CHARGEBACK GUIDES

Shopify chargeback evidence: what Shopify submits for you

By ChargeFix team · Updated 2 October 2026

Shopify will answer a chargeback on your behalf, using only what it already knows about the order. What it cannot see is usually your side of the story.

Shopify chargeback evidence is partly automatic. If you do not respond, Shopify files what it already holds, such as order details, addresses, IP address, fulfilment and tracking. It does not add your customer emails, policies or photos. Add those yourself before the due date, because after it nothing more can be submitted.

Last updated: 2 October 2026. Written by the ChargeFix team.

The 30-second answer (TL;DR)

  • Shopify pre-fills the response from order data: products, customer name and email, billing and shipping addresses, IP address, fulfilment details, tracking, refund records, order history and previous disputes.
  • It does not know what you said to the customer, what your policy said at checkout, or what the parcel looked like when it left you. Those items are yours to add.
  • If you submit nothing, Shopify's tools prepare a response on the due date. That response is final, and it is built from system data alone.
  • Every piece of chargeback evidence must be a PDF, JPEG or PNG. Each file is 2 MB or less, all files together are 4 MB or less, and you get one file per evidence type.
  • You can edit a saved response until the due date. Submit now locks it, so keep that click for last.
  • The right chargeback evidence depends on the reason the bank recorded. Delivery proof answers a product not received claim. History and consistency answer a fraud claim.
  • Good chargeback evidence improves your chances without guaranteeing a result, because the bank can still rule for the cardholder.

From order data to a submitted response

Stage What happens Who supplies it
1. Dispute arrives Shopify pre-fills the response form from order data Shopify
2. You review You read what was filled in and spot what is missing You
3. You add proof Emails, policies, photos, delivery proof, a short note You
4. You check files Format, size, labels, order You
5. You submit Submit now locks the response before the due date You, or Shopify's tools if you do nothing

Table of contents

What does Shopify submit as chargeback evidence for you?

Where the data exists, Shopify fills in product details, the customer's name and email, billing and shipping addresses, IP address, fulfilment details, a shipping tracking PDF, refund records, the customer's order history and any previous disputes. It can also add AI-generated insights, verification results and the relevant store policy. What appears depends on the order.

The words "when available" matter for Shopify chargeback evidence. Two orders in the same store can produce very different packs, because the data behind them differs. A digital product has no tracking. An order that went through a carrier Shopify cannot see has no tracking PDF. A first-time customer has no useful history.

Here is what each automatic item can do for you and where it falls short.

Automatic item What it can show Where it stops
Product details What was bought and the price Does not show the customer agreed to your terms
Customer name and email Who placed the order Does not show who received the goods
Billing and shipping addresses Whether the two match A mismatch is not proof of fraud, and a match is not proof of delivery
IP address Where the order came from Says little on its own
Fulfilment details When you shipped and how Does not show the parcel arrived
Shipping tracking PDF Carrier events, sometimes a delivery photo Can say delivered without proving the customer received it
Refund records Whether any money went back Silent on promises you made in messages
Order history Earlier purchases by the same customer Is only useful if you point to it
Previous disputes Whether this customer has disputed before Adds weight only when there is a pattern

Read that last column again. Almost every item of automatic chargeback evidence proves a fact about the order. Very few prove what the bank is actually asking, which is whether this customer received what they paid for or authorised the payment. That bridge is the work you do when you assemble Shopify chargeback evidence.

Shopify's own help page for responding to chargebacks and inquiries lists these items, and it is the source for this section. Shopify's help also says strong evidence improves your chances but does not guarantee a result, and that banks can rule for the cardholder even when you supply delivery confirmation. Our post on whether you can win a Shopify chargeback covers how to weigh the strength of your chargeback evidence when deciding whether to fight.

Does Shopify submit evidence if you do nothing?

Yes. If you submit nothing, Shopify's tools prepare a response from the data it already holds and send it on the due date. After that date nothing more can be added and the result is final. So the answer to doing nothing is not silence, but a thin response with no context.

That is easy to misread as safety. A response made of system data alone is thin Shopify chargeback evidence: it answers "what happened" and leaves "why you should keep the money" to chance.

Example 1 (illustration)

A customer disputes a £118.00 order as product not received. You ignore it. The UK fee is £10, so £128.00 has already left you.

On the due date Shopify files what it has: the order, matching addresses, a tracking PDF showing the parcel marked delivered on 8 October, and the customer's order history, which shows one earlier undisputed order.

It does not file your reply to the customer's "where is my parcel" email, in which you offered to reship and they declined. It does not file the delivery photo the carrier emailed you. It does not file your delivery policy as shown at checkout.

A reviewer reads a delivered tracking record against a cardholder who says nothing arrived, and has no reason to prefer your side. With £128.00 at stake, an hour spent adding those three pieces of chargeback evidence is a better use of time than a hope.

The point of the example is not that you will lose. It is that you will not have tried. Whether to put the hour in is a decision, and the break-even maths in our win rate post helps you make it.

What are Shopify's AI-generated insights in chargebacks?

AI-generated insights are summaries Shopify can add to a response for product not received disputes. Shopify says merchants can opt out. They help by organising order data, but they are not proof: a reviewer still wants delivery records, messages and policies. Read what was generated before it goes out, as you would for any other part of the response.

Treat the summary as a draft written by someone who has only seen the order record. It can say what the system knows. It cannot say what you know.

Three habits keep it useful.

First, check it against the order. If it mentions a delivery date, confirm the date against your tracking PDF. If it mentions an address, check it matches.

Second, do not rely on it to carry your chargeback evidence. A paragraph describing the order sits beside your proof, not instead of it.

Third, decide whether you want it at all. The opt-out exists, and Shopify's help pages explain where to find it. Menu wording changes, so follow what your admin shows.

We found no figure for how much AI-generated insights change outcomes, and we have not guessed one.

Should you add Shopify chargeback evidence if Shopify submits automatically?

Yes, whenever the automatic data does not answer the reason the bank recorded. The pre-filled items prove facts about the order. Your additions to the chargeback evidence prove what the order data cannot: that the customer agreed to your terms, that you answered them honestly, and that the goods left your hands in the condition you describe.

Start with the question of what the bank has been told. Their claim is recorded on the order as an issuer document when the bank supplies one. Read it before deciding what to add.

What only you hold falls into a handful of groups.

What only you have Why a reviewer cares Typical form
Messages with the customer Shows what was promised and when Screenshots saved as one PDF
Your policy as the customer saw it Shows the terms they accepted A screenshot of the page with the date visible
Photos of the item and packaging Shows what was sent and how JPEG or PNG, compressed
Carrier extras Signature, delivery photo, proof beyond a status line PDF or image from the carrier
Supplier or stock records Shows the item existed and shipped A short PDF extract
Notes of calls or chats Shows contact the order data does not hold A dated PDF note

If a category does not apply to the dispute, leave it out. Shopify chargeback evidence made of ten irrelevant pages is weaker than three pages that answer the claim. Shopify notes that reviewers handle many cases daily and may give yours only minutes, so every page has to earn its place.

For the practical flow of getting to the response form, including where the banner and due date appear, see our guide to where to find chargebacks in Shopify admin.

What file types and sizes does Shopify accept for chargeback evidence?

Shopify accepts PDF, JPEG and PNG only. Each file must be 2 MB or less, all files together 4 MB or less, and you get one file per evidence type. PDFs should be PDF/A compliant and under 50 pages. Audio, video and links to external pages are not accepted, so use screenshots instead of URLs.

The limits are the part of Shopify chargeback evidence that catches people on the last day. They are also the reason to build your files early.

Rule Limit
Accepted types PDF, JPEG, PNG
PDF pages Under 50 pages, PDF/A compliant
One file 2 MB or less
All files together 4 MB or less
Files per evidence type One
Not accepted Audio, video, external links

Two consequences follow.

One file per evidence type means you cannot upload five separate screenshots of your customer messages. You combine them into a single PDF. A free PDF merge tool or the print to PDF option on your computer will do it. Combine the pages in date order and write the page count in your cover note.

The 4 MB total is tighter than it sounds. A single phone photo can use most of it.

Example 2 (illustration)

You plan to submit five files. Sizes after checking:

File Size
Tracking PDF 0.6 MB
Customer messages, one PDF 0.9 MB
Parcel photo, compressed from 3.1 MB 1.2 MB
Policy screenshot 0.3 MB
Cover note PDF 0.2 MB

The total is 0.6 plus 0.9 plus 1.2 plus 0.3 plus 0.2, which is 3.2 MB. That is under the 4 MB limit, and every file is under 2 MB. The uncompressed photo alone would have been 3.1 MB, which breaks the 2 MB limit for one file and leaves 0.9 MB for everything else.

Check sizes on the day you build the files, not on the day you submit. Compressing an image or splitting a long PDF takes minutes, but not when the deadline is that night.

How do you use the Shopify chargeback response form?

Open the order, use the chargeback banner to reach the Chargeback response page, add your evidence, click Save and then Submit now. Saving keeps a draft you can keep editing until the due date. Submit now locks the response. Label each file, put the strongest first, and use screenshots rather than links.

Shopify describes the response flow in a few steps, and the order matters. Save first, review, then submit.

Here is a working sequence for the Shopify chargeback response form.

  1. Open the order and read the banner and any issuer document.
  2. Note the reason, the due date and the time. If no time is shown, the deadline is 11:59 PM on that date, in your store's time zone.
  3. Read what chargeback evidence Shopify pre-filled. Delete nothing yet.
  4. Add your files, one per evidence type.
  5. Write the cover note and add it as a file.
  6. Click Save and close the page.
  7. Reopen it later, read the whole response as a stranger would, and fix what is weak.
  8. Click Submit now, on your internal deadline and not the final night.

Because you can edit your chargeback evidence until the due date, step 7 is free. Use it. A response read cold the next morning almost always has a missing page or an unclear label.

Submit now cannot be undone. Shopify says a chargeback accepted in error can be un-accepted by contacting support before the deadline, but we found no equivalent for a response already submitted. Treat it as final.

What evidence is best for a product not received dispute?

For a product not received claim, the strongest evidence for a Shopify chargeback is proof the parcel reached the address on the order: a carrier tracking record, plus a delivery photo or signature where one exists. Add your messages with the customer and your delivery policy. Shopify already includes the tracking PDF, so your job is to strengthen it.

A tracking line that says delivered is a statement. A photo of the parcel at a door, or a signature, is closer to a fact. The gap between the two is where many of these disputes are decided.

Use this checklist for chargeback evidence when the reason is product not received.

Product not received: evidence checklist

[ ] Tracking PDF showing the delivered event, with date and time
[ ] Carrier delivery photo or signature, if one exists
[ ] Delivery address on the order matches the address the parcel went to
[ ] Order confirmation showing the address the customer entered
[ ] Messages where the customer asked about the order, and your replies
[ ] Any offer to reship or refund and the customer's answer
[ ] Your delivery and returns policy as shown at checkout, dated
[ ] Fulfilment date and the date the parcel left you
[ ] Customer's earlier undisputed orders, if they were delivered to the same address

UK carriers differ in what proof they can give you, and it is worth knowing before a dispute arrives.

Royal Mail has added a photo captured on delivery for Tracked 24 and Tracked 48 where no signature is needed, according to trade press we reviewed. That would give you a delivery photo for services that otherwise end at a status line. Check what your own Royal Mail service provides, because coverage has changed over time.

Evri offers a Digital Signature add-on with photographic proof. The price we saw was 60p, and it may change. For higher value orders, 60p buys a stronger exhibit than a status line.

DPD proof options are not covered in the sources we reviewed, so we are not describing them. Check your own account.

None of this guarantees a win. Shopify says banks can rule for the cardholder even when you supply delivery confirmation. Good chargeback evidence does, though, move the case from "the carrier said delivered" to "here is the doorstep".

Example 3 (illustration)

A customer disputes a £64.00 order as product not received. The fee is £10, so £74.00 has left you. Your evidence set has these answers to the likely questions.

What the reviewer might ask What you show
Did the order ship? Fulfilment date and tracking number
Did it arrive? Tracking PDF showing delivered, plus a carrier photo of the parcel at the address
Is that the right address? Order confirmation address next to the delivery address
Did the customer say anything? Two emails asking where the order was, and your reply with the tracking link
Was the policy clear? Checkout policy screenshot, dated

That is five items, each answering a single question, and nothing else. The cover note ties them together in four sentences. The point is that a reviewer reading it in a few minutes can tick off each question without searching.

What chargeback evidence works for a fraudulent transaction?

For a fraud dispute, the useful Shopify chargeback evidence shows that the person who paid is the person who received the order: matching addresses, earlier undisputed orders from the same customer, consistent contact details and any conversation after purchase. Shopify supplies order history and the IP address. You supply the explanation of why they point to the same customer.

A fraud claim says the cardholder did not authorise the payment. Delivery proof helps less here, because a parcel can be delivered perfectly well to someone who used a stolen card. What helps as chargeback evidence is a pattern that looks like a real, repeat customer.

Fraudulent transaction: evidence checklist

[ ] Order history showing earlier orders by the same customer
[ ] Earlier orders that were delivered and not disputed
[ ] Billing and shipping addresses, and whether they match
[ ] Same delivery address used on earlier orders
[ ] Customer email and name consistent across all orders
[ ] Any messages after purchase asking about the order or the product
[ ] Verification results, if Shopify supplied them
[ ] Delivery proof: tracking PDF, signature or photo
[ ] Your policy as shown at checkout

Example 4 (illustration)

A customer disputes a £236.50 order as fraudulent. The fee is £10, so £246.50 has left you.

The customer's account shows three earlier orders delivered to the same address, none disputed: £64.00, £89.99 and £52.50. Those total £206.49.

Shopify includes order history automatically, so that part of the chargeback evidence is there. But the history is a list. In your note you point to it: three earlier orders totalling £206.49, same name, same email, same delivery address, none disputed, the latest placed a few weeks before. You add the carrier photo for this order and the email in which the customer thanked you for a previous delivery.

You do not say the customer is lying. You state dates and amounts and point to the exhibits. A reviewer who sees a consistent customer will draw the conclusion without being told.

Shopify's help pages we reviewed do not describe every dispute reason in detail, so we have not tried to write a checklist for each. If your reason is neither product not received nor fraud, the pattern is the same: read what the bank claims, then answer that claim with dated facts.

What should you do for other dispute reasons?

Answer the reason the bank recorded with dated facts, whatever it is. If the claim is that the item was not as described, show the listing and the photos of what you sent. If the claim is about a refund, show the refund records and your messages about it. If unsure, read the issuer document first.

A short rule covers most cases: every piece of chargeback evidence should answer one specific question from the claim. If a file does not, leave it out.

Claim in plain words What to add beyond the automatic items
The goods never arrived Carrier photo or signature, messages, policy
I did not make this payment Order history, consistent details, post-purchase messages
The goods were not as described Listing text and photos from the sale date, photos of what you shipped, messages
I was promised a refund Refund records, the messages where the refund was discussed
I cancelled Your cancellation terms as shown at checkout, dates, messages

The wording of Shopify's reason list is not reproduced here and can change. Match the table to the claim you see on the order.

How should you write the cover note and order your files?

Put the strongest chargeback evidence first and label every file so a reviewer can tell what it is in two seconds. Add a short cover note that states the claim, then lists each file and what it shows, in dated, neutral sentences. Shopify prefers screenshots over external links, so capture what you would otherwise point to.

Reviewers read many cases, so they judge your chargeback evidence quickly. Shopify says yours may get only minutes. A cover note that makes the structure obvious is the closest thing you have to an advocate.

Here is a template you can adapt.

Cover note (one page, saved as a PDF)

Order: #[number], placed [date], £[amount]
Dispute reason recorded by the bank: [reason]

Summary
The customer ordered [product] on [date]. We shipped it on [date] with [carrier]. [Carrier] recorded delivery on [date] at [time] to the address on the order.

What each file shows
1. Tracking PDF: delivery recorded on [date] at [time].
2. Delivery photo: the parcel at the delivery address on [date].
3. Order confirmation: the address the customer entered at checkout, which matches the delivery address.
4. Customer messages (pages 1 to [n]): [date] customer asks about the order; [date] we reply with the tracking link; [date] customer does not reply.
5. Policy screenshot: delivery terms shown at checkout, captured on [date].

Previous orders
The customer placed [n] earlier orders between [date] and [date], delivered to the same address and not disputed.

We ask that the bank find in our favour on the basis of the above.

Three style points keep it credible.

State dates and facts, not conclusions about the customer. "The parcel was recorded as delivered on 8 October" is a fact. "The customer is trying to get free goods" is an accusation, and it costs you credibility.

Keep it to one page. If the note is longer than the evidence, something is wrong.

Name each file in plain words. A filename like "tracking_8Oct_delivered.pdf" is better than "IMG_4471.pdf".

How do you build the evidence pack before the due date?

Work backwards from the due date and set an internal deadline two working days early. Collect chargeback evidence in the first few days while records are fresh, build and size-check the files in the middle of the window, and keep the last days for a cold read-through. Submitting on the due date itself leaves no room for error.

The plan below runs a dispute found on Monday 19 October 2026, with a due date of Monday 2 November 2026 and no time shown, so the cut-off is 11:59 PM that day. That is a 14 day window, within Shopify's 7 to 21 days. Two working days before Monday 2 November is Thursday 29 October.

Date (2026) Task
Monday 19 October Find the order, log reason, amount and due date, read the banner and any issuer document
Tuesday 20 October Decide whether to fight. Pull tracking, fulfilment record and order confirmation
Wednesday 21 and Thursday 22 October Save customer messages, capture the policy screenshot, request any carrier proof
Friday 23 October Turn each item into a PDF, JPEG or PNG. Check each file is 2 MB or less and the total is 4 MB or less
Monday 26 October Write the cover note. Save the response in the form
Wednesday 28 October Read the whole response cold, as the reviewer. Fix gaps
Thursday 29 October Internal deadline: final check, then Submit now
Friday 30 October Spare day
Monday 2 November Due date. 11:59 PM if no time is shown. Confirm the status says Submitted

If a due date falls on a weekend or UK bank holiday, we found nothing in Shopify's help pages about it moving, so keep your internal deadline on the last full working day before. For the wider timeline once you have submitted, see our guide to how long a Shopify chargeback takes.

What should you check before you click Submit now?

Read the whole response as the reviewer would, with no knowledge of your store. Check that every file opens, fits the size limits, carries a clear label and answers a specific part of the bank's claim. Confirm the due date, then click Submit now. The check takes about fifteen minutes and cannot be repeated once the response is locked.

Do it on a different day from the one you built the files. Fresh eyes catch an unlabelled screenshot or a page that came out sideways.

Pre-submit check

[ ] The reason on the order matches the reason my note answers
[ ] Every file opens and is a PDF, JPEG or PNG
[ ] Every file is 2 MB or less, and the total is 4 MB or less
[ ] One file per evidence type, with the pages in date order
[ ] Every file has a plain name a stranger could read
[ ] The strongest file comes first
[ ] The cover note fits on one page and lists each file
[ ] Dates in the note match dates in the files
[ ] No file contains a link I expect the reviewer to click
[ ] Nothing in the note accuses the customer of anything
[ ] I have read the AI-generated insights, if they were added
[ ] The due date and time are written in my calendar

After you submit, save a copy of the note and every file in one folder named by order number. Shopify says a bank can dispute the same transaction again after a win, with a new deadline, so a pack that is already built saves you the same work twice.

What's different for UK merchants?

For UK merchants the fee is £10 and Shopify returns it if you win. Carrier proof varies by service, and customers can claim a chargeback within 120 days, so keep evidence for at least four months. Credit card buyers may also use Section 75. This is general information, not legal advice. Check your own situation with your payment provider.

Keep your chargeback evidence for longer than you think. MoneyHelper says customers who want to use the chargeback scheme should claim within 120 days. A dispute on a parcel you delivered three months ago is ordinary, and by then the customer emails and carrier portal records may be hard to find. Save the delivery photo, the signature and the message thread when the order ships, not when the dispute arrives.

The insufficient funds rule matters for the money side. If your Shopify balance cannot cover a chargeback, the amount is debited from your bank account outside the normal payout schedule, and a failed debit is retried after three business days.

If you win, the disputed amount and the £10 fee come back in your next payout after the decision. Shopify says a bank can raise the same dispute again after a win, with a new deadline, so keep the chargeback evidence you built. Our post on what happens after you win a chargeback on Shopify covers that step.

Section 75, per MoneyHelper, applies to credit card purchases from £100 to £30,000 and makes the card company jointly liable with the seller. It is separate from the chargeback scheme. Your habits for gathering chargeback evidence do not change, but higher value orders are worth the extra proof.

For the wider process from filing to decision, the Shopify chargebacks UK guide puts it all in one place.

Common mistakes

  1. Assuming Shopify's automatic chargeback evidence is the case. It proves facts about the order, not what the bank is asking.
  2. Leaving the AI-generated insights unread. Check what was written before it goes out.
  3. Uploading links. External links are not accepted. Screenshot the page instead.
  4. Sending a dozen files of chargeback evidence for one question. One file per evidence type, and each should answer something specific.
  5. Finding out about the 2 MB limit on the last day. Build and size-check the files early.
  6. Writing accusations in the note. State dates and point to exhibits.
  7. Clicking Submit now before a cold read-through. It locks the response.
  8. Not saving carrier chargeback evidence when the parcel ships. It is hardest to find months later.

FAQ

What chargeback evidence does Shopify include automatically?

Where it exists, Shopify adds product details, the customer's name and email, billing and shipping addresses, IP address, fulfilment details, a shipping tracking PDF, refund records, order history and previous disputes. It can also add AI-generated insights, verification results and the relevant store policy. What you see depends on the order and the carrier.

Does Shopify submit evidence if I do nothing?

Yes. If you do not respond, Shopify's tools prepare a response from the data it already holds and send it on the due date. After that date nothing more can be added and the result is final. The automatic response is made of system data only, so it leaves out your messages, photos and policies.

Should I add chargeback evidence if Shopify submits automatically?

Usually, yes. The automatic items prove facts about the order, such as addresses and fulfilment. They do not prove what the customer agreed to, what you told them or what the parcel looked like. Add only items that answer the specific claim the bank recorded, and leave out anything that does not.

What file types does Shopify accept for chargeback evidence?

PDF, JPEG and PNG. PDFs should be PDF/A compliant and under 50 pages. Audio, video and links to external pages are not accepted, so use screenshots in place of URLs. You can submit one file per evidence type, which means combining several screenshots into a single PDF.

How big can chargeback evidence files be?

Each file can be 2 MB or less, and all your files together can be 4 MB or less. Phone photos often exceed this, so compress images before uploading. Check sizes when you build the pack, not on the due date, so you have time to fix an oversized file.

Can I edit chargeback evidence before submitting?

Yes. Shopify lets you edit a saved response until the due date. Click Save to keep a draft and come back to it. Once you click Submit now, the response is locked and you cannot change it, so keep that click for the end, after a full read-through.

What are Shopify's AI-generated insights in chargebacks?

They are summaries Shopify can add to a response for product not received disputes, and Shopify says you can opt out. They organise order data but are not proof of delivery. Read what was generated, check it against your records and add real exhibits alongside it.

What chargeback evidence is best for a product not received claim?

Proof that the parcel reached the address on the order. A tracking PDF is the base. A carrier delivery photo or signature is stronger. Add your messages with the customer, any offer to reship, and your delivery policy as shown at checkout. Match the delivery address to the one the customer entered.

How do I answer a fraudulent transaction dispute?

Show that the buyer and the recipient look like the same real customer. Point to earlier undisputed orders to the same address, consistent name and email, matching addresses and any messages after purchase. Add delivery proof. State dates and amounts, and do not accuse the customer of fraud.

Join the ChargeFix waitlist

ChargeFix is being built for UK Shopify merchants who want help assembling Shopify chargeback evidence, with flat, fixed pricing instead of a cut of what you recover. It is not live yet, so for now the checklists above are the way to build a stronger response yourself.

Sources