Tracking says delivered but the customer says no: how to respond to the dispute

A customer says the parcel never came. The courier says it was delivered. You are stuck in the middle with a due date running and a £10 fee waiting. This guide shows what to gather, what to say and whether to fight.

When tracking says delivered but the customer says no, you can still defend the payment. Gather the carrier's proof of delivery, show the parcel went to the address on the order, add any customer messages and past orders, and answer the dispute before its due date. Strong proof helps, but the bank decides.

This guide is for you if:

• A customer is disputing an order that your carrier shows as delivered.
• You have a due date and want to know which proof matters most.
• You sell in the UK and want to know where you stand on risk.

Last updated: 9 October 2026. Written by the ChargeFix team.

The 30-second answer (TL;DR)

• When tracking says delivered, you have a good starting point, not a guaranteed win. Shopify says banks can rule for the customer even when you provide delivery confirmation.
• Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, goods stay at your risk until the buyer or a person they named has physical possession. So the customer may be owed a refund or a re-send whatever the dispute decides.
• Shopify Payments adds tracking details, addresses, order history and a tracking PDF to your response automatically. For some carriers the PDF includes a delivery photo.
• Lead with direct proof: a signature or photo, a tracking screenshot with a matching address, then customer messages, then policies.
• You cannot refund an open chargeback. A full refund during an inquiry ends it, but a partial refund does not.
• Order a signature on delivery for high-value parcels. Shopify says it significantly strengthens your position.

From delivered scan to decision

Step	What happens	Your job
1. Delivery	The carrier scan shows delivered	Keep the tracking record and any proof
2. Complaint	The customer says it never arrived	Reply fast, ask neutral questions
3. Dispute	The customer asks their bank to reverse the payment	Note the due date straight away
4. Evidence	You build a response on the order	Lead with the strongest proof
5. Review	The bank and card company decide, up to 75 days after you submit	Wait. Nothing can be added
6. Result	Win returns the amount and fee. Loss is final	Learn from it

What does it mean when tracking says delivered but the customer says no?

It means the carrier and the customer disagree about what happened. Tracking shows delivered, the customer says no, and there are several honest explanations. The parcel may have gone to a neighbour or a safe place, to a nearby address, to another person at the same address, or nowhere at all. In a small number of cases the dispute is not genuine.

Do not start by assuming the customer is lying. Most "delivered but not received" cases begin as a real parcel problem that you can fix with a message, and a customer who is treated as a suspect is more likely to go to their bank.

Shopify's own examples of product not received disputes include exactly this one: tracking says delivered, but the customer says they did not get it. Other examples are a delayed or lost shipment, and digital products or services that were not accessible. So the case you are facing is a recognised type with a recognised kind of evidence.

What happened	How common causes look	What helps
Parcel went to a neighbour or safe place	The scan says delivered, the customer found nothing	Carrier photo or note showing where it was left
Wrong or nearby address	Tracking shows delivered to a different house or door	Address match between order and delivery record
Another person accepted it	Someone at the address signed	Signature or name on the delivery record
Scanned in error or not delivered	Tracking says delivered but the scan was early or the parcel went missing	Nothing from the carrier. Refund or reship
Dispute not genuine	The customer has the parcel but claims otherwise	Delivery proof, messages and order history

Shopify advises explaining that you would have resolved the issue if given the chance, if a customer went to their bank without contacting you. That is useful in every row, because banks expect customers to try the merchant first.

Who is liable when tracking says delivered but the parcel is missing?

For UK consumer sales, the seller carries the risk until the buyer or someone they named takes physical possession. A scan that says delivered does not move the risk by itself. If the parcel was left somewhere the customer did not ask for and was lost, Citizens Advice says the loss is the seller's responsibility. This is general information, not legal advice.

The wording of section 29 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 is plain. 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. The exception is a carrier chosen by the buyer and not offered by you.

Citizens Advice tells buyers that if something was left with a neighbour or in a certain place and the buyer did not tell the carrier to, it is the seller's responsibility if it gets lost. The government's own written answer to a Parliamentary question also says the contract is with the seller, not the courier, and that the seller is responsible for delivery until the goods are in the consumer's possession.

Situation	Where the risk sits (general information)
Left with a neighbour the buyer did not name	Seller
Left in a place the buyer did not ask for	Seller
Buyer named a person or place and the parcel went there	Likely the buyer, but depends on the facts
Buyer chose a carrier you did not offer	The buyer, once handed to that carrier
Parcel in the buyer's physical possession	The buyer

There is a catch. Citizens Advice notes that when a buyer says a parcel can generally be left with a neighbour or in a safe place without giving detail, the position can become unclear. I could not find a source that settles this, so treat "left in a safe place" as weak unless your customer asked for it in writing.

The law and the bank are separate. The Consumer Rights Act decides what you owe the customer. The card network rules decide who gets the disputed money. A customer can be owed a re-send in law and still lose a chargeback, or the other way round. Plan for both.

What does the bank check in a product not received dispute when tracking says delivered?

For physical goods, Shopify lists four things: 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. Strong evidence improves your chances but does not guarantee a win.

Shopify's guidance on how to build a response is specific. Banks review a very large number of disputes, often hundreds per day, and the reviewer may spend only a few minutes on yours. So the strongest proof should come first, and every item should be labelled in a plain sentence.

The order Shopify recommends is:

1. Direct proof: delivery confirmation with signature, a carrier tracking screenshot showing delivered and a matching address.
2. Customer acknowledgement: emails or messages where the customer confirmed receipt, thanked you or discussed the product.
3. Policy documents the customer agreed to at checkout.
4. Supporting context: order history, address and payment verification, and a communication timeline.

When tracking says delivered, you already have the first item in some form. The rest of this guide is about making it stronger and filling in the others.

Evidence	Strength	Why
Signature on delivery	High	Shows someone accepted it
Delivery photo	High	Shows where it was left
Tracking screenshot with matching address	Medium to high	Shows the carrier's record of delivery
Customer message acknowledging the order	High	Shows the customer knew about it
Delivery notices sent to the customer	Medium	Shows they were told it arrived
Previous undisputed orders	Supporting	Shows an ordinary customer pattern
Your shipping policy	Supporting	Shows the terms agreed

This ranking is my summary of the order Shopify recommends, not a score Shopify gives. Banks have discretion, and Shopify says they can rule for the customer even with delivery confirmation.

What evidence does Shopify Payments add automatically?

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 tracking PDF also includes a delivery photo.

That means when tracking says delivered, a good deal of your case is already in the response before you add anything. Your job is to add what only you hold. Shopify lists these as examples: emails and chat logs with the customer, the policies that apply and where the customer agreed to them, a delivery photo or signature if it is not already in the PDF, and your product listings from the time of purchase. It also says proof of delivery is strong evidence, so add it when you have it.

Shopify also notes that your response is sent to the card company on the due date even if you add nothing. The automatic version is a thin case, though, especially when a customer disputes a parcel that tracking shows delivered.

Added automatically	You add
Product details, addresses, IP address	Customer emails and chat logs
Fulfilment details and tracking number	Carrier proof of delivery if not in the PDF
Tracking PDF, sometimes with a photo	Signature record
Refund records and order history	Your shipping policy and where it was agreed
Previous disputes by the customer	Your product listing at time of purchase

Use screenshots of tracking pages and messages instead of links, because Shopify says banks can review a screenshot without visiting an outside site. High-contrast images that print clearly in black and white are recommended, because many banks receive evidence through fax machines.

What should you do in the first 24 hours after tracking says delivered?

Once tracking shows delivered and the customer disputes it, write down the due date, read the dispute reason and the issuer claim if it appears, and contact the customer in a calm, neutral way. Ask the carrier for its proof of delivery on the same day. Then decide whether the case is worth fighting before you spend hours building it.

If the customer has contacted you but not yet gone to their bank, you still have the best chance to fix it without a dispute. If they have gone to their bank, you can still contact them, and Shopify says that if the customer agrees to drop the dispute they must ask their bank to cancel it and send you an official withdrawal letter.

FIRST 24 HOURS CHECKLIST

- [ ] Due date copied somewhere outside Shopify: [date]
- [ ] Dispute reason and issuer claim read
- [ ] Tracking page showing delivered captured as a screenshot today: [date and time]
- [ ] Carrier asked for proof of delivery (photo, signature, scan location)
- [ ] Shipping address on the order compared with the delivery record
- [ ] Customer contacted with a neutral message
- [ ] Previous orders from this customer listed
- [ ] Decision made: fight, refund route or accept

Here is a neutral message for the customer. It states dated facts and asks for help. It does not accuse anyone.

Subject: About your order [#]

Hello [first name],

Our carrier's tracking shows delivered for order [#] on [date] at [time] to
[address as on the order]. We see you may not have found it.

Could you check with anyone at your address, a neighbour, or a safe place near
your door? 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 help
resolve it with them directly.

[Name], [store]

If you reach a resolution by phone, send a short written summary straight afterwards. A dated message is evidence, and it may be the only one you have.

How do you get proof of delivery from the carrier when tracking says delivered?

Ask the carrier directly, in writing, on day one. Request whatever it holds for that tracking number: a signature record, a delivery photo, the delivery date and time, and the scan location or address if it records one. Do not assume every service captures all of these, because each carrier and service level differs.

Carrier details from my earlier review (2 October 2026), which I did not re-open for this post, so check the carrier's current page before relying on them: Royal Mail captures a photo on delivery for Tracked 24 and 48 where no signature is needed. Evri offers a Digital Signature add-on with photographic proof at about 60p, and the price may change. For DPD I could not verify what proof is available, so ask it.

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 signature or the name of the person who accepted it
- any delivery photo
- the date, time and location of the delivery scan
- whether it was delivered to the address on the label or left elsewhere

I need it by [date] to respond to a payment dispute.

Thank you,
[Name], [store], [account or reference]

If the carrier says it holds nothing beyond the scan, add that fact to your notes. A response that says what you have, and does not pretend to have more, is stronger than one that claims proof you cannot show.

What the carrier gives you	How to use it
Signature	Put it first and label it with the name and time
Photo	Put it next to the tracking screenshot
Scan with address only	Use it with the address match, and say it is a carrier scan
Nothing beyond the scan	Lean on messages, history and policy, and consider your odds
"Left in a safe place" note	Show whether the customer asked for it. If not, weigh the risk

How do you write the response when tracking says delivered?

Open with a short summary of what was ordered, when it shipped and when and where tracking says delivered. Then attach the strongest proof first, label every file, and close with a plain request. Keep the tone neutral and stick to facts you can show with an attachment.

Shopify says to prioritise your most compelling evidence by putting it first, and to label every piece clearly, for example "Order confirmation email sent to customer on a given date, showing an itemised total". The template below follows that approach and focuses on a case where tracking says delivered and the parcel is missing.

SUMMARY
Order [#] was placed on [date] for £[amount] and shipped on [date] with [carrier],
tracking number [number]. Tracking shows delivered on [date] at [time].

EVIDENCE 1: PROOF OF DELIVERY
[Signature record / delivery photo] obtained from [carrier] on [date], showing
[who accepted it / where it was left]. Attached.

EVIDENCE 2: TRACKING RECORD
Screenshot of the carrier tracking page captured on [date and time], showing
status Delivered on [date] to [address / postcode].

EVIDENCE 3: ADDRESS
The delivery address matches the shipping address on the order. Billing address
[matches / differs because [reason]].

EVIDENCE 4: CUSTOMER CONTACT
[The customer contacted us on [date] saying the parcel was missing. We replied
on [date] asking them to check with neighbours and the delivery point.]
[OR We received no contact from the customer before the dispute was opened.]

EVIDENCE 5: ORDER HISTORY
The customer placed [number] earlier orders between [date] and [date] that
were not disputed.

EVIDENCE 6: POLICIES
Our shipping policy and returns policy were shown at checkout. Screenshots attached.

REQUEST
On the evidence above, we ask that the dispute be decided in the merchant's favour.

Remove any line you cannot back with a file. A response with four solid items beats one with seven where three are guesses.

Illustration: a response timeline. An order ships on Monday 2 November 2026. Tracking shows delivered on Thursday 5 November at 14:12. The customer emails on Saturday 7 November to say it did not arrive. 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.

If you have a delivery photo or a signature, your Evidence 1 is strong. If tracking says delivered and you hold only a scan, make Evidence 3 and 4 do the work. For wider evidence rules, see the guide to Visa 13.1 merchandise not received.

Why does delivery confirmation not settle the dispute?

Delivery confirmation tells the bank what the carrier recorded. It does not tell the bank who held the parcel afterwards. That gap is why a dispute can survive even when tracking says delivered, and why Shopify warns that banks can rule for the customer when you provide delivery confirmation.

Think about it from the reviewer's chair. A product not received claim says the goods never arrived. Your reply says the parcel is marked as delivered. Both statements can be true at once, for example if the courier left it at the wrong door. The reviewer then asks which side has something specific: a name, a photo, a matching address, a message from the customer. Where tracking shows delivered but nothing more, the claim often stands by default.

So treat delivery confirmation as the first brick of the case, not the whole wall. Ask what else shows that the customer, or someone they trust, could reach the parcel. A message thanking you for fast dispatch, a reply to your dispatch email, or an earlier order sent to the same door all help. In a product not received dispute, small facts like these carry weight because they are dated and they come from the customer's side.

Is a signature on delivery worth paying for?

For high-value parcels, usually yes. A signature on delivery is the one item that names a person who accepted the parcel, and Shopify says it significantly strengthens your position in product not received disputes. When tracking says delivered and a signature is attached, the customer has to explain who signed.

It is not perfect. A scrawl can be hard to read, a neighbour may sign, and the customer can say they never knew the person. Even so, a signature moves the question from "did it arrive?" to "who took it?", which is a better place to argue from. Where the scan shows delivered with a photo instead, label the photo with the date, time and address.

The cost trade-off is simple. Add a signature on delivery where a lost dispute would hurt, and skip it where the order is small and the service fee would eat the margin. Carrier prices change, so check the current rate before you set a rule. Whatever you choose, tell customers at checkout how parcels are handed over, so the policy is on record if tracking says delivered and the argument starts.

Should you refund, reship or fight the dispute?

It depends on your proof, the order value and what you owe the customer. When tracking shows delivered, a strong signature or photo makes fighting worthwhile. A bare scan on a small order often does not. You cannot refund an open chargeback, so the choice must be made before the dispute opens or by accepting it afterwards.

Here are Shopify's rules on each route:

Route	What Shopify says
Fight	Submit evidence by the due date. 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, and refund after it resolves. Can take 30 to 90 days

Illustration: break-even on a £85 order. Tracking shows delivered, but the customer disputes the £85 payment. The fee is £10, so losing costs £95. Suppose your time to build the response is worth £15. If you fight and lose, you are down £95 + £15 = £110. If you accept, you are down £95. If you fight and win, you get £95 back and are down £15 in time. Fighting beats accepting when the chance of winning is high enough that £15 ÷ £95 is covered, which is about 16%. So if you think you have a better than roughly one in six chance, fighting pays on this order. This is invented to show the arithmetic and is not a forecast. The should I fight this calculator lets you test your own numbers.

Illustration: reshipping before a dispute. Tracking says delivered, but a customer says the parcel did not arrive and has not yet gone to their bank. Reshipping costs you £32 for the goods and £5 postage, £37 in all. If it becomes a lost chargeback, you lose £85 + £10 = £95. Reshipping saves £95 - £37 = £58 in this example, but only if it stops the dispute. If the first parcel then turns up, you will have sent two, so decide with the facts you have.

The legal position also matters. If the parcel really did not reach the buyer, you may owe a refund or re-delivery regardless of the bank. Citizens Advice says a buyer can ask for delivery again if it did not arrive. If it is marked as delivered and you genuinely believe the customer has it, the evidence route is the right one. If you do not know, a reship or refund can be cheaper than the fight.

How can you stop delivered but not received disputes before they start?

Use a signature on delivery for high-value orders, check that billing and shipping addresses make sense before you ship, send a delivery confirmation message with the photo, and tell customers how and where parcels will be left. Shopify says a signature significantly strengthens your position in product not received disputes, so the next time tracking says delivered you hold more than a scan.

Shopify's list of ways to reduce disputes includes reviewing suspicious or 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 works on this dispute type.

Habit	How it helps when tracking says delivered
Signature on delivery for high-value parcels	Direct proof someone accepted it
Review high-risk orders before shipping	Stops parcels going to risky addresses
Send a delivery message with the carrier photo	Customer is told where it was left
Ask customers to confirm safe place or neighbour in writing	Turns a vague scan into an agreed instruction
Check address on high-value orders	Reduces nearby or wrong address cases
Save the tracking screenshot on delivery day	Captures evidence before pages expire
Answer customer messages the same day	Fixes cases before the bank

Carrier tracking pages can change or drop old records, so capture a screenshot on the day the parcel is delivered and again if the customer complains. A dated image is much stronger than your memory of what the page said.

Illustration: where to spend on signatures. You ship 500 parcels a month at £25 average and 20 parcels at £300 average. A signature service costing 60p on every parcel would cost 520 × £0.60 = £312. On only the 20 high-value parcels it costs 20 × £0.60 = £12. A single lost £300 dispute costs £300 + £10 = £310. Putting signatures on the high-value parcels only covers the biggest risk for £12. These figures are invented for the arithmetic. Check your carrier's current price.

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 fee, UK carrier proof options, and the way customers claim. How bank holidays affect your due date is not covered in the Shopify pages I reviewed.

On law, section 29 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 keeps goods at your risk until they are in the buyer's physical possession, and Citizens Advice says a parcel left in a place or with a neighbour the buyer did not choose is the seller's responsibility. 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 it.

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 arrive months after tracking says delivered.

On carriers, the proof options I noted earlier (Royal Mail photo for some tracked services, Evri digital signature as an add-on) are worth checking before the next sale. If you are expecting a busy period, the Black Friday chargebacks guide explains how volume and delays produce this dispute type.

What are the most common mistakes when tracking says delivered?

These habits turn a manageable case into a lost one.

1. Assuming a scan that says delivered ends the matter, when Shopify says banks can still rule for the customer.
2. Accusing the customer of lying in the response, which weakens a factual case.
3. Saying the parcel was left "in a safe place" without showing the customer asked for it.
4. Sending links to tracking pages showing delivered instead of screenshots.
5. Forgetting to capture the tracking page on the day, then finding the record changed later.
6. Missing the due date. After it passes, the result is final.
7. Trying to refund an open chargeback, which Shopify blocks.
8. Not asking the carrier for a photo or signature record until the final day.

Frequently asked questions

Can a customer win a dispute if tracking says delivered?

Yes. Shopify says banks have discretion to rule for the customer even when you provide delivery confirmation. A signature or delivery photo makes your case stronger, and a bare scan makes it weaker, but no evidence guarantees a result. Submit the best proof you have before the due date.

Who is responsible if a parcel is marked as delivered but lost?

For UK consumer sales, the seller usually bears the risk until the buyer or a person they named has physical possession, under section 29 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015. Citizens Advice says a parcel left in a place the buyer did not choose is the seller's responsibility. This is general information, not legal advice.

What proof of delivery is strongest for a chargeback?

When tracking says delivered, a signature on delivery or a carrier photo showing where the parcel was left is strongest, backed by a tracking screenshot with an address that matches the order. Customer messages acknowledging the order also carry weight. Shopify advises putting direct proof first and labelling every item in plain language.

Does Shopify include delivery photos in my chargeback response?

For some carriers, yes. When tracking shows delivered and an order has a tracking number, Shopify Payments adds a PDF with the shipping and tracking details, and for some carriers it can also include the carrier's delivery photo. If the photo is not in the PDF, add it yourself when you have it.

Should I refund a customer who says the parcel never arrived?

It depends on your evidence and what you owe in law. If the customer has not yet disputed, a refund or reship can be cheaper than a lost chargeback. Once a chargeback is open, Shopify does not allow a refund until the customer withdraws it and sends an official letter.

How long do I have to respond to a 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. Build your response around the earliest possible date so a short window never catches you out.

What if the carrier cannot provide a signature or photo?

Say so plainly in your response and rely on what you do have: the tracking record, the address match, customer messages, order history and your policies. Do not claim proof you cannot show. If the evidence is thin and the order is small, consider whether fighting is worth the time.

Can I use a safe place delivery as evidence?

Only if the customer asked for it. Citizens Advice says a parcel left in a place the buyer did not choose is the seller's responsibility, and the position is unclear where a buyer generally allowed a safe place without detail. A written instruction from the customer is the safest evidence.

Do I need a signature on every parcel?

No. Shopify suggests requiring a signature for high-value orders, where it significantly strengthens your position. For low-value parcels, the extra cost may not be worth it. Compare the carrier's price with your typical dispute loss before deciding which orders need one.

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 evidence, because Shopify says there is no guarantee and the process can take 30 to 90 days.

Start free 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 building a response from scratch when tracking says delivered, start free 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
• Parcels: Delivery Services, Commons written answer 9 March 2026
• 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