Can one chargeback hurt a small store?

The math at low volume

• 1 chargeback in 45 orders: about 2.2%.
• 1 in 100 orders: 1%.
• 1 in 200 orders: 0.5%.

Card network programs also have minimum counts (100 chargebacks for Mastercard, 1,500 fraud reports plus disputes for Visa in most regions), but acquirers can apply stricter limits of their own. Check your month with the chargeback ratio calculator.

What one chargeback costs

On Shopify Payments the disputed amount and a fee ($15 in the United States) are taken as soon as the chargeback arrives, and you usually have 7 to 21 days to respond. If you lose, you are out the sale, the goods you shipped and the fee. The chargeback fee calculator adds up the full cost, including your time.

What helps most

• Keep the evidence from the day the order is placed, so a short deadline is enough.
• Screen orders and hold the risky ones before they ship.
• Answer "where is my order" messages quickly; many not-received disputes start as an unanswered email.

Verdikx saves each order to its evidence vault when it is placed, with the policies shown at the time.