What Evidence Do You Need for a Chargeback?

Why evidence quality matters

A chargeback reviewer at a bank or card network is not looking for the full story. They are checking whether your evidence directly addresses the dispute claim. If your evidence does not match the reason code, or if it is disorganised and hard to follow, the reviewer will rule in the cardholder's favour by default.

Most merchants who lose chargebacks lose them not because they had a weak case, but because they submitted incomplete evidence, submitted evidence that addressed the wrong issue, or submitted it in a format that was difficult to review.

Organised, labelled, and targeted evidence is the difference between a strong submission and a lost dispute.

Core evidence for every chargeback

Regardless of the dispute reason code, every chargeback response should include this baseline set of evidence:

• Order confirmation: the full order record showing customer name, email, billing address, shipping address, items ordered, order date, and total amount. Export this from your Shopify order detail page.
• Payment confirmation: the transaction record showing the charge amount, date, and card or payment method used.
• Shipping confirmation: the dispatch notification with carrier name, service level, and tracking number.
• Carrier tracking history: a screenshot or PDF of the full tracking timeline from shipment to final scan. Every event should be visible.
• Customer communication history: all emails, support tickets, chat logs, or messages between you and the customer related to this order.
• Your shipping policy: the full text of your published shipping policy, including estimated delivery windows and any relevant terms.
• Your return and refund policy: the full text of your published policy.

This baseline applies to every dispute. Additional evidence depends on the specific reason code, covered in the next section.

Evidence by reason code

Item not received

This is the most common dispute type in ecommerce. Your evidence should establish that the item was shipped and delivered to the address the customer provided.

• Carrier tracking record showing the delivery scan with date, time, and delivery address
• Proof of delivery: carrier confirmation page, delivery photo, GPS delivery record, or signature if your service captures one
• Confirmation that the shipping address on the carrier record matches the address on the order
• Any customer communication prior to the dispute where the customer confirmed, updated, or acknowledged the delivery address

If tracking does not show a delivery scan because the item is still in transit, state the current carrier status and include any carrier inquiry reference number if you have opened one.

Unauthorised transaction

The customer is claiming they did not make the purchase. Your evidence should demonstrate that the order was placed from a device and location consistent with the cardholder, and that your fraud checks passed.

• IP address associated with the order (visible in Shopify order details under the fraud analysis section)
• AVS (address verification system) result from your payment processor: did the billing address provided at checkout match the card's registered address?
• CVV match result: did the security code entered match?
• Previous order history from the same customer email or card if any exists
• Device or browser fingerprint data if captured by your platform
• Billing address match confirmation: the billing address on the order matches the cardholder's registered address

Item not as described

The customer is claiming the product they received was different from what was advertised. Your evidence should demonstrate that the product matched its listing.

• Screenshots of your product listing and product description as it appeared at the time of purchase
• Product photos showing the item as listed
• Any customer messages about the product sent before the dispute was filed (or absence of any such messages)
• Return policy showing you would have accepted a return if the customer had contacted you

Subscription cancelled

The customer is claiming they cancelled a subscription but were still charged. Your evidence should establish whether a valid cancellation request was received and how you processed it.

• Your subscription terms and cancellation policy
• Communication records showing whether a cancellation request was received and when
• Account records showing the subscription status and billing history
• If no cancellation request was received, your communication history showing the customer did not contact you before the charge

Credit not processed

The customer is claiming a refund was promised or due but never received.

• If you did issue a refund: the refund confirmation with amount, date, and expected processing timeline
• If you did not issue a refund: your return policy showing the customer was not eligible, and any communication explaining this to the customer
• Any communication where a refund was or was not promised

Duplicate transaction

The customer is claiming they were charged twice. Your evidence should show whether two separate orders were placed or whether the same charge was processed twice.

• Order records for each transaction showing separate order numbers, timestamps, and items
• Order confirmation emails for each transaction if two orders were legitimately placed
• Transaction records from your payment processor confirming each charge

Where to find each piece of evidence

Here is where to locate each type of evidence in a Shopify store:

• Order confirmation and customer details: Shopify Admin > Orders > [Order number]
• IP address and fraud analysis: Shopify Admin > Orders > [Order number] > scroll to Fraud analysis section
• Transaction record: Shopify Admin > Orders > [Order number] > Payment section
• Tracking number: Shopify Admin > Orders > [Order number] > Fulfillment section
• Carrier tracking history: paste the tracking number into the carrier website and screenshot the full history
• Order confirmation email: Shopify Admin > Settings > Notifications > preview, or check your sent emails
• Customer support history: your helpdesk, email inbox, or Shopify Inbox depending on how you handle support

Organising your evidence pack

A well-organised evidence pack is one that a reviewer can navigate in under two minutes. Here is how to structure it:

1. Number every document starting from 01. Use a consistent naming convention: 01_order_confirmation.pdf, 02_tracking_screenshot.png, and so on.
2. In your written response, include an evidence index: a numbered list of every document, with a one-line description of what each shows.
3. Keep each document to the relevant content only. A screenshot should show just the relevant information without extraneous browser tabs or windows visible.
4. If submitting multiple pages, combine them into a single PDF where possible rather than submitting many separate files.
5. Do not include evidence that is unrelated to the dispute reason code. Extra documents add length without adding value.

Tools like DisputeDesk generate a structured evidence pack from your order data automatically. You add the documents and export a formatted PDF ready to upload to Shopify Payments.

Evidence checklist