australian sellers must meet consumer guarantees, and that a no-refund sign cannot remove those rights. A parcel that never arrived is a failure to supply, and a refund or replacement may be owed regardless of any dispute.

I could not verify how public holidays or time zones affect due dates, so keep your own cutoff two days early. I also could not verify whether a refund issued while a dispute is open prevents the chargeback, so check before you refund.

How do you handle awkward deliveries?

Awkward deliveries need extra detail in your proof of delivery. Split orders, parcels left with a neighbour and pick-ups from a post office or locker all leave a thinner record than a signed doorstep delivery. Say exactly what the record shows, and add your own context from the order and your messages.

I could not verify how each Australian carrier records these cases, so the table shows what to capture, not what a carrier will give you.

Situation	What to capture	What to say in the response
Order shipped in two parcels	A proof of delivery for each tracking number	Name both parcels and list which items were in each
Left in a safe place	The delivered scan and any instruction the customer gave	State the instruction and that the record shows delivery to the order address
Left with a neighbour	The record and any name or note shown	Say it was left with someone at or near the address, as the record shows
Collected from a post office or locker	The collection or ready-for-collection scan	State the collection date, if the record shows one
Delivered, but to a different suburb	The record as it stands	Say so plainly and add your messages, because the bank will compare addresses
Returned to sender	The return scan and date	Say it was not delivered, and say what you did next, such as a refund or reship

Two cautions. First, do not describe a record as a signature or a photo unless you can see one. Second, if the delivery went to the wrong place because of a carrier error, a dispute is not the right fight. Contact the carrier, claim under its terms and refund or reship the customer. I could not verify claim limits for any carrier, so check each one before you promise anything.

How do you keep proof of delivery for split orders?

Keep one proof of delivery per tracking number, and list the items in each parcel in your response. A split order is easy to misread: the bank sees one payment and may look at only one delivery. If you show both, with dates and addresses, the whole order is accounted for.

Make a short table for any order with more than one parcel and include it in your response:

Parcel	Tracking number	Items inside	Delivered date	Address on record
1	____________	____________	____________	____________
2	____________	____________	____________	____________

If one parcel was delivered and the other is still in transit or lost, say that too. A true partial delivery is a partial case. You may choose to refund the missing part and respond for the rest. The product not received guide covers that decision in more detail.

Illustration 3: a split order worth A$240

Say a customer orders A$240 of goods, which you send in two parcels of A$150 and A$90. The first is delivered and you have the proof of delivery. The second is lost in transit. The customer disputes the whole A$240.

If you refund the lost A$90 yourself and respond to the dispute with proof of delivery for the A$150 parcel, you are asking the bank to rule only on goods that arrived. If you win, the A$150 and the A$25 fee come back, and you are out the A$90 you refunded. If you send only the first record and say nothing about the second, the bank may look at the full A$240 and see that part of it was never delivered. In this illustration, honest, itemised proof of delivery protects the part you can prove, and you settle the rest on its merits. Whether a refund while a dispute is open affects the chargeback is something I could not verify, so check before you refund.

Who should save proof of delivery in your business?

One person should own it, and the job should be a fixed step in your fulfilment routine, not a favour someone remembers. If three people ship orders and nobody owns proof of delivery, nobody saves it. Put the step on the checklist the packer or the shipper already follows.

Three set-ups work for small stores:

• The shipper saves it. When the carrier shows delivered, the person who dispatched the order saves the record. This suits one-person stores.
• A daily batch. Once a day, one person opens the day's delivered parcels and saves proof of delivery for orders that meet your rule. This suits stores with a few staff.
• Save on demand, with a safety net. Save nothing in advance, but save proof the moment a customer raises a concern or a dispute opens. This is cheapest and riskiest, because the page may have expired by then.

Whichever you pick, write it in one sentence and put it where the team will see it. For example: "Every Friday, save proof of delivery for all delivered orders above A$150 and all signature orders." A rule that short is easy to follow and easy to check.

How do you check the habit is working?

Once a month, pick five delivered orders at random and look for the file. If you find all five in under a minute each, the habit works. If you miss any, find out why, whether the step was skipped, the file was misnamed or the order did not meet the rule, and change the rule or the name.

Common mistakes

1. Relying on the carrier to keep the record. Pages expire. Save your own copy on delivery day.
2. Saving only the tracking number. A number is not proof. You need the delivered scan, date and time.
3. Cropping the screenshot. Show the status, the date, the time and the tracking number in one image.
4. Not checking the address. A delivered scan to the wrong suburb does not help. Compare it with the order.
5. Ignoring signature and photo options. On high-value orders, choose the service that gives you stronger proof.
6. Naming files badly. If you cannot find the file in a minute, you will not find it on deadline day.
7. Arguing with the customer in the response. Send the record and your messages, and keep the tone neutral.
8. Leaving it until the deadline. Shopify submits what is saved on the due date. Decide two days earlier.

Frequently asked questions

What counts as proof of delivery for a Shopify dispute?

Shopify lists the carrier name, the tracking number and the delivery status as evidence for product not received disputes. Strongest is a delivered scan with date and time, an address that matches the order and, where offered, a signature or photo. Save all of it on delivery day, not later.

How long does Australia Post keep tracking information?

I could not verify an official figure. One seller reports about 35 days. Treat that as a warning, not a rule, and save your own copy on the day of delivery. Customers can dispute well after delivery, so do not rely on the carrier page still being there.

What if the tracking says delivered but the customer says it never came?

Send the delivered scan, the address match, any signature or photo, your messages and your shipping policy, and state the facts plainly. Shopify describes this exact scenario. Say if it was left in a safe place or with a neighbour. A friendly message to the customer before the deadline can sometimes settle it.

Do I need a signature on every parcel?

Not necessarily. A signature or photo makes proof of delivery stronger, so consider it for high-value orders, where the cost of a lost dispute is higher. I could not verify which services offer them or what they cost, so check each carrier's current terms before you change how you ship.

What proof does Sendle, StarTrack or Aramex give?

I could not verify that from an authoritative source, and I do not guess. Ask each carrier in writing what proof it provides, how long it keeps it and what its claim limits are. Keep the reply with your records, and save the tracking page yourself on delivery day regardless.

How long does it take to save proof of delivery?

About two minutes per order for a screenshot and PDF, in this guide's illustration. At A$40 an hour that is A$1.33. Saving every order can add up, so many stores save only orders above a chosen value, such as A$150, plus any signature orders or customers who raised a concern.

What do I do if I have no proof of delivery?

Say so plainly and send what you have: the dispatch record, any tracking history you can still reach, your messages and your policies. Do not describe a delivery record you did not see. Decide by your internal cutoff, two days before the due date, whether to respond or accept.

Does the A$25 fee come back if I win?

Shopify's fee table lists Australia as a country where the A$25 fee is refunded if you win, and the disputed amount comes back too. If you lose, both stay gone. That is why a lost A$85 order costs A$110 in the illustration here.

Can a customer dispute a parcel weeks after it was delivered?

Yes. Consumer bodies and one payments provider put customer time limits at roughly 45 to 120 days depending on the provider, which I verified earlier in this project. That is longer than many carrier tracking pages stay available, which is why saving proof of delivery on the day matters.

Start free trial with ChargeFix

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Sources

• Shopify Help Center, "Chargebacks and inquiries" (process and fee table)
• Shopify Help Center, "Responding to chargebacks and inquiries" (product not received evidence)
• Shopify Help Center, "Managing chargebacks in the Shopify admin"
• Shopify Help Center, "Preventing chargebacks and inquiries"
• WA Consumer Protection on online purchases and consumer guarantees, and Consumer Affairs Victoria and Wise AU on chargeback time limits (verified earlier in this project; add links at publish)
• Not verified in this pass: official Australia Post tracking retention, and proof options and claim limits for Sendle, StarTrack and Aramex. Check each carrier's current terms.
• Stripe, Dispute evidence best practices: further reading on how to format convincing evidence
• Adyen, Manage disputes: further reading on how another payment provider handles disputes