Customer says the box was empty. What now?
How to check an “it arrived empty” or “something was missing” claim, answer it fairly, and be ready if it turns into a chargeback.
“The box was empty.” “The wallet wasn't in there.” These are among the hardest claims a store gets, because it comes down to your word against the customer's. Most of them are honest: parcels get opened in transit, items slip out of damaged boxes, and orders do get packed wrong. A few aren't. Either way, the answer is the same: find out what really happened, and be able to show it.
1. Reply quickly, and ask for photos
A fast, calm reply keeps a fixable problem from turning into a chargeback. Don't promise a refund before you've checked, but do tell the customer when you'll get back to them. Then ask for:
- photos of the outside of the box, with the shipping label visible;
- photos of the inside and the packing material;
- whether the tape looked cut, re-taped or damaged when it arrived;
- for a missing item, the packing slip, if it was in the box.
Ask them to keep the box and the packaging for now. If the parcel was opened in transit, a claim with the carrier will usually need them.
2. Check your own records
Before you answer, look at what you know about this parcel:
- What was packed. A packing record, photos or a video of this order going into the box is the strongest thing you can have. Without one, all you have is someone's memory of a box packed weeks ago.
- What it weighed. Compare the weight when the box left with the weight of the items plus the packaging. Some carriers also show the shipment's weight in their tracking details (UPS and FedEx often do). A carrier weight that matches a full box is strong evidence it wasn't empty when the carrier took it.
- The tracking. Was it delivered to the right address? Any damage scans, delays or reroutes? Was a signature taken?
- The packaging in their photos. Is it your box, your tape and your label? Different packaging can mean the parcel was opened and repacked, or that it isn't your parcel at all.
- The history. Has this customer, or this address, reported missing items before? Did the order ship in more than one box, with one still on its way?
3. Work out what happened
Put the customer's photos next to your records. The combination usually points one way:
| What you see | What it usually means |
|---|---|
| Your record shows the item wasn't packed, or a different one was | A packing mistake. Own it and fix it fast. |
| Box damaged or re-taped, or the carrier's weight is lower than the packed weight | Lost or taken in transit. A carrier claim. |
| The order shipped in more than one box | The item may be in the other parcel. Check its tracking first. |
| Box intact, everything shown going in, the weight matches a full box | The box left complete. Ask more questions before deciding. |
| All of the above, and the same customer has claimed before | Possibly a false claim. Decline politely, with evidence, and expect a chargeback. |
4. Decide what to do
If it was your mistake
Reship the missing item or refund it, and say sorry. It costs less than a chargeback and its fee, and it's the kind of reply customers remember.
If it went missing in transit
Look after the customer first: reship or refund. Then file a claim with the carrier, or with your shipping insurance. Claims are usually filed by the shipper (some carriers also accept the recipient), and they ask for photos of the box and packaging, proof of the item's value and, often, the packaging itself. Each carrier has its own deadline, so check theirs soon.
If you can show the box left complete
Say what you can show, plainly and without accusing anyone. For example:
“Your order was packed on camera on October 14 at 14:32. The video shows the shirt, the wallet and the gift note going into the box, and the box weighed 0.62 kg when it left, which matches all three items. The carrier delivered it to your address on October 16. I've attached photos from the packing. Could the wallet be with someone else in your household, or still in the packing material?”
Facts like these settle most genuine mix-ups, and they're the same facts you'll need if the customer goes to their bank instead.
5. If it becomes a chargeback
In Shopify Payments, an empty box or missing item dispute usually arrives as Product not received or Product unacceptable. You have a limited time to respond, usually 7 to 21 days; the due date is on the order. Once a chargeback has been made, you can't refund the order anymore, so if you were going to refund, do it before.
The evidence that helps most:
- tracking with a delivery scan to the order's address, and the signature if there was one;
- your packing proof: each item going in, the weight, and the shipping label on the box;
- your messages with the customer, including the photos you asked for.
Shopify only takes PDF, JPEG or PNG files as evidence, so a video can't be uploaded as it is. Put the key moments in a PDF instead: time-stamped stills of each item going in and of the box being closed. The full steps, and what to send for each reason, are in Shopify chargebacks: the evidence to send for each reason.
6. Make the next claim easy to answer
- Pack on camera, with the order number in the picture, so every box has a record.
- Weigh every box and keep the weight with the order.
- Use tape that shows tampering, such as printed or tamper-evident tape.
- Pack the same way every time, so a customer's photo is easy to compare.
- Ask for a signature on high-value orders.