Shopify General Dispute Reason in Canada: What Evidence to Submit When the Reason Is Vague

A Victoria stationery store opens a dispute notice for C$142 and reads the reason twice: "General". Not "product not received". Not "fraudulent". Not "credit not processed". Just General. The owner has a delivery record, a clean address match and a customer who has never written in, and no idea which of those matters. That is the trap of the Shopify general dispute reason: it tells you a customer is unhappy with a charge and nothing about why, so the usual playbook of matching your defence to the stated claim has nothing to match. This guide shows what Shopify says to submit for a General dispute, how to work out the likely claim from the order itself, how to build each of the six evidence items and how to decide whether the case is worth filing.

Quick answer: For the General reason, Shopify's evidence list names six items: an itemized receipt, a checkout confirmation, your pricing policy, exchange rate documentation, customer communications and system logs. The pages we read do not tie the General reason to one customer claim, so read the order and any messages to work out the likely complaint, then file the six items with a short summary that answers it. Files go in as PDF, JPEG or PNG, 2 MB each and 4 MB combined, one per evidence type, and nothing can be added after the due date.

This guide is for you if:

• You sell on Shopify in Canada with Shopify Payments and have a dispute whose reason reads General.
• You do not know what the customer is claiming and need a way to find out.
• You sell in more than one currency, or show prices that include shipping or duties, and want proof of what the customer saw.

Last updated: 24 October 2026

Disclosure: ChargeFix publishes this guide and sells an app that helps with Shopify Payments disputes. The Shopify rules come from Shopify's Help Center, listed at the end. This guide is general information and not legal advice. Where a source does not say, this guide says so rather than guess.

TL;DR

• Shopify lists six items for the General reason: the receipt, the checkout record, the pricing policy, exchange rate notes, customer messages and system logs.
• Shopify's pages are silent on what claim General stands for, so find it from the order and the messages.
• Pricing and currency questions fit this reason well, so show exactly what the customer saw at checkout.
• Build the file in Shopify's order: direct proof, acknowledgment, policy, then context.
• The typical window is 7 to 21 days, with no extension process found, and a chargeback takes the amount and the fee at once.

Do this today

1. Open the General dispute and write the amount, the order number and the due date.
2. Read the order timeline and every message with this customer, and write one line guessing the claim.
3. Pull the six items: receipt, checkout screenshot, pricing policy, exchange rate record, messages and logs.
4. Save each as a PDF, JPEG or PNG under 2 MB.
5. Write a one page summary that answers your guess and points to a file for each sentence.

Shopify general dispute reason: the process in one table

Step	What you do	Why
1. Read the dispute	Note reason, amount, order and due date	The window is typically 7 to 21 days
2. Work out the claim	Read the order timeline and messages	General does not state it
3. Pull the six items	Receipt, checkout, pricing policy, exchange rate, messages, logs	Shopify's evidence list for the general reason
4. Check the files	Three allowed types; 2 MB per file, 4 MB in all	Files that fail cost time
5. Write the summary	One page, strongest proof first	A reviewer reads this first
6. File	Submit before the due date	Nothing can be added afterwards
7. Wait	Up to 75 days for the card company	The decision is final

What is the Shopify general dispute reason?

Shopify's chargeback pages list a set of dispute reasons, each with its own evidence list. General is one of them. Others include product not received, fraudulent, credit not processed, product unacceptable, subscription canceled, duplicate and unrecognized. For most of those, the name tells you the claim. For General, it does not.

Reason	What the name tells you	What it leaves open
Product not received	The customer says it never arrived	Whether delivery can be proved
Fraudulent	The customer says they did not authorize it	Whether the records support you
Credit not processed	The customer says a refund is missing	Whether a refund was owed
Product unacceptable	The customer says the product was wrong or poor	What exactly was wrong
General	Almost nothing	The claim itself

Shopify's pages do not define the Shopify general dispute reason beyond giving it an evidence list, so we will not invent a definition. What we can say is practical: treat General as a case where you must find the claim yourself. The evidence list gives strong hints about what Shopify expects the argument to be about, which looks like price, payment and the record of the transaction.

Why does the Shopify general dispute reason appear on a dispute?

We found no Shopify page that explains how a dispute ends up with this label. Our reading, which Shopify has not confirmed, is that the card network did not supply a more specific reason, or that the reason does not map to one of Shopify's named categories. Either way, the label is not a clue about your guilt or innocence. It is a gap in information, and your job is to fill it.

What evidence does Shopify list for the General reason?

Six items. The table below gives each one, what it proves and where to find it.

Evidence item	What it proves	Where it comes from
Itemized receipt	What was bought, at what price, with what taxes, shipping and total	The order confirmation or an invoice from the Shopify admin
Checkout confirmation	What the customer saw and agreed to at purchase	A saved checkout screen or the order status page
Pricing policy	How you price, tax, ship and convert currency	Your published policy, dated
Exchange rate documentation	Which currency applied and what was charged	The order's currency record and the checkout display
Customer communications	What was said before and after the order	Emails, chat and support tickets
System logs	That the order happened as recorded	The order timeline and payment events

Shopify Payments also includes some evidence by itself where available: product details, customer name and email, billing and shipping addresses, IP address, fulfilment and tracking details, refunds, prior undisputed orders and policies depending on the dispute type. You add what it lacks, and for a General dispute that is mostly the checkout confirmation, the pricing policy in force and the messages.

How do you work out the claim in a Shopify general dispute reason?

Because the label does not say, you read the order for signals. Ask five questions and write the answers in one line each.

Question	Where to look	What it suggests
Did the customer write to you before or after the order?	Email and chat	A complaint about price, delivery or product, in their own words
Does the amount on the order look unusual?	Receipt: shipping, taxes, duties, currency	A "this is more than I expected" claim
Was the order placed in a currency other than the customer's usual?	Order currency, billing country	A conversion surprise
Does the charge appear under a name the customer may not recognize?	Your billing descriptor	An "I do not know this charge" claim
Has the order been delivered, cancelled or refunded?	Order timeline	Not received, cancellation or refund claims

The answers point you to a family of defences. Our guides cover the common ones, and a General dispute often turns out to belong to one of them.

If the signals say	Read this guide
The charge name is unclear	Unrecognized charge and billing descriptor
Duties or brokerage fees surprised the buyer	Duties and brokerage fee disputes
The buyer thought they cancelled	Cancelled order chargebacks
The buyer was charged twice	Duplicate charge chargebacks
The buyer says the item differed from the listing	Product not as described

If none of the signals fits, write the case as a general defence of the transaction: the customer ordered, saw the price, paid, received what they ordered and was told what to expect.

How should an itemized receipt look when the reason is General?

The itemized receipt is your core exhibit. It must let a stranger add the numbers and agree with the charge. Include every line the customer paid.

Itemized receipt: fields to show (adapt to your store)

Store name and contact:        [name, email, address]
Order number and date:         #[number], [date and time]
Customer name and email:       [as entered at checkout]
Billing and shipping address:  [as entered]

Items:
  [SKU] [product name] x [qty]   C$[unit price]   C$[line total]
  [SKU] [product name] x [qty]   C$[unit price]   C$[line total]

Subtotal:                      C$[amount]
Discounts:                     C$[amount] (code [code])
Shipping:                      C$[amount] ([method])
Taxes:                         C$[amount] (as charged)
Duties and fees:               C$[amount] or "not charged"
Total charged:                 C$[amount]
Payment method:                card ending [last four]
Currency:                      [CAD / USD]

Check	Why it matters
Totals add up	A reviewer who finds an error stops trusting the rest
Shipping and taxes on separate lines	Hides nothing from a customer who says "I did not expect this"
Currency stated	Answers the conversion question before it is asked
Last four digits of the card	Ties the order to the charge
Date and time	Shows the order existed before the dispute

Save the receipt as a PDF from the order confirmation or the admin, and keep it under 2 MB. If you issue invoices from another system, use the one the customer actually received.

What should the checkout confirmation show in a general dispute reason case?

The checkout confirmation proves what the customer saw before they paid. For a pricing or currency complaint it is often the most persuasive item, because it shows the total and the terms the customer accepted.

Capture	Why
The checkout page with line items, shipping and total	Shows the price the customer agreed to
The order status or thank you page	Shows the confirmation they received
The order confirmation email	Shows the amount and the store name on the receipt they hold
The shipping method and estimated delivery	Sets expectations about timing
Any terms or policy link shown at checkout	Shows the terms were available

Save these on the day of the dispute if you did not save them at purchase. Pages can change over time, so a reviewer will value a capture that carries a date. If your checkout differs by country or language, capture the version this customer would have seen.

What belongs in the pricing policy for a general dispute reason?

A pricing policy answers the "why was I charged this" question in advance. Shopify's list names it for General disputes, so a clear, dated copy is worth having. Many stores do not have one, because their shipping and refund pages cover the topics in passing. A short page is enough.

Pricing policy (adapt to your store)

Last changed: [date]

1. Prices. Prices on the site are in [CAD / USD / shown at checkout].
2. Taxes. Taxes are [included in / added to] the price and shown on
   the checkout page before you pay.
3. Shipping. Shipping costs are shown at checkout before you pay.
4. Duties and fees. [We collect duties at checkout / The carrier may
   bill you on delivery]. See our duties page.
5. Currency. If you pay in a currency other than your card's, your bank
   may convert the amount and set its own rate. The amount charged by
   us is the amount shown at checkout.
6. Discounts. A discount code applies to [what] and cannot be
   combined with [what].
7. Price changes. Prices can change; the price at checkout when you
   order is the price you pay.

Clause	The complaint it answers
Prices and currency	"The amount differs from what I thought"
Taxes and shipping	"I was charged extra"
Duties and fees	"The carrier asked for more money"
Discounts	"My code did not apply"
Price changes	"The price was lower yesterday"

Save a dated PDF of the policy each time it changes. Our return policy guide shows a change log that works for any policy.

How do you document exchange rates for a Shopify general dispute reason?

A Canadian store that sells in US dollars, or a US buyer paying a Canadian store, can end up in a dispute where the amount on the statement looks different from the price. Shopify lists exchange rate documentation for the General reason, so show the currency and amount at the time of sale.

Item	What it shows
Order currency	Which currency the sale was made in
Amount shown at checkout	What the customer agreed to
Total charged	What reached the card
Pricing policy clause on currency	That the store disclosed the situation
Customer's billing country	Why the customer might see a conversion

We found no source that describes how a customer's bank converts currencies, so this guide does not state a rate or a fee. The defence is simpler: the customer saw and accepted a price in a stated currency, and your records show the same figure. Our cross-border guide covers the Canada to US case in more depth.

What do customer communications add to a general dispute reason?

They show the customer was engaged, and in a General dispute they may reveal the claim. Pull every email, chat and support ticket for this customer, from the order date forward and from any earlier order.

What to pull	What it can show
Pre-order questions	The customer asked about price, shipping or delivery before buying
Order confirmation replies	The customer accepted the terms
Delivery or tracking questions	The customer was following the order
Complaints	The claim, in the customer's own words
Thank you messages	The customer was satisfied
Your replies	That you responded promptly and clearly

Save each thread as a single PDF, and keep the original language. Our customer emails guide shows how to package them so they fit the size limits.

What counts as system logs for a general dispute reason?

System logs show the transaction happened as recorded. For a Shopify store, the order timeline on the order page is the natural starting point: order created, payment authorized and captured, fulfilment events, emails sent, notes added. Shopify Payments includes some of this data itself, such as the IP address, fulfilment and tracking details and prior undisputed orders.

Log	What it proves
Order created, time and date	The order existed
Payment authorized and captured	The charge was valid and approved
IP address	Where the order came from
Fulfilment and tracking events	The order shipped
Confirmation emails sent	The customer was notified
Notes you added	Your handling of the order

Capture the timeline as a PDF or image. Keep it readable: a clipped screenshot with no dates helps nobody.

How do you structure the response for a Shopify general dispute reason?

Put the strongest proof first, then acknowledgment, policy and context, the order Shopify suggests. Start with a three line summary.

General dispute response (adapt to your case)

Order #[number], placed [date] for C$[amount].

Summary
The customer disputes this charge as General. We believe the question
concerns [price / currency / charge name / delivery]. The customer
saw a total of C$[amount] at checkout (file 2) and received an
itemized receipt showing each line (file 1). The order shipped on
[date] and was delivered on [date] (file 6). [The customer wrote on
[date] to say "[quote]" (file 5).]

1. Itemized receipt (file 1)
2. Checkout confirmation (file 2)
3. Pricing policy in force on the order date (file 3)
4. Order currency and the amount shown at checkout (file 4)
5. Customer communications (file 5)
6. Order timeline and delivery record (file 6)

Everything above is attached. We have no other records that bear on
this charge.

Do	Do not
Name the likely claim and say you believe it	State a claim as fact when you are guessing
Point to a file for each sentence	Write a long story with no exhibits
Quote the customer in their own words	Paraphrase in a way that changes meaning
Say what you do not have	Imply proof you cannot show
Keep a neutral tone	Accuse the customer of lying

What does a worked example in C$ look like?

Take the Victoria order: C$142.00, a set of fountain pens with C$12.00 shipping, charged on 2 October. The customer never wrote in. Two weeks later, a dispute arrives with the general reason. The signals: shipped to the billing address, delivered, no messages, the charge appears under a name that includes the store's legal name rather than the brand name.

Reading the signals

Delivered to billing address .......... supports a legitimate order
No messages from the customer ......... no stated complaint
Statement name differs from brand ..... possible "I do not recognize it"
Order in CAD, card issued in Canada ... no conversion surprise

Likely claim: unrecognized charge
Defence: receipt + checkout + delivery record + billing descriptor note

The owner builds the file: receipt with line items, checkout screenshot showing the brand name and total, the order confirmation email, the pricing policy, the delivery record and a note explaining that the statement name uses the legal name. The summary says so in three lines, and each line points to a file. The same signals could have pointed to a different claim in another order, which is why the five questions come first.

Value of filing (illustrative figures)

Amount at stake  = 142 + 15 fee   = C$157.00
Chance of winning with a full file = c = 0.50 (illustrative)
Chance with no file                = 0.15 (illustrative)

Expected recovery gain = (0.50 minus 0.15) x 157 = C$54.95
Your time = 45 minutes, call it C$23

Net gain from filing = 54.95 minus 23 = about C$32

The win chances are illustrative, and we found no published Canadian figures for the General reason. Use your own history, and read the result as a direction: with good records the case pays for itself.

Should you fight a Shopify general dispute reason?

Whether to fight a general dispute reason case depends on the evidence and the size of the order.

Situation	Move	Why
Delivered, receipt and checkout match, no complaint	Fight	Strong, clean record
Customer wrote a clear complaint you can answer	Fight, quoting the message	You know the claim
Customer wrote a fair complaint you cannot answer	Consider a refund while it is an inquiry	The fee is lost on a defeat
Order under about C$25 and no records	Probably accept	Time exceeds value
Currency or price confusion with a clear checkout screenshot	Fight	The screenshot is direct proof
You made a pricing error	Refund if still an inquiry	Your own error

If it is still an inquiry, a full refund ends it. If a chargeback is open, no refund is possible, and accepting loses the fee. Our inquiry vs chargeback guide covers the difference.

How does ChargeFix help with a Shopify general dispute reason?

A General dispute is a puzzle with a clock. ChargeFix reads the records so you can see the shape of the case quickly. It is built for Shopify Payments disputes.

1. Dispute fetched. ChargeFix fetches the chargeback when it opens, so the reason, amount and due date are on one list.
2. Records read. It reads the order, addresses, fulfilment and tracking data and the refund history.
3. Evidence scored. It flags what is present and what is missing, such as no checkout record or no customer messages, and gives a plain verdict: worth fighting, improve the evidence first or weak evidence.
4. Letter from facts. The response is drafted only from verified facts, so it will not claim a policy or a message your records do not show.
5. Your choice of mode. ChargeFix prepares each response in Manual mode, which is the default. You review and file it, or let Auto mode handle them. Auto mode is on Starter plans and above, off until you turn it on and confirm.

ChargeFix handles Shopify Payments disputes only. It cannot promise a win, because the card company decides, and it cannot tell you what the customer meant when the reason is vague. It stores minimal data: case ID, amount, reason, status, dates and shop settings. The free plan includes 2 filings a month, and every paid plan starts with a 14 day free trial.

What does a dated plan look like for a general dispute reason?

Day	What you do	Done when
Day 0	Read the dispute. Write the due date, amount and order	The date is on your list
Day 1	Read the timeline and messages; write a one line guess at the claim	The claim is guessed
Day 2	Pull the receipt, checkout confirmation and order timeline	Direct proof saved
Day 3	Pull the pricing policy, currency record and messages	Supporting proof saved
Day 4	Write the one page summary; check file types and sizes	Every sentence points to a file
Day 5	File	Confirmation in admin
Day 6 and 7	Spare days	Nothing outstanding
Up to 75 days later	Decision arrives	Note what mattered

A general dispute reason case moves faster when the pull is routine. If your window is longer than 7 days, use the extra time to chase slow records, not to start late. Shopify's chargeback page gives a typical 7 to 21 days and we found no extension process. Our deadline guide covers the clock in depth.

What is different about a Shopify general dispute reason in Canada?

Topic	What applies in Canada	What to do
Fee	C$15 or US$15 by payout currency, returned only on a win	Cost each case in your payout currency
Currency	Many Canadian stores sell in CAD and USD	Save the order currency and the checkout display
Language	Quebec buyers may write in French	Keep the original message and add a short English note
Delivery proof	Canada Post confirmation online for 45 days after delivery	Download it before it expires
Shopify Protect	US stores only	It does not cover Canadian stores
Complaints	Shopify Payments (Canada) acknowledges within 5 business days, decides in writing within 45 days	Raise a complaint with your processor first

Same rule, Canadian details. The Shopify general dispute reason works the same way for Canadian stores; the differences are money, language and records.

Currency. If you price in both Canadian and US dollars, make the currency clear on every page the customer sees and on the receipt. The dispute you avoid is the one where the amount on the statement does not match the price in the customer's head.

French. If a Quebec customer writes in French, keep the original in the file. Our Quebec customers guide covers the language rules we found.

Where to complain. Shopify Payments (Canada) acknowledges a complaint within 5 business days and gives a final written decision within 45 days. The Financial Consumer Agency of Canada supervises the Code of Conduct for the Credit and Debit Card Industry in Canada but does not decide individual disputes. A complaint does not move a due date.

What are the 10 mistakes to avoid on a Shopify general dispute reason?

1. Assuming General means nothing to do. It means you must find the claim.
2. Guessing the claim and stating it as fact. Say "we believe".
3. Skipping the checkout screenshot. It is the best proof of what the customer saw.
4. Missing the pricing policy. A short dated page is enough.
5. Ignoring the order currency. Show it on the receipt.
6. Attaching raw system data. Screenshots need dates and legible text.
7. Forgetting customer messages. They may reveal the claim.
8. Filing on the last day. A rejected upload leaves no room to fix it.
9. Refunding after a chargeback begins. Shopify does not allow it.
10. Fighting an order you got wrong. If the price was your error, refund while it is an inquiry.

Frequently asked questions

What does the Shopify general dispute reason mean?

It is one of Shopify's dispute reasons, with its own evidence list, and we found no page tying it to a single customer claim. Treat it as a dispute where you must work out the complaint from the order, the messages and the amount, then file the six listed items.

What evidence does Shopify list for a General dispute?

Shopify lists an itemized receipt, a checkout confirmation, a pricing policy, exchange rate documentation, customer communications and system logs. The allowed types are PDF, JPEG and PNG, at 2 MB per file and 4 MB in total, one file per evidence type, with no links, audio or video.

How do I find out what the customer is claiming?

Read the order timeline and every message with this customer, then check the amount, currency, shipping and charge name. Five questions in this guide turn those signals into a likely claim. If none fits, write a general defence of the transaction and say you believe the question concerns price or the charge name.

Does a General dispute usually involve currency?

Shopify's list includes exchange rate documentation, so currency is one expected theme, along with price and the record of the transaction. We found no figure for how often, so save the order currency, the checkout display and your pricing policy clause on currency whenever a customer paid in a different currency.

Do I need a pricing policy for the general dispute reason?

Shopify's list names it, and a clear, dated policy answers price, tax, shipping, duty and currency complaints before they arise. It can be short. Save a dated PDF each time it changes so you can show the version in force on the order date.

Can I refund a general dispute reason case?

Yes while it is an inquiry: Shopify says a full refund ends an inquiry. A partial refund does not prevent a chargeback, and no refund is possible once a chargeback is open. If the price was your error, refund early from the Shopify admin.

How long do I have to respond?

Shopify gives a typical 7 to 21 days, shown on the dispute, and we found no extension process. On the due date Shopify Payments sends a response with the data it holds even if you filed nothing, and after that no evidence can be added.

Is it worth fighting a small general dispute reason?

Compare the amount plus the C$15 fee with the chance your file improves and your time. With clean records, under an hour of pulling exhibits often pays on orders above about C$50. Without records, accepting and fixing the process may cost less. Use your own history.

How long until the card company decides?

Up to 75 days for a chargeback and 65 to 75 days or longer for an inquiry, after you submit. The decision is final with no appeals. A win returns the amount and the fee in your next payout, so plan your cash flow for the long end of that range.

How does ChargeFix help with a Shopify general dispute reason?

ChargeFix reads your order, tracking and refund data, flags what is missing and drafts the letter from verified facts. It cannot tell you what a vague reason means or promise a win. In Manual mode, the default, you review and file each response. Auto mode is on Starter plans and above.

Start free trial with ChargeFix

You now have a six item checklist, a way to find the claim, a receipt layout, a pricing policy template and a response template for the Shopify general dispute reason. What most stores lack is the time to collect six exhibits and the confidence about which claim to answer. ChargeFix reads your Shopify order data, shows what is missing, writes the letter from verified facts and leaves the filing to you in Manual mode, with Auto mode there for the cases your own rules cover.

The free plan includes 2 filings every month, and every paid plan starts with a 14 day free trial. There is no cut of what you win, and no contract.

Ready to answer every Shopify general dispute reason with the records you already have? Start free trial

Sources

• Shopify Help Center, "Responding to chargebacks and inquiries"
• Shopify Help Center, "Resolving a chargeback or inquiry"
• Shopify Payments (Canada), "Code of Conduct complaint handling"
• ChargeFix, "chargefix.pro"
• 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