If you’ve ever dealt with a chargeback through Shopify or Stripe, you already know the official support pages don’t prepare you for what actually happens. The platforms frame it as a simple, evidence-driven process: submit your documents, wait for review, and you’ll win if you do everything right.
But forums tell a different story. One filled with auto-responses, phantom reviews, and dispute reversals that seem to ignore your evidence altogether.
Here’s what you won’t see on the support pages.
“Evidence Reviewed” Can Mean “Auto-Denied”
A lot of merchants assume that someone at Stripe or Shopify is manually reviewing each piece of evidence they submit. But that’s not always true.
Stripe uses a system that sends your evidence directly to the cardholder’s bank. They don’t make a decision themselves. Shopify Payments works the same way because it’s powered by Stripe. This means the bank decides whether you win or lose, not Shopify, not Stripe. And in many cases, there’s no back-and-forth. No appeal. Just a quick verdict that arrives weeks later with no explanation.
Sometimes, that verdict shows up within hours. And if you submitted detailed PDFs and screenshots and tracking info, you might wonder how a bank agent could have possibly read it that fast. The truth is, they probably didn’t.
Banks are flooded with disputes, and many use automated systems to scan for key data points. If your evidence doesn’t match a narrow format or include exactly what the system is looking for, like a signature, AVS match, or clear proof of customer authorization, you’re out of luck.
Why Winning a Dispute Doesn’t Always Stick
Here’s something frustrating: you can win a chargeback and still have the money reversed later.
This often happens in fraud-related disputes. Let’s say a bank sides with you initially. The customer can still claim “unauthorized use” again through a second round. Some banks call it pre-arbitration. Others just call it “continuation.”
Stripe allows the bank to reopen the dispute. In some cases, they’ll pull the funds from your account without even telling you why the win was overturned. You get a cryptic update like “issuer has reopened case,” and that’s it.
Even if you provide more documentation, Stripe doesn’t fight on your behalf. They pass your second set of documents back to the same bank that sided with the cardholder the first time. You’re stuck.
You Don’t Control the Format, And That Can Cost You
Many merchants go above and beyond when submitting evidence. They explain the timeline, show receipts, and include IP logs, chat transcripts, and even phone call summaries. But here’s the kicker: not all of that gets passed along.
Stripe and Shopify condense evidence into a format the banks prefer. Long paragraphs may be cut. Images may be resized or compressed. Some data (like metadata or URLs) may not display correctly. And if something goes missing or looks messy, banks can ignore it.
That’s why disputes that seem like slam dunks can still lose.
Merchants in forums often say: “I showed everything. How did I lose?” The answer may be formatting. What you submit isn’t always what the bank sees.
You Can Be Penalized Without Warning
Disputes don’t just affect your revenue. They affect your account health.
Stripe and Shopify both monitor dispute rates, but neither tells you exactly what the threshold is for penalties. You might suddenly find payouts delayed, your account under review, or your payment processing frozen, all because of a few disputes that didn’t go your way.
Even if the disputes aren’t your fault. Even if you refunded the customer. Even if you had clear proof of delivery.
And once your account is flagged, getting answers is tough. Support agents often quote policy, not specifics. You’re left guessing what triggered the penalty and how to fix it.
The Dispute Isn’t the End of the Chargeback Story
Here’s one more thing most platforms don’t explain: winning a dispute doesn’t mean the case is over.
Banks can come back months later. Some chargebacks are clawed back after an audit. Others are reopened due to cardholder persistence. And once the funds are removed again, you’re forced to start over, with no guarantee of a second shot.
This happens more often than most merchants realize. And since Shopify and Stripe don’t manage the dispute process themselves, you’re always at the mercy of the cardholder’s bank.
So What Can You Actually Do?
If you rely on Shopify or Stripe to handle disputes cleanly, you’re probably going to lose money. Not because you did anything wrong, but because the system isn’t built to protect you.
Here are a few tips pulled from real merchant experiences:
- Use clear, short evidence statements. Bullet points help.
- Highlight AVS and CVV matches.
- Add screenshots with timestamps and tracking numbers.
- Avoid uploading large PDF bundles with long explanations.
- Always check that your evidence shows what product was delivered, when, and to whom.
And most importantly, keep your own dispute logs. Don’t count on Stripe or Shopify to track things for you. If a chargeback is reopened or reversed, your notes may be the only thing standing between you and a permanent loss.
Final Thoughts
Shopify and Stripe make the dispute process look clean on paper. But in reality, it’s messy, opaque, and often unfair to merchants. The banks make the decisions. The platforms pass things along. And the people actually running the businesses? They’re left trying to piece together what just happened.
Chargebacks are a system problem, not a merchant problem. But knowing what the platforms don’t tell you can make the difference between a string of silent losses and a better fighting chance.
Need Help With Disputes You Can’t Seem to Win?
If you’re tired of losing chargebacks for no clear reason, Chargeblast can help. We dig into the full dispute history, find where things go wrong, and put prevention tools in place that work with Stripe, Shopify, and the rest. We don’t just automate responses, we help you stop bad disputes before they happen.
Let us know when you’re ready to fight smarter.
