How to Build a Chargeback Evidence Pack

Why evidence quality matters more than quantity

Banks review hundreds of chargeback responses daily. A wall of unorganized documents gets skimmed. A focused, well-structured evidence pack gets read. The goal isn't to submit everything you have — it's to submit exactly what addresses the reason code, presented clearly.

The evidence framework

Every winning evidence pack follows this structure:

1. Rebuttal letter: A concise summary (one page or less) explaining why the chargeback should be reversed. Address the specific reason code.
2. Transaction proof: Order confirmation, payment receipt, and AVS/CVV match results showing the customer authorized the purchase.
3. Fulfillment proof: Shipping confirmation with carrier name, tracking number, delivery date, and signature (if applicable).
4. Customer communication: Emails, chat logs, or support tickets showing you addressed the customer's concern or that the customer confirmed receipt.
5. Policy proof: Screenshots of your refund/return policy as displayed during checkout and in order confirmation emails.

Matching evidence to reason codes

Fraud (unauthorized transaction)

Your strongest evidence: AVS match, CVV verification, IP address matching the billing address region, previous successful orders from the same customer, and delivery to the cardholder's address.

Item not received

Your strongest evidence: Carrier tracking showing delivered status, signature confirmation, GPS coordinates from carrier, and any post-delivery communication where the customer acknowledged receipt.

Item not as described

Your strongest evidence: Product page screenshots with detailed descriptions matching what was shipped, photos of the actual product, and any quality control documentation.

Common mistakes that lose disputes

• Submitting irrelevant documents. Internal notes or financial reports don't help — the bank wants customer-facing evidence.
• Ignoring the reason code. If the code is «item not received» but you submit product quality evidence, you'll lose.
• Missing the deadline. No evidence beats the clock. Track every deadline and submit at least 3 business days early.
• Poorly formatted documents. Blurry screenshots, cropped timestamps, or unreadable PDFs undermine credibility.

Tools that help

DisputeDesk automates evidence collection from your Shopify store — pulling order data, tracking info, customer communications, and policy screenshots into a ready-to-submit pack. This saves hours of manual work per dispute.