The courier says the parcel was "left in a safe place". Your customer says it never came, and their bank wants your side in days. This guide shows who carries the risk, which proof carries weight and how to answer.
Safe place delivery liability in the UK usually sits with you, the seller, unless the customer chose the spot or the person. Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, goods stay at your risk until the buyer, or someone they named, has physical possession. A written instruction from the customer is the strongest protection you can hold.
This guide is for you if:
- A customer says a parcel left in a safe place or with a neighbour never reached them, and has asked their bank for the money back.
- Your courier marks orders as delivered without a signature, and you want to know where that leaves you.
- You want a delivery policy that protects you before the next dispute arrives.
Last updated: 9 October 2026. Written by the ChargeFix team.
The 30-second answer (TL;DR)
- Safe place delivery liability is normally yours as the seller. Citizens Advice tells buyers that if a parcel was left somewhere they did not agree to, it is the seller's responsibility if it gets lost.
- If the customer told you or the carrier where to leave it, Citizens Advice says it is not the seller's responsibility if it goes missing. So the customer's own words are your best evidence.
- Vague wording such as "leave it anywhere safe" is the grey area. Citizens Advice notes that a general permission is less clear than a named spot or person.
- Shopify says banks can rule for the customer even when you show delivery confirmation. In a safe place delivery dispute, a delivery photo that shows the spot, plus the customer's instruction, makes the strongest case.
- You cannot refund an open chargeback. A full refund during an inquiry ends it, but a partial refund does not.
- Decide your safe place delivery rule at checkout, not after the dispute arrives.
From missing parcel to decision
| Step | What happens | Your job |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Delivery | The courier leaves the parcel in a safe place or with a neighbour | Keep the scan, the photo and any note |
| 2. Complaint | The customer says it never arrived | Reply the same day, ask where they expected it |
| 3. Dispute | The customer asks their bank to reverse the payment | Write down the due date straight away |
| 4. Evidence | You build a response on the order | Lead with the customer's instruction and the photo |
| 5. Review | The bank decides, up to 75 days after you submit | Wait. Nothing can be added |
| 6. Result | A win returns the amount and the fee. A loss is final | Fix the policy so it does not repeat |
What does safe place delivery liability actually mean?
It means deciding who pays when a parcel the courier says it delivered turns out to be missing. The customer paid you, not the courier, so the legal duty to deliver sits with you. If the parcel vanishes after being left somewhere, the question is whether the customer agreed to that spot.
Most sellers think of delivery as a job they hand to a courier. In law and in a card dispute, it is still your job. The contract is between you and the buyer. The courier is your supplier, and its mistakes become your problem in front of the customer even though you may have a separate claim against the courier.
Two different questions are tangled together here, and keeping them apart will save you a lot of confusion:
- What do you owe the customer in law? That is about the Consumer Rights Act 2015 and who carries the risk while the goods are in transit.
- Who wins the card dispute? That is about the evidence you give the bank and the card network rules, which Shopify says can go the customer's way even when you show delivery confirmation.
A customer can be owed a re-send in law and still lose a chargeback. A seller can lose a chargeback and owe nothing in law. That split is the heart of safe place delivery liability: the law asks who carried the risk, and the bank asks who holds better proof. This guide covers both, because a post about safe place delivery liability that ignored the bank would leave you exposed.
| Question | Who decides | What you can control |
|---|---|---|
| Do I owe a refund or re-send? | The law, and in the end a court | Your delivery terms and what the customer asked for |
| Do I win the chargeback? | The customer's bank and the card network | The quality and order of your evidence |
| Can I claim from the courier? | Your contract with the courier | Your courier terms and the paperwork you keep |
This is general information, not legal advice. If the amounts are large or the facts are unusual, speak to a solicitor or your trade body.
Who has neighbour delivery liability when a parcel is left with a neighbour?
For a consumer sale in the UK, the seller carries the risk if a parcel is left with a neighbour the buyer did not choose. Citizens Advice says that where the buyer did not ask for that arrangement, "it's the seller's responsibility if it gets lost". Where the buyer did ask for it, the loss is not the seller's. In short, neighbour delivery liability follows the customer's choice.
The reasoning comes from section 29 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015. Goods remain at the trader's risk until they come into the physical possession of the consumer or a person identified by the consumer to take possession. A neighbour the courier picked at random was not identified by your customer, so the risk has not moved.
Citizens Advice gives two clear cases for Royal Mail and couriers. If the buyer told Royal Mail to leave the parcel in a place or with a neighbour, the seller is not responsible if it goes missing. If the buyer did not ask, the seller is responsible. Courier deliveries follow the same logic: if the buyer agreed to the drop-off point, it is not the seller's responsibility, and if the location was not agreed, it is the seller's legal responsibility to sort it out.
Citizens Advice also tells buyers that the seller should chase the courier, and that the buyer should not be passed between the two. That matters for how you answer a complaint. A message that says "contact the courier" is likely to make things worse, both with the customer and with the bank.
| Situation | Where the risk sits (general information) |
|---|---|
| Parcel left with a neighbour the courier chose | Seller |
| Parcel left in a spot the buyer never mentioned | Seller |
| Buyer named a neighbour or a spot and the parcel went there | Likely the buyer, but depends on the facts |
| Buyer gave a vague "safe place" permission | Unclear. Weak for the seller without detail |
| Buyer chose their own carrier | The buyer, once handed to that carrier |
| Parcel in the buyer's physical possession | The buyer |
There is a catch worth knowing. A consumer guide I reviewed notes that when a parcel goes to a nominated safe place or a nominated neighbour, the buyer's rights are diminished, but it does not explain how far. Another says that once goods are delivered to a nominated place or person, the risk passes to the buyer, and that a courier photo that does not show the nominated spot may let the buyer dispute that delivery. I could not find an authoritative source that settles every version of this, so treat the word "nominated" as the hinge. The more clearly the customer named it, the safer you are. The first test of safe place delivery liability is always whether the customer chose the spot.
What counts as a nominated safe place for safe place delivery?
A nominated safe place is a spot or person the customer chose, not one the courier picked. The best proof is the customer's own words, in writing, before dispatch: a checkout note, an order comment or a delivery instruction saved on the order. A general "leave it somewhere safe" is the weakest form.
The word "nominated" is doing a lot of work, so it helps to break down what sellers actually hold on file:
| What you hold | How strongly it supports you | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Customer wrote "leave in the green wheelie bin" at checkout | Strong | A named spot, in their words, dated |
| Customer wrote "leave with number 14" | Strong | A named neighbour, in their words |
| Customer used the carrier's tool to pick a safe place | Strong if you can show it | The customer chose it with the carrier |
| Customer wrote "leave in a safe place" | Weak to medium | General, with no named spot |
| Your shipping policy says "we may leave in a safe place" | Weak | The customer may never have read it |
| Courier note says "left in a safe place" | Weak | The courier's judgement, not the buyer's |
| No instruction at all | Very weak | Nothing shows the customer agreed |
The pattern is simple. Evidence from the customer outranks evidence from the courier, and evidence that names a spot outranks evidence that does not.
Think about the policy line that most Shopify stores carry: "if no one is home we may leave your parcel in a safe place". Many sellers hope that line settles the matter. It rarely does on its own, because a customer who never saw it can say they never agreed to it, and a bank reviewer sees a generic policy, not a choice the buyer made. It supports you, but it does not carry the case.
A better setup collects a choice. For example, an optional checkout field that asks "If you are out, where should we leave your parcel?" with a free text box turns a silent assumption into a dated instruction. If the customer fills it in, you hold something real. If they leave it blank, you know to use a signature service for anything valuable. A recorded choice is the cleanest way to limit safe place delivery liability before any dispute starts.
How can a customer's own instruction limit your safe place delivery liability?
A customer's instruction moves the question from "did the courier choose well?" to "did the parcel go where the customer asked?". That second question is much easier to win. Keep the instruction as a screenshot or order note, and match it to the courier's record of where the parcel was left.
When the customer wrote it, you can use it in three places:
- In your first reply to the customer. "You asked us to leave it in the porch, and the courier's photo shows it there on Wednesday at 14:12. Can you check the porch and with anyone at home?"
- In your response to the bank. Evidence 1 is the instruction, Evidence 2 is the photo that matches it.
- In your decision about whether to fight. A matched instruction and photo is a strong case. A mismatch tells you to refund quickly instead of fighting.
Here is the point many sellers miss: matching matters as much as having. A customer who asks for the porch and gets a parcel left at the gate has an argument, because the courier did not follow the instruction. In that case your claim against the courier, not the customer, is the next step.
| Instruction vs delivery | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Asked for porch, photo shows porch | Delivery followed the instruction | Fight with both pieces |
| Asked for porch, photo shows gate | Courier ignored the instruction | Consider refund or reship, claim from the courier |
| Asked for neighbour at 14, left at 16 | Wrong neighbour | Consider refund or reship, claim from the courier |
| No instruction, photo shows doorstep | Courier chose the spot | Weigh the risk, often refund or reship |
| Instruction given, no photo | Instruction only | Fight if address and messages support it, with care |
What does the bank look at in an item not received dispute for safe place delivery?
For a dispute where the customer says an item was not received, Shopify lists four things for physical goods: tracking information with the carrier name, number and status, proof of delivery ideally with a signature or photo, verification that the item went to the address entered at checkout, and any delivery notifications sent to the customer.
That is the standard shape of an item not received response, and the same four items apply to any item not received dispute. Safe place delivery adds a fifth question the reviewer will ask in their head: did the customer agree to this spot?
Shopify's guidance is clear about how to build a response. Banks review a very large number of disputes, often hundreds a day, and the reviewer may spend only a few minutes on yours. So the strongest proof goes first, and every file gets a plain label. Shopify's recommended order is:
- Direct proof, such as delivery confirmation with a signature, or a tracking screenshot with a matching address.
- Customer acknowledgement, such as emails where the customer confirmed receipt or discussed the product.
- Policy documents the customer agreed to at checkout.
- Supporting context, such as order history, address and payment verification and a communication timeline.
In a safe place delivery case, I would slot the customer's delivery instruction into the second group, because it is the customer acknowledging where the parcel should go, and place it right beside the delivery photo.
Shopify also says strong evidence improves your chances but does not guarantee a win, and that banks have discretion to rule for the customer even when you provide delivery confirmation. Treat any safe place delivery case as a judgement call, not a certainty. Reviewers weighing liability for safe place delivery look for a link between the customer and the spot.
What does Shopify Payments add to a safe place delivery dispute by itself?
For orders on Shopify Payments, your response includes order details, customer name and email, billing and shipping addresses, IP address, fulfilment details, a tracking PDF where a tracking number exists, refund records, earlier undisputed orders and earlier disputes by the same customer. For some carriers the PDF also includes a delivery photo.
That means a good part of your case exists before you add anything. What only you hold is the customer's instruction, your messages with them and the policy they saw. Shopify lists emails and chat logs, the policies that apply and where the customer agreed to them, and a delivery photo or signature if it is not already in the PDF as examples of what to add.
None of this settles safe place delivery liability by itself. It builds the frame around your own evidence.
Use screenshots instead of links. Shopify says banks can review a screenshot without visiting an outside site, and recommends high-contrast images that print clearly in black and white, because many banks receive evidence through fax machines.
| Added automatically | You add |
|---|---|
| Order details, addresses, IP address | The customer's delivery instruction as a screenshot |
| Fulfilment details and tracking number | Courier proof of where the parcel was left |
| Tracking PDF, sometimes with a photo | Your messages with the customer |
| Refund records and order history | Your delivery policy and where it was shown |
| Previous disputes by the same customer | Notes on what the courier told you |
How strong is a delivery photo for safe place delivery?
A delivery photo is strong when it shows the exact spot the customer chose, and weak when it shows an anonymous doorstep. Photos help most when they include a house number, a recognisable door or the nominated container. Always add the date, time and the customer's instruction next to the picture. A photo is a tool in a safe place delivery dispute, not a verdict.
Reviewers see a lot of photos of generic front doors. A picture alone proves that a parcel was put down somewhere. What it cannot prove is that the somewhere belongs to your customer. So the photo needs a partner: an address match, a visible house number or a customer instruction naming the spot.
| Photo type | What it shows | How to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Close-up of parcel on a doorstep, no number | A parcel was left somewhere | Pair with an address match and the courier's location data |
| Door with a visible house number | The right property | Label it with the order address |
| Parcel in a named container | The customer's chosen spot | Place it beside the instruction |
| Parcel at a neighbour's door | A neighbour delivery | Show the customer asked for that neighbour, or weigh the risk |
| No photo at all | Only a scan | Lean on messages, history and policy |
Carrier details I noted on 2 October 2026 and did not re-open for this post, so check the carrier's current page before you rely on them: Royal Mail captures a photo on delivery for Tracked 24 and 48 services where no signature is needed, and Evri offers a Digital Signature add-on with photographic proof at about 60p, a price that may change. I could not verify what proof DPD provides, so ask it directly.
How do you get proof of delivery for a safe place delivery?
Ask in writing on day one, because proof of delivery for safe place delivery is often kept only for a limited time. Request and request whatever the courier holds for that tracking number: photo, signature, scan location and any note about where it was left. Not every service captures every item, and some keep records only for a limited time, so do not wait until the dispute due date.
Subject: Proof of delivery request, tracking number [number]
Hello,
Please send any proof of delivery you hold for tracking number [number],
sent on [date] to [postcode], showing a delivery date of [date].
Could you include, where available:
- the photo taken at delivery
- the signature, or the name of the person who accepted it
- the date, time and scan location
- whether it was left with a neighbour, and at which address
- the note the driver entered about where it was left
I need it by [date] to respond to a payment dispute.
Thank you,
[Name], [store], [account or reference]
If the courier says it holds nothing beyond the scan, write that down. A response that says what you have, and does not pretend to have more, is stronger than one that claims proof you cannot show.
A practical point on claims against the courier: your contract with the courier is separate from your contract with the customer. If the parcel was left somewhere the customer did not choose, you may have a claim for the loss, subject to the courier's terms and any compensation cap. Read those terms before you ship valuable goods, and ask whether extra cover is worth paying for.
What should you do in the first 24 hours of a safe place delivery dispute?
Write down the due date, read the dispute reason, contact the customer calmly and ask the courier for proof. Then decide whether the case is worth fighting before you spend hours building it. In a safe place delivery dispute, the first day is for facts, not arguments. If the customer has not yet gone to their bank, a quick fix can still prevent the dispute altogether.
FIRST 24 HOURS CHECKLIST
- [ ] Due date copied somewhere outside Shopify: [date]
- [ ] Dispute reason read
- [ ] Customer's delivery instruction found and screenshotted
- [ ] Courier asked for photo, signature and scan location
- [ ] Courier note on where it was left compared with the instruction
- [ ] Tracking page captured as a screenshot today: [date and time]
- [ ] Customer contacted with a neutral message
- [ ] Decision made: fight, refund route or accept
Here is a neutral message that states dated facts and asks for help. It does not accuse anyone.
Subject: About your order [#]
Hello [first name],
Our courier's records show order [#] was left on [date] at [time]
[in the spot you asked for / with a neighbour at [address]].
Could you check that spot, and with anyone at your address or the
neighbour, in case it was picked up for you? If it has not turned up,
tell us and we will put it right.
If you have already contacted your bank, please let us know so we can
sort it out with them directly.
[Name], [store]
Shopify advises explaining that you would have resolved the problem if the customer had contacted you first, if they went straight to their bank. Banks expect customers to try the merchant, so that sentence helps in every case.
If you speak to the customer by phone, follow up with a short written summary. A dated message is evidence, and it may be the only one you have.
How do you write the response to a left with a neighbour dispute?
For a safe place delivery, open with a short summary of the order, the date the courier recorded the delivery and where the parcel was left. Then attach the strongest proof first, label every file and close with a plain request. Keep the tone neutral. Only claim what a file in your response can show. A response to a safe place delivery dispute should read like a short file note.
Shopify says to put your most compelling evidence first and to label every piece clearly. The template below follows that approach for a safe place delivery case.
SUMMARY
Order [#] was placed on [date] for £[amount] and shipped on [date] with [carrier],
tracking number [number]. The carrier recorded delivery on [date] at [time],
[in the spot the customer asked for / with a neighbour at [address]].
EVIDENCE 1: CUSTOMER INSTRUCTION
Screenshot of the [checkout note / order comment / carrier preference] in which
the customer asked for the parcel to be left [spot / neighbour], dated [date].
EVIDENCE 2: PROOF OF DELIVERY
[Photo / signature] obtained from [carrier] on [date], showing [where it was left].
It matches Evidence 1 because [reason].
EVIDENCE 3: TRACKING RECORD
Screenshot of the carrier tracking page captured on [date and time], showing
the status Delivered on [date] to [address / postcode].
EVIDENCE 4: ADDRESS
The delivery address matches the shipping address on the order.
EVIDENCE 5: CUSTOMER CONTACT
[The customer contacted us on [date]. We replied on [date] asking them to
check the spot and with neighbours.]
EVIDENCE 6: ORDER HISTORY
The customer placed [number] earlier orders between [date] and [date] that
were not disputed.
EVIDENCE 7: POLICIES
Our shipping policy was shown at checkout. Screenshot attached.
REQUEST
On the evidence above, we ask that the dispute be decided in the merchant's favour.
Delete any line you cannot back with a file. A response with four solid items beats one with seven where three are guesses. If the customer never gave an instruction, drop Evidence 1 and be honest about it, because a reviewer who sees "the customer asked for" with no screenshot will discount the whole response.
Illustration: a dispute timeline. An order ships on Monday 2 November 2026. The courier leaves it in the porch on Wednesday 4 November at 14:12, and the photo shows the porch. The customer emails on Friday 6 November to say it never arrived. The dispute opens on Monday 30 November. If Shopify gives you the shortest window of 7 days, the due date is Monday 7 December. With the longest window of 21 days, it is Monday 21 December. Your actual due date is on the dispute page, so use that, not this arithmetic.
Should you refund, reship or fight a safe place delivery dispute?
It depends on the match between the customer's instruction and the courier's record, the order value and what you owe in law. A matched instruction and photo justifies fighting. An anonymous doorstep on a small order often does not. You cannot refund an open chargeback, so choose before it opens or accept it afterwards. Weigh safe place delivery liability honestly before you decide.
Here is what Shopify says about each route:
| Route | What Shopify says |
|---|---|
| Fight | Submit evidence by the due date. The decision is final |
| Accept | Not submitting, or opening the form and accepting. The amount goes to the customer and the fee is not refunded |
| Refund during an inquiry | A full refund ends it. A partial refund can still lead to a full chargeback |
| Refund during a chargeback | Not possible. The customer must withdraw first, with an official letter |
| Customer withdraws | Submit the withdrawal letter, then refund once it resolves. This can take 30 to 90 days |
Illustration: break-even on a £64 order. The courier left the parcel at a spot the customer never named, and the customer disputes the £64 payment. The fee is £10, so losing costs £64 + £10 = £74. Suppose your time to build the response is worth £12. If you fight and lose, you are down £74 + £12 = £86. If you accept, you are down £74. If you fight and win, you get the £74 back and are down £12 in time. Fighting beats accepting when the chance of winning covers £12 ÷ £74, which is about 16%. So if you think your chance is better than roughly one in six, fighting pays on this order. The numbers are invented to show the arithmetic and are not a forecast. The should I fight this calculator lets you test your own figures.
Illustration: reshipping before a dispute. A customer says the parcel left with a neighbour never reached them and has not yet gone to their bank. The goods cost you £22 and postage is £4.50, so a reship costs £26.50. If it becomes a lost chargeback, you lose £64 + £10 = £74. Reshipping saves £74 - £26.50 = £47.50 in this example, but only if it stops the dispute. If the first parcel then turns up, you have sent two, so decide with the facts you have.
The legal position also matters. If the parcel genuinely did not reach the buyer, you may owe a refund or re-delivery whatever the bank decides. Citizens Advice says a buyer can ask for redelivery, and that a refund can follow where a delivery date was essential and missed, or where a second delivery attempt fails. If you honestly believe the customer has the parcel, the evidence route is right. If you do not know, a reship or refund can be cheaper than the fight.
How do you set up a safe place delivery policy that protects you?
To limit safe place delivery liability, collect a choice at checkout, send the customer a delivery message with the photo, use a signature for valuable parcels and keep the evidence in one place. A policy that records what the customer asked for turns a vague dispute into a matching exercise, and it lowers safe place delivery liability at the source.
Shopify's list of ways to reduce disputes includes reviewing high-risk orders before fulfilment, using tracking and delivery confirmation, updating customers on delays, making policies clear and replying quickly to customer contact. Each one helps with this dispute type.
| Habit | How it helps with safe place delivery liability |
|---|---|
| Ask for a drop-off choice at checkout | Creates a dated instruction in the customer's own words |
| Require a signature on high-value orders | Removes the safe place delivery question for the parcels that matter most |
| Send a delivery message with the photo | Tells the customer exactly where it was left |
| Name the spot in your delivery message | Gives the customer a chance to object quickly |
| Check the address on high-value orders | Reduces nearby and wrong address cases |
| Save the tracking screenshot on delivery day | Captures the evidence before pages change |
| Answer customer messages the same day | Fixes cases before the bank |
Here is wording you can adapt for the checkout field and the policy page:
CHECKOUT FIELD
If you are out when we deliver, where should we leave your parcel?
(For example: "porch", "green bin", "with number 14". Leave blank to
require a signature.)
POLICY LINE
We will leave your parcel only where you tell us at checkout. If you give
no instruction, it will need to be handed to you or someone at your address.
Be careful with the second line. Only promise what your carrier service can actually do. If your service cannot require a signature for particular orders, do not promise one. Check what each service level offers and adjust the line to match.
A delivery message that names the spot is just as useful:
Subject: Your order [#] was delivered
Hello [first name],
Your order was delivered today at [time]. As you asked, it was left
[in the spot you chose]. A photo from the courier is attached.
If anything looks wrong, reply to this email and we will sort it today.
[Name], [store]
The reply window is a small gift. A customer who sees the photo and does not object has, in a sense, accepted the delivery. A customer who does object has told you early, at a point where a reship is cheap and a dispute has not yet started.
Illustration: what a written instruction can save. You ship 800 orders a month at an average of £48. Say 4 of them become safe place delivery claims and you lose each one, at £48 + £10 = £58 apiece, which is 4 × £58 = £232 a month. If asking for a drop-off choice at checkout halves those losses, you save £116 a month. The figures are invented for the arithmetic, so replace them with your own numbers.
What's different for UK merchants?
This section is general information, not legal advice. For UK stores, the key differences are the Consumer Rights Act rules on risk, the £10 chargeback fee, the way UK carriers handle drop-off choices and how customers claim. How bank holidays affect your due date is not covered in the Shopify pages I reviewed.
Under UK rules, safe place delivery liability and neighbour delivery liability turn on the same idea: who chose?
On the law, section 29 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 keeps goods at your risk until they are in the buyer's physical possession, or in the hands of a person the buyer identified. Citizens Advice's guidance for buyers follows that, and it also covers redelivery and refunds where a delivery date was essential. For the fuller picture, see the Shopify chargebacks UK guide.
On cost, the UK chargeback fee is £10, and it is returned if you win. The Shopify chargeback fee guide for the UK explains how it works.
On claims, MoneyHelper says buyers typically have 120 days to make a chargeback claim, and that for credit card purchases from £100 to £30,000 they can claim under Section 75, where the card company is jointly liable with you. Debit card buyers use chargeback only. A late "it never arrived" claim can therefore appear months after the courier left the parcel.
On carriers, safe place delivery options and photo options differ between services, so check what each of your services records before you rely on it. If you are heading into a busy period, the Black Friday chargebacks guide explains how volume and delays produce this kind of dispute.
For the wider picture of when a delivered parcel is disputed anyway, read the guide on what to do when tracking says delivered but the customer says no.
What are the most common safe place delivery mistakes?
These habits turn a manageable safe place delivery dispute into a lost one.
- Relying on a generic policy line to settle safe place delivery liability, as if the customer had chosen the spot.
- Telling the customer to "contact the courier" when the contract is with you.
- Accepting the courier's "left in a safe place" note without checking it against the customer's instruction.
- Sending links to tracking pages instead of screenshots.
- Forgetting to capture the tracking page on the day, then finding the record changed.
- Missing the due date. After it passes, the result is final.
- Trying to refund an open chargeback, which Shopify blocks.
- Not asking the courier for the photo, the note and the scan location until the last day.
Frequently asked questions
Who is liable if a parcel is left in a safe place and stolen?
Safe place delivery liability usually sits with the seller, unless the customer chose that spot. Citizens Advice says that where the buyer did not agree the drop-off location, it is the seller's responsibility if the parcel is lost. Where the buyer asked for that spot, it is not the seller's responsibility. This is general information, not legal advice.
Is a seller liable if a parcel is left with a neighbour?
Neighbour delivery liability usually sits with the seller. Citizens Advice says that if the buyer did not ask for a neighbour delivery, it is the seller's responsibility if the parcel gets lost, and that the seller should chase the courier. If the buyer named the neighbour or told the carrier to use one, the loss is not the seller's.
Does "leave in a safe place" count as the customer's choice?
For safe place delivery liability, it is the weak middle ground. Citizens Advice notes the position becomes less clear when a buyer gives a general permission without detail. A named spot or a named neighbour is far stronger. Ask for a specific choice at checkout so you hold something clear, dated and in the customer's own words.
Is a delivery photo enough to win a dispute?
Not on its own. A photo proves a parcel was put somewhere, not that the place belongs to the customer. It is strongest when it shows a house number or the spot the customer chose, backed by an address match and the customer's instruction. Shopify says banks can still rule for the customer.
Can I tell the customer to claim from the courier?
It is better not to. Citizens Advice says the seller is responsible for delivery and should chase the courier, and that the buyer should not be passed between the two. Sort the customer out first, then pursue the courier for the loss under your own contract with them.
What should I do if the courier left the parcel in the wrong place?
For a safe place delivery gone wrong, check the customer's instruction against the courier's record. If the courier ignored a clear instruction, a refund or reship is usually the quickest route for the customer, and you can then claim from the courier. Keep the photo and the note, because they support that claim.
How long do I have to respond to an item not received dispute?
Shopify normally gives 7 to 21 days after the chargeback is filed, and your exact due date appears on the dispute. After that date nothing can be added and the result is final. Plan around the earliest possible date so a short window never catches you out.
Should I use a signature on every parcel?
No. A signature removes the safe place delivery liability question, but it costs money and can annoy customers who are rarely home. Use it for high-value orders and anything with a history of disputes, and use a recorded drop-off choice for the rest. Compare the carrier's price with a typical loss.
What if the customer withdraws the dispute after I contact them?
They must ask their bank to cancel it and give you an official withdrawal letter with specific details. A screenshot of a bank statement is not enough. Submit the letter as evidence, and still submit your full response, because Shopify says the process can take 30 to 90 days with no guarantee.
Can the customer dispute months after delivery?
Yes, and a safe place delivery dispute can come late. MoneyHelper says buyers typically have 120 days to make a chargeback claim, so a dispute can arrive long after the courier left the parcel. Keep the delivery photo, instruction and messages for every order for at least that long, and ideally longer.
Start free trial with ChargeFix
ChargeFix is a Shopify app for Shopify Payments disputes: it gathers the proof from your store, drafts the response from verified facts, on flat monthly pricing with no cut of what you win. You review and file it, or let Auto mode handle them. If you are tired of rebuilding a safe place delivery case from scratch each time, start free trial and have the evidence ready before the due date.
Sources
- Responding to chargebacks and inquiries, Shopify Help Center
- Resolving a chargeback or inquiry, Shopify Help Center
- Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 29, legislation.gov.uk
- If something you ordered hasn't arrived, Citizens Advice
- How to complain if you receive damaged goods in the post, Which?
- What are your consumer rights for late or missing parcels, Money to the Masses
- How to sort a problem with a payment, MoneyHelper
- Royal Mail and Evri delivery proof pages, reviewed 2 October 2026 and not re-opened for this post
01Dispute scenarios
02Dispute scenarios
03Chargebacks
04Reason codes
05Delivery scenarios
06Seasonal