Digital goods chargebacks: proving "delivery" when nothing shipped

Physical sellers have a tracking number. Digital sellers have something better — a server that remembers everything. The problem isn't a lack of evidence; it's that your proof lives in access logs, delivery emails, and platform dashboards that never get assembled into something a bank analyst can read.

The clock still applies: response windows are typically 7–21 days. With Stripe, a dispute costs $15 at open plus $15 more if you fight and lose — worth remembering before contesting a $9 download.

The three disputes digital sellers actually get

"Not received" — Visa 13.1, applied to a file or a login

The cardholder claims they paid and got nothing. Your "delivery scan" is the access trail:

Download/access logs: timestamped records tying the customer's account (and ideally IP/device) to the download, stream, license activation, or course login.
Delivery email: the email that delivered the product, license key, or login link — with the address it went to.
Usage after purchase: lessons completed, files opened, sessions logged. Consumption is the hardest evidence to argue with.

See how a 13.1 packet is structured →

"Canceled recurring" — Visa 13.2

The cardholder says they canceled and kept getting billed. This one is won on paperwork:

Signup terms as accepted: the recurring-billing terms shown at checkout, with the version in force on the signup date.
Cancellation policy as shown at signup — not today's edited page.
Usage after the claimed cancel date. Logins and consumption after they "canceled" undercut the claim directly.
The cancellation record — the confirmation email if they did cancel (and when), or a clear statement from your records that no cancellation was ever requested.

"Fraudulent / unrecognized" — Visa 10.4

Often a forgotten purchase or a family member's card rather than true fraud. What carries weight:

AVS/CVV results and an IP/device match to prior, non-disputed purchases.
Account history under the customer's own email — signups, logins, support chats where they acknowledge buying.
The descriptor the customer saw on their statement, and any renewal reminder emails you sent.

Assemble it like a physical packet

Summary first (3–5 sentences): reason code, strongest fact, dates. "Visa 13.1. Platform logs (Exhibit A) show the customer's account downloaded the course files on Jun 2 at 9:14 p.m. and completed 6 of 11 lessons before the dispute was filed Jun 20."
Timeline table: purchase → delivery email → first access → usage → dispute filed.
Labeled exhibits: A = access/download logs, B = delivery email and license record, C = signup terms and policy at purchase, D = customer messages. Every claim in the summary points at one exhibit.
Never invent. If a log doesn't exist, say the evidence is limited — a flagged gap beats a fabricated timestamp, which can burn the whole response.

A quick honesty check

If your platform keeps no access logs and your delivery is a bare download link, your evidence is thin — fix the logging before the next dispute, and think hard before paying $15-to-open plus $15-if-you-lose to fight a small charge. If you do have logs and terms on file, you are holding stronger evidence than most physical sellers ever get. It just needs organizing before the deadline.

Parry builds this packet from your logs

Upload your dispute notice, access or download logs, invoices, customer messages, and policy pages. Parry drafts the case summary, rebuttal, timeline, and labeled exhibits — an AI draft you review fact-by-fact and submit yourself. We never submit in your name, never invent evidence, and the bank always makes the final call.

$10 for your first month, then $29/mo. Up to 5 evidence packets/month, dispute deadline alerts, and a saved store/evidence profile. Cancel anytime. No success fee.

Start — $10 first month Full evidence checklist

Parry is not affiliated with Stripe or Visa. This page is general information, not legal or financial advice. Last updated: October 9, 2026.