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For Shopify stores with high-value orders

Do you know what your refunds really cost you?

RefundSentry analyzes your last 12 months of refunds and chargebacks to uncover suspicious patterns, repeat abuse and money you could be losing.

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ExampleA made-up store. Its report, just below, fills in the blank.

Your report

How much refund abuse is hiding in your store?

In this example, $3,630 of $7,758 in refunds show abuse patterns. RefundSentry analyzes your last 12 months to find suspicious refunds, repeat abuse and linked accounts.

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RefundSentryReports / Store review, Sep 15Example

Store review, Sep 15, 2026

EXAMPLE STORE12 months to Sep 15, 2026Frozen on Sep 15, 2026. Amounts in USD.

$3,630 of your $7,758 in refunds show abuse patterns.

10 of your 24 refunds, last 12 months. Section 03 lists them, with what is worth a look before these customers order again.

Refunded
$7,758
24 refunds
Showing abuse patterns
$3,630
10 refunds
In open disputes
$1,040
2 disputes, evidence due from Sep 22
Avoided since install
None yet
A held order that is cancelled counts here.

Start here

3 actions, recoverable money first

  1. 2 open disputes, evidence due Sep 22

    2 open disputes come to $1,040.

    $1,040open at the Sep 15 audit

    Review open disputes

  2. 10 refunds show abuse patterns

    These refunds come to $3,630.

    $3,630refunded · last 12 months

    Review refunds

  3. 6 accounts ship to one address

    We found 1 address cluster where 6 accounts ship to one address, tied to $2,182 in refunds over this window.

    $2,182refunded · last 12 months

    View the linked accounts

This issue records 7 observations in four groups: 1 to recover now, 5 worth reviewing, 0 to watch, and 1 for context.

01 What we read

12 months to Sep 15, 2026

Refunds peaked in February 2026, 102% above the 12-month median of $556.

Orders analyzed
1,240
Sep 2025 to Sep 2026
Refunds
24
24 orders refunded · 1.9% of orders
Refunded
$7,758
20 full · 4 partial
Refunded after shipment
$6,979
21 refunds · where abuse can happen
Never shipped
$779
3 refunds, cancellations not returns
Disputes
5
$1,835 · 2 still open

Refunded value by month

February 2026 was the highest month of the year, 102% above the 12-month median of $556.

MEDIAN $556S2025ONDJ2026$1,121FMAMJJAS

Where the refunded money sits

Timing of each refund against its shipment and delivery scan. Same $7,758, split once.

  • never shipped$779 · 3 refunds
  • shipped, refunded before or without a delivery scan$599 · 2 refunds
  • within 30 days of delivery$5,114 · 16 refunds
  • more than 30 days after delivery$1,266 · 3 refunds

30-day return window · refunds past it: 3 · $1,266

02 Recover now

Open at the audit, Sep 15, 2026

$1,040 in 2 open disputes. Evidence due: 1 by Sep 22, 1 by Oct 1.

Open disputes by reason
ReasonOpenDisputedEvidence dueWhat works as evidence
Item not received2$1,040Sep 22Use delivery proof from your carrier.

Settled disputes are history and never count as open money. Of the disputes in this report's window: 1 won ($220), 2 lost ($575), 2 still open ($1,040). You won 33% of the disputes decided.

The disputes behind this table

  • #3604Item not received$596evidence due Sep 22
  • #3688Item not received$444evidence due Oct 1

2 of your 5 disputes look like friendly fraud: the customer had the goods and disputed anyway. 1 won, 2 lost, 2 open.

03 Worth reviewing

12 months to Sep 15, 2026

5 things to look at before these customers reorder, most money first. The amounts can overlap, so they are never added up.

  1. 10 refunds show abuse patterns

    These refunds come to $3,630. Review them in Activity.

    $3,630refunded

    Review refunds

  2. 6 accounts ship to one address

    We found 1 address cluster where 6 accounts ship to one address, tied to $2,182 in refunds over this window.

    Tacoma, WA · 6 accounts · high confidence

    $2,182refunded

    View the linked accounts

  3. Dispute reason: Item not received (2 of 5)

    Top reason: Item not received (40% of disputes). Use delivery proof from your carrier.

    $1,040disputed

    Review disputes: Item not received

  4. Disputes your checkout fraud analysis rated low risk

    4 of your 5 payment disputes were rated low risk at checkout, and you lost $265 on them. Checkout fraud analysis answers one question: was this a stolen card. Abuse that starts after the parcel ships is invisible to that check, which is where these disputes came from.

    $265 lost

    Review disputes rated low risk

  5. Part of your refund total never shipped

    10.0% of the value of your refunds ($779) sits on orders that never shipped, which makes it cancellations rather than returns. Refunds after shipment, where return abuse can happen, come to $6,979.

    See 01

04 Watch

Since installation, Sep 14, 2026

What is already in force on your store.

Customers blocked
None yet
A blocked customer's next order is held before it ships.
Customers watched
1
0 added by you, 1 added by RefundSentry.
Refunds you confirmed as abuse
None yet
Each confirmation sharpens the scoring for your store.
Actions by automations
None yet
No automation has run yet.

1 customer with 2 or more high-risk refunds is neither blocked nor watched. Blocking them holds their next order; watching only flags it for review.

Review customers

05 Context

Where refunds come from. Nothing here needs action; it makes the sections above read sharper.

Cancellations. $779 of refunded value never shipped: 3 refunds. Cancellations, not returns.

  1. Where your refunded money went, by reason

    The largest recorded reason is sizing or fit at 29.4% of the value of refunds. 26.0% of the value of refunds carries no recorded reason. Recording reasons at refund time makes every other pattern sharper.

    • sizing or fit$2,281 · 29.4%
    • quality or defect$1,852 · 23.9%
    • not as described$1,004 · 12.9%
    • changed mind$603 · 7.8%
    • no recorded reason$2,018 · 26.0%

    $7,758refunded

06 Since installation

Sep 14, 2026 onward

The one part measured from your install rather than frozen with the review.

New events scored
5
0 high risk among them.
Recovered, confirmed by the bank
None yet
Money counts here only once the bank returns it. Your 2 open disputes are the first candidates.
Avoided, observed
None yet
A held order that is cancelled counts here, at its order value.
Actions completed
None yet
Actions you complete in RefundSentry show up here from the next issue onward.

About this report

Frozen
This report does not change after the audit runs. Anything that moved since Sep 15, 2026 belongs to live monitoring, not to this issue.
Sources
Orders, refunds, shipments and disputes are recorded Shopify data. Sections 04 and 06 count RefundSentry's own records: your blocks, watches, confirmations and held orders. Risk flags and address matches are RefundSentry classifications of that data. The only estimate is the dispute win rate, taken from your decided disputes and weighted toward your overall rate when there are few.
Overlap
Amounts in sections 02 to 04 can overlap between observations and are never added together or to disputed money. The disputed amount is the full amount of your open disputes before weighting by win rate: the most that can come back, not a guarantee.
Coverage
Activity available from Sep 15, 2025 to Sep 15, 2026. Dates reflect the requested store review and the earliest activity recorded in that window.

Next report: Oct 1, 2026. This one will read the same then.

Past reportsOpen the dashboard

Real Shopify store · First weeks with RefundSentry

From a hidden refund problem to $2,452 stopped before shipping.

A Shopify store with around 4,000 orders a month installed RefundSentry. Its 12-month report put a number on the refunds rated high risk after shipment. The merchant has blocked the customers behind most of that money.

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See what RefundSentry can find in your store. Install in under a minute. 14-day free trial.

The report found the problem

The merchant took action

The result

REAL SHOPIFY STORE
12-MONTH REPORT
SEP 15, 2025 TO SEP 15, 2026
$69,468
IN REFUNDS RATED HIGH RISK, AFTER SHIPMENT
106
REFUNDS. MOSTLY A FIRST ORDER, REFUNDED WITHIN A WEEK OF BUYING
~4,000 ORDERS / MONTH
  • 297Customers blocked by the merchant
  • $43,396Of the high-risk refunds went to customers now blocked
  • 47Customers put on watch
  • 5Chargeback responses saved in Shopify

$2,452

Stopped before shipping

  • 10 orders from blocked or held customers
  • Cancelled before they shipped
  • Order value, not profit

RefundSentry

$199

/MONTH

At this volume

A small investment to find the leak, stop repeat abuse and protect your margin on every order.

And there's more to recover

$4,803

in 5 open chargebacks with a response saved. Not decided yet.

We only count money as recovered once the banks decide.

How RefundSentry connects the dots

You see 7 customers. We see one.

Refund abuse rarely looks suspicious one order at a time. RefundSentry connects accounts through what they share, cards, addresses, devices and connections, to reveal when the same person keeps coming back under different identities.

Example: 7 accounts, 1 personSeven made-up accounts sit on the outer ring. Each is a line to one person at the center. Four inner rings mark what they share: card ending 4417 on 5 accounts, one device or connection on 4, one address on 6, one browser on 6. Two accounts also carry a chargeback.7 ACCOUNTSCARD ••44171 CONNECTION12 ELM ST1 BROWSERjordan.k$412 refundj.kowal88$265 refundkjordan$538 refundjk.orders$189 refundjordan.kw$640 refund$596 chargebackk.jordan$327 refund$444 chargebackjkowal$451 refund1 PERSON

ExampleOne made-up person, Jan 9 to Aug 27, 2026

7 accounts. 1 person. $2,822 refunded.

7 refunds for ordinary reasons, then 2 chargebacks for $1,040 after the refunds stopped. The store, the customers and every amount are made up.

See how RefundSentry connects accounts

RefundSentry reads up to 12 months of orders and links the accounts that share any of these. Every figure below comes from the example above.

5 of 7accounts paid with it

A card

The same card ending turns up on accounts with different emails.

6 of 7accounts ordered from it

A browser

One browser places orders for several accounts, whatever email they use.

6 of 7accounts ship to it

An address, written differently

The same door, spelled a new way each time: St or Street, Apt, # or Unit.

4 of 7accounts ordered through it

A device or connection

Orders for several accounts come from the same device or internet connection at checkout.

Beyond linked accounts

Every new order, refund and dispute. Three more things you'd have missed.

Linked accounts are one way money leaks. From install on, RefundSentry also checks each new order, refund and dispute as it comes in, and does three more things for you. One made-up month:

ExampleA made-up store and month.

  1. Answer every chargeback with proof.

    $444 disputed

    #3688: the carrier's delivery scan and the 6 accounts that ship to its address, in one pack, saved on the dispute in Shopify before the deadline. The bank decides; you are not empty-handed.

  2. Don't pay for the same order twice.

    $214 at stake

    #3650 was refunded on September 16. On September 21 the customer told the bank the refund never came. RefundSentry flags it the day the dispute lands and puts the refund proof in the evidence pack.

  3. When they come back, the order waits for you.

    $478 held before it ships

    #3741 came from [email protected], an eighth email, paid with card ****4417 from a customer you blocked. RefundSentry holds it before it ships; you release it or cancel it.

See the full example reportHow it works

Automations

You choose what runs on its own.

Every rule starts paused and acts only when you switch it on. You can pause it again at any time.

Before you switch one on, it shows what the rule would have matched on your history.

  • Hold an order before it shipsOff

    Only the orders your rule picks, until you release them.

  • Block a customerOff

    Their next orders are held before they ship.

  • Put a customer on your watch listOff

    Their next orders come to Needs review, with an email. Nothing is held.

  • Tag the order or the customer, add an order note or a metafieldOff

    In Shopify, for your team and your other apps.

  • Notify youOff

    By email or Slack, when a rule matches.

  • Prepare the evidence pack for a strong chargebackOff

    When a dispute lands on a reason you usually win, it saves the pack on the Shopify dispute. You can edit it or send it early.

On from the start: its risk verdict in each order's risk panel in Shopify, and a suggested refund method for each return. You can turn either off in Settings. After each report, customers who match 2 or more abuse patterns also go on your watch list, which holds nothing.

What it never does

  • Cancel or refund an order by itselfNever

    There is no automation for it. You cancel or refund, with a button you press.

  • Replace your returns appNever

    Keep the returns app you have.

  • Replace your checkout fraud protectionNever

    It works beside your checkout fraud app.

Questions

Before you install.

Doesn't Shopify already check orders for fraud?
Shopify's fraud analysis looks at the payment of each new order. RefundSentry looks at what comes after: refunds, chargebacks, and the accounts that turn out to be one person. It writes its verdict into the same risk panel on the Shopify order. See it beside the other tools
Does it replace my returns app or my checkout fraud app?
No. It works beside them: Shopify's own returns, Loop, AfterShip Returns or ReturnGO handle the return, and your fraud app screens the payment. RefundSentry adds the view across accounts: the same person behind several of them. See it beside the other tools
Does it cancel or refund orders on its own?
No. It holds an order only for a customer you blocked or a rule you switched on, and the order waits for you: remove the hold, keep it, or cancel it yourself. Every rule starts paused.
What does it keep about my customers?
It links orders by comparing hashes of the email, phone, address and card, not the values themselves. Order addresses are kept encrypted for 365 days and dispute packs for 180 days, then deleted. When Shopify sends a customer's erasure request, their record, addresses, dispute packs and refunds are deleted. What it keeps, in detail
Will it slow down my store?
No. It adds nothing to your storefront or your checkout. It reads orders, refunds and chargebacks from Shopify after they happen.
Does it help with chargebacks?
Yes. For your chargebacks on Shopify Payments, it prepares the evidence pack: the delivery proof, the refund if one was made, and any accounts linked to that customer. Saved on the dispute in Shopify, it goes out at the deadline. The bank decides. How chargebacks work
How much does it cost, and can I stop?
$49, $99, $199 or $299 a month, set by your orders in the last 30 days, with every feature on every plan. Each plan starts with a 14-day free trial, billed through Shopify. Cancel from your Shopify admin at any time. Cancel during the trial and you pay nothing. See the plans
What do I see first?
A report on up to 12 months of your orders, refunds and chargebacks, once you approve full order history in Shopify, at no extra charge. Then every new order is checked as it comes in. See an example report

Pricing

See what your refunds really cost.

One flat price, set by your orders in the last 30 days: Starter $49, Growth $99, Scale $199 or Advanced $299 a month. Every plan starts with a 14-day free trial.

Get your free report

Free with the 14-day trial: cancel before it ends and you pay nothing. It reads your history first, up to 12 months, then checks every new order before it ships.