As ecommerce continues to grow, so do the number of ways that businesses can get ripped off by unscrupulous customers. One of the most common ways that this occurs is through chargebacks.
What is a chargeback? A chargeback is when a customer disputes a charge on their credit card statement.
The credit card issuer then investigates the claim and, if they find in the customer’s favor, they refund the customer’s money and reverse the charges. The merchant is then stuck with the bill, plus any fees associated with the chargeback.
Chargebacks are a big problem for ecommerce businesses because they are very difficult to fight and usually result in the business losing money. In addition, if a business has too many chargebacks, their credit card processor may terminate their account, which can be devastating for a business that relies on credit cards for sales.
So, how can you protect your ecommerce business from chargebacks?
The best way to protect your business from chargebacks is to prevent them from happening in the first place. There are a few things you can do to minimize the risk of chargebacks:
- Make sure your customers are happy: This may seem obvious, but it’s worth repeating. If your customers are happy with your product or service, they are less likely to file a chargeback. Make sure you’re providing excellent customer service and delivering on your promises.
- Be clear about your policies: Make sure your customers know your policies before they make a purchase. If they know what to expect, they will be less likely to be surprised by charges and less likely to file a chargeback.
- Get authorization for all charges: Before you make a charge, make sure you have authorization from the customer.
This way, if there is ever a dispute, you will have documentation to back up your case.
- Keep good records: This ties in with getting authorization for charges. Keep detailed records of all transactions so that you can easily answer any questions that may come up.
- Use Shopify!: Shopify is one of the best ecommerce platforms out there and it includes built-in fraud prevention tools that can help reduce the risk of chargebacks. For example, Shopify’s fraud analysis tool will flag orders that are at high risk for fraud so that you can take action before shipping the order.
Does Shopify Protect Against Chargebacks?
Shopify is one of the best ecommerce platforms out there and it includes built-in fraud prevention tools that can help reduce the risk of chargebacks.