What to do first when a chargeback arrives
Find the evidence due date on the dispute, read the reason, and decide whether to fight. Predispute is free to install.
Find the deadline
Shopify and Stripe each show the date your evidence is due on the dispute itself. It is usually 7 to 21 days away, and a missed date loses the case.
Read the dispute reason
The reason tells you what the bank will check. A not-received claim turns on delivery records, and a fraud claim on the buyer's past orders and device.
Don't refund it
Shopify and Stripe won't let you refund a charge while the dispute is open, and a refund made before it doesn't stop it. The choice now is fight or accept.
Decide whether to fight
Fight when your evidence is good and the amount is worth it. Otherwise accept it and spend the time on the disputes that matter.
Predispute does the first two steps for you.
Install it on Shopify or Stripe and Decide lists every open dispute with its reason and the date your evidence is due. It weighs your odds against the amount and the fees, then says fight or accept on a filed chargeback, or refund at the inquiry stage, with the arithmetic shown. For the ones worth fighting, Fight drafts the letter for you to send. Measure is free and shows your dispute rate on every card brand.
When a chargeback is worth fighting explains how that decision is made.
Common questions
- How long do I have to respond to a chargeback on Shopify or Stripe?
- Each platform shows the evidence due date on the dispute, usually 7 to 21 days away. That is the date that counts, so find it first.
- Should I refund a chargeback?
- Not once it is filed. Shopify and Stripe block refunds while a dispute is open, and a refund issued before the dispute does not cancel it. A refund only helps at the inquiry stage, before the dispute becomes a chargeback.
- How do I know if a chargeback is worth fighting?
- Weigh your odds of winning, given the dispute type and your evidence, against the amount and the fees. Decide does that on every open dispute. On a filed chargeback it says fight or accept, and at the inquiry stage it can say refund, with the reasoning.
- Can Predispute see my disputes?
- Yes. Install it on Shopify or Stripe and it reads your orders and disputes. It has no permission to refund an order, and nothing goes onto a dispute unless you place it.
See your open disputes and their deadlines.
Measure is free. Decide adds a recommendation on every dispute.