Item not received chargeback: your Stripe evidence

Your UK webshop receives a disputed payment notice, but one parcel shows delivered. Another part of the same order is still moving. A screenshot of the first parcel might be accurate and still fail to answer what the customer is disputing. You need a response that explains the purchased goods, the promised delivery and the evidence for each part. This guide concerns physical webshop orders paid by card through Stripe. Documentation and AirPost constants were checked on 13 October 2026.

What exactly is the cardholder saying was not received? #

Open the dispute details and read the bank documents when they are available. Record the dispute reason, amount, currency and response deadline. Find the payment and original order before contacting the packer. A customer may be disputing the whole purchase, a missing parcel or an agreed replacement that never arrived. These are different factual accounts, even when your payment dashboard groups them under the same broad category.

Visa identifies merchandise or services not received under condition 13.1. Its merchant guidance asks for documentation showing receipt by the cardholder or an authorised person as agreed, and distinguishes cases where the specified delivery date has not yet passed. The question is therefore wider than whether a tracking page contains a delivery word. Place, timing and the goods covered by that record matter to your explanation.

Do not automatically label the dispute fraud. If the claim says a parcel is missing, lead with parcel evidence. If the reason actually alleges an unauthorised payment, review the evidence requirements for that reason instead. Stripe associates its Visa Compelling Evidence 3.0 workflow with eligible fraud disputes using code 10.4. A familiar fraud checklist is not a substitute for addressing a nonreceipt allegation.

How do you map one payment to several delivery records? #

Make an item list from the order as purchased. Add the quantity and variant actually assigned to each parcel, then the corresponding carrier reference. Include your shipping promise as it stood at purchase, rather than the current product page. If the customer agreed to a later date, retain that exchange as a separate dated change. Your response should let someone unfamiliar with your shop follow the order without guessing what went in each box.

For a two-parcel order, identify the state of both parcels explicitly. If one is delivered and the other has only an acceptance scan, say so. Do not copy the first delivery event onto the second line. If the cardholder acknowledges receiving one part, preserve the relevant message with its date. That may help explain the scope of the disagreement without pretending you have delivery evidence for the missing part.

A packing photograph can supplement an item allocation, but it does not establish final receipt. A carrier handover receipt confirms another stage. Keep those documents in their proper roles. If your local packer holds the receipt, ask for the reference and a legible copy. Ask the carrier or booking provider for the last delivery record. Sending the same request to everyone often produces several copies of the label and no new evidence.

Which delivery details help explain a disputed doorstep scan? #

Retrieve the dated carrier event, destination information and any available signature, delivery photograph or collection record. Match the carrier number character for character with the order. If the public page masks part of the address, explain what it actually displays and request the fuller record through the appropriate channel. Do not type a complete address below a masked screenshot and describe your addition as carrier confirmation.

When a customer says the image shows a different doorway, investigate that precise discrepancy. Compare the ordered location with the record and ask for clarification. A delivery photograph can show a place where a parcel was left; its interpretation depends on the actual complaint. Your response should acknowledge a visible mismatch rather than add unrelated screenshots to make the packet look substantial.

If collection was agreed, look for the collection event and the link to the authorised recipient. Merely making a parcel available at a shop answers a different question from whether it was collected. Explain the event sequence honestly. Where no final handover is documented, decide whether you have a defensible response, need further investigation within the deadline, or should accept the dispute.

Should you submit immediately or wait for missing evidence? #

Stripe describes the usual response window as seven to twenty-one days and says missing the deadline loses the dispute automatically. Use the actual deadline in the case, including the time shown, to organise your work. Set an earlier internal review point so another task does not consume the last opportunity to check the packet. This internal buffer is your procedure, not an extra period granted by the card network.

Because the response cannot be edited after submission, identify which requested document could materially change it. If delivery is still underway, a final carrier event may matter. If the number is wrong, obtain the right one first. Give the responsible person a clear retrieval deadline. When the document does not arrive, make a conscious decision on the evidence you do have rather than leaving the case unattended until it expires.

The Stripe evidence guidance requires one uploaded file per evidence type, so combine relevant customer messages into one readable document. It also lists 4.5 MB across networks and nineteen pages for Mastercard. Use chronological captions, legible source material and only the parts that address the complaint. Avoid external links as your only proof: attach the relevant records the reviewer needs to see.

What if you already refunded part of the order? #

Keep the refund reference, amount, currency and date alongside the payment. If the customer disputes the original full amount after a partial refund, show both movements and explain the remainder in your response. Do not describe a promised refund as an executed one. A support note saying refund approved belongs to the chronology; a completed transaction record is the evidence that funds were actually returned.

Once there is a formal dispute, handle the disputed payment through the processor workflow. Stripe advises accepting the dispute when you agree the customer should keep those disputed funds, rather than asking for withdrawal so that you can issue an ordinary refund. If the customer says they have withdrawn a misunderstanding, Stripe still recommends submitting evidence. A message from the customer and a final processor outcome are separate events.

Record a replacement shipment as another physical movement, not as repayment. You may have sent replacement goods while the card dispute remains open. Check the current payment status before promising another monetary remedy. Inform the person handling customer messages and the person handling the dispute of each completed action, so neither acts on an old conversation that omits the latest refund or parcel.

How much handling does a replacement add to your exposure? #

Using AirPost constants checked on 13 October 2026, a recommended small-parcel packing fee is €2.25 and the platform fee is €0.85. A three-parcel order therefore uses €9.30 for these two handling components. Replacing one small parcel adds €3.10, bringing four preparations to €12.40. These are the euro-denominated platform examples, not sterling postage quotes or card-dispute fees; the agreed packer fee may differ.

Add the actual outbound carrier bookings, packaging and goods cost to your internal calculation. Enter processor charges from your own account, without borrowing a fee from a US blog. Keep the dispute amount in its original currency and convert only with a documented rate when your accounting needs it. The handling example deliberately supplies no invented basket value, replacement postage or probability of winning.

When you use AirPost local fulfilment, agree who retains each handover receipt and who sends the carrier reference to your support team. The packer documents preparation and drop-off; your webshop prepares the card response. For UK service selection, use the Royal Mail business price-guide explanation. Choose a service whose evidence you can actually retrieve, rather than assuming every tracked booking contains a signature.

What should the final review catch before you press submit? #

Read your explanation as if you have never seen the shop. Can you identify the payment, understand which item is contested and follow the relevant parcel to the agreed destination? Check that every attachment is readable and belongs to this customer. Remove unrelated orders and account information. Distinguish a missing document from a negative fact: no proof retrieved is not the same statement as definitely not delivered.

Finally compare the proposed remedy, current refund state and evidence narrative. A response that says fully delivered while your support message confirms a missing parcel undermines its own chronology. Correct the explanation rather than hide the message. Save the submitted packet and confirmation. The issuing bank decides the outcome; a clean submission helps it assess the facts but does not guarantee a reversal.