A buyer opened a dispute: what to do

Act now

1. Click Open Stripe dashboard on Payouts and find the dispute. Stripe tells you by email and in the dashboard. We don't email you about disputes. We only show a status on the order.
2. Note the deadline. Stripe explains that you usually have 7 to 21 days, and that if you don't respond in time, you lose automatically.
3. Read the reason, and what the bank sent.
4. Decide whether to accept or counter it.
5. If you counter, gather everything before you submit. Stripe explains that you only get one submission.

Don't issue a refund on top. Stripe explains that you can't refund outside the dispute process once a dispute is open, even though the Refund card may still appear on the order.

Evidence from Dockstall

Open the order in Orders. Take clean screenshots of:

• The order date, buyer email and amount
• The Delivery card, with its download and link events
• The product page, showing what was promised
• Your messages with the buyer

Stripe explains that for digital products, a log showing the customer downloaded the content can serve as proof, and that banks won't follow links. Files must be attached. Dockstall's events show the time and type of access but not an IP address. They may help, but they don't guarantee a win.

Who pays

You do. Stripe explains in how disputes work that it takes the disputed amount and a dispute fee from your Stripe balance when the dispute opens.

• If you counter, Stripe explains that an extra fee applies, which comes back if you win.
• If you win, Stripe explains that the disputed amount returns to you, but the dispute fee generally doesn't.
• If you lose, the money stays with the buyer.
• Our fee: nothing in Dockstall returns it on a dispute.

Stripe's page lists the fee for your country.

What happens on Dockstall

• Disputed: the buyer keeps access while it's open.
• Dispute lost: access to files and the link ends, and the buyer sees a notice.
• Won: the order returns to its earlier status.

Stripe says a decision can take 2 to 3 months, and that even strong cases can be lost. We can't review your evidence, contact the bank or influence the result.