Stop Losing “Digital Goods Not Received” Chargebacks, Proof, logs, and delivery receipts that help

Feb 02, 2026

Selling a download, license key, streaming access, or a SaaS subscription should be simple. The customer pays, gets access, and you move on. Then a “digital goods not received” chargeback shows up, and suddenly you’re trying to prove something that can’t be held, signed for, or photographed.

That’s the trap with digital goods chargebacks. The product is real, but the delivery is mostly invisible unless you’re collecting the right evidence from the start.

This guide breaks down what “proof of delivery” looks like for digital items, which logs and receipts move the needle with banks, and how to stop many disputes before they become chargebacks.

Why “digital goods not received” chargebacks keep happening

Digital delivery is fast, but disputes are faster.

Industry projections going into 2026 point to a big rise in chargebacks overall, with global volumes expected to reach hundreds of millions. What matters for digital sellers is the mix: “not received” claims and first-party misuse (often called friendly fraud) tend to be overrepresented in digital products because access is instant and easy to deny.

Common reasons these disputes happen:

1) The customer did get it, but later regrets it
Impulse buys, post-holiday remorse, and subscription renewals trigger “I didn’t receive it” disputes because that story can feel simpler than “I changed my mind.”

2) Delivery happened, but not where they expected
Access links go to spam, downloads require an account login, the file is in a portal, or the license key is inside an email they didn’t open. From the cardholder’s point of view, it feels missing.

3) Confusing billing descriptors
If your descriptor doesn’t match your brand or product name, the buyer disputes a charge they don’t recognize. The bank may code it as “not received” even when the real issue is confusion.

4) Shared credentials and household purchases
A spouse, coworker, or child uses the product, and the cardholder files a dispute. Your system shows usage, their bank hears “never received.”

5) Support delays become dispute fuel
If a customer can’t log in and support takes two days, the chargeback button becomes the shortcut.

The takeaway: winning “not received” disputes usually depends on showing two things clearly: delivery (you sent access) and consumption (they used it).

Proof that wins digital goods chargebacks (logs, receipts, and delivery confirmation)

For physical goods, “proof” often means a carrier scan. For digital goods, proof looks more like an audit trail. Think of it like a courthouse timeline: each record is a timestamped footprint that, together, tells one story.

If you want a broader view of what issuers look for, this guide on documenting transactions for chargeback prevention is a helpful reference. Below is the evidence that tends to matter most for “digital goods not received.”

The strongest evidence types (and what they prove)

What a “digital delivery receipt” should include

A delivery receipt is not just a generic “Thanks for your order.” It’s a record that can stand alone in a dispute packet.

Include:

• Order ID and transaction date/time (use a consistent time zone)
• Customer identifier (email, username, or account ID)
• What was delivered (SKU, plan name, subscription term)
• Where it was delivered (email address, account portal URL, device ID if relevant)
• How to access it (login link, redemption steps, license key delivery method)
• Confirmation events (email delivered/opened if you track it, link click, first login)

Digital receipts can also reduce disputes by lowering confusion. This article on using digital receipts to reduce chargebacks shows why receipts matter even when the product is virtual.

The logs that usually carry the dispute

When the claim is “I never received it,” the best counter is often “Here’s when you used it.”

Prioritize logs that are hard to fake and easy to read:

Access logs

• First login timestamp after purchase
• Subsequent logins tied to the same user
• Session duration, if available

Delivery and fulfillment logs

• Time your system generated the license key or download link
• Webhook events from your payment system that triggered fulfillment
• CDN or file server download events (filename, timestamp, success status)

Usage logs

• Feature events (created project, exported file, watched lesson 3)
• In-app purchase redemption and consumption events
• Streaming starts and watch time (aggregated is fine)

Identity and device signals (use common sense)

• IP address at purchase and first login
• Device type and OS
• Approximate geo consistency (city or country level, not invasive detail)

Platforms often publish what they accept as evidence. For example, WooCommerce provides practical dispute evidence suggestions, and Checkout.com outlines dispute reasons and recommended evidence. Use those as a checklist, then tailor it to how your product is delivered.

How to prevent “not received” disputes before they become chargebacks

Evidence helps you fight. Prevention helps you avoid the fight altogether, which is usually cheaper, faster, and better for your chargeback ratio.

Make “delivery” obvious to real customers

Small tweaks reduce real “not received” claims:

• Put the access link on the thank-you page, not only in email.
• Send a short “Your access is ready” email that repeats the login steps.
• Use a billing descriptor that matches the brand name customers recognize.
• Add a self-serve “Resend access link” option inside the account area.

These steps won’t stop friendly fraud, but they cut the honest disputes that come from confusion.

Use network alerts to stop disputes early

A lot of merchants lose because they learn about a dispute too late. Card network alert programs can notify you before a chargeback fully posts, which gives you a narrow window to refund and avoid the chargeback, or to act fast while data is fresh.

This is where a prevention platform can help, especially if your team doesn’t want to live inside spreadsheets and bank portals.

Chargebase is a chargeback prevention and recovery platform built for e-commerce and SaaS businesses. It connects to your payment provider quickly (often in minutes) and uses card network tools like Ethoca alerts and Verifi programs, along with dispute resolution options such as CDRN and RDR, to spot disputes early and help stop them from turning into chargebacks.

Key operational benefits that matter for digital goods:

• Automated workflows across the chargeback cycle, so fewer disputes die in someone’s inbox.
• Real-time alerts that are meant to arrive when action can still prevent the chargeback.
• Custom automation rules (10 or more), so you can auto-refund low-risk disputes while routing higher-risk ones for review.
• Pay-per-alert pricing, which aligns cost with the moments that can actually prevent losses (Chargebase publicly lists pricing like $15 per alert for CDRN and RDR, and $25 per alert for Ethoca).

For “digital goods not received,” the best play is often simple: if the alert comes in and your logs show real access, you contest with clean evidence. If the order looks risky or access was never activated, you refund quickly and avoid the chargeback fee and ratio impact.

Conclusion

“Digital goods not received” disputes don’t go away on their own. The fix is building proof into your delivery, then backing it with logs that show access and usage in plain language.

Tighten your receipts, capture the right events, and keep your evidence easy to export. Add early-warning alerts and automation, and you’ll prevent many digital goods chargebacks before they hit your processor. The real question is whether you want to argue about delivery after the fact, or make delivery undeniable from the start.