If an online purchase is missing, unfamiliar, or billed incorrectly, start with the records you already have. Save the order page, confirmation email, payment statement, tracking details, package photos, and messages with the seller. Do this before deleting an account, discarding packaging, or returning an item. If a return deadline applies, document the item and follow that deadline rather than waiting for perfect evidence.

These records can help a seller or financial institution connect a charge with an order. They don't automatically prove who clicked the purchase button, that a package reached you, or that a refund will be issued. This is general information for U.S. consumers, not legal advice.

Identify the payment method and the problem

The payment rail usually determines which dispute process applies. First decide whether the issue is an unauthorized transaction, a purchase that went wrong, a wrong amount, or an unordered product.

Don't describe an authorized purchase that failed as an "unauthorized" transaction. Tell the bank whether you didn't make the purchase, didn't receive the goods, received the wrong goods, or were charged the wrong amount. Those facts can lead to different questions and procedures.

The records worth collecting

Order and account records

Save the merchant's confirmation page and account record while they are still available. Record:

• Order number and merchant name
• Product description, quantity, and price
• Taxes, shipping, discounts, and total charged
• Order date, time, and time zone
• Promised shipping or delivery date
• Shipping address and delivery method
• Cancellation, refund, or return status
• Merchant, marketplace, or account name connected with the order

Download the page as a PDF. Take a screenshot that shows the web address and the visible order status or date, and note when you captured it. Keep the original file instead of relying only on a cropped image.

An order number helps the merchant find its records, but it doesn't prove that you personally placed the order.

Payment records

Keep the relevant credit-card or bank statement as a PDF or image. Include, when shown:

• Merchant descriptor exactly as it appears
• Transaction amount
• Transaction and posting dates
• Last four digits of the account
• Authorization, reference, or transaction number
• Both pending and posted versions of the transaction

A statement shows that a charge posted to your account. It doesn't establish who authorized the purchase or whether the seller shipped the merchandise. A storefront name can also differ from the descriptor on the statement, so keep both names.

Never send a full card number, security code, PIN, password, or one-time authentication code by email or chat. Use the issuer's secure app or website, or the phone number printed on your statement.

Emails, messages, and security alerts

Keep the original confirmation, shipping, cancellation, refund, and fraud-alert emails. If your email service allows it, download the original message file or preserve its full headers. Headers can show routing information and timestamps, but they don't prove who controlled the email account or completed the purchase.

Export or screenshot seller and marketplace chats. The images should show enough of the conversation to identify the account, dates, and message order. After a phone call, note the date, number used, representative's name, and any promise made. Don't assume you can legally record the call; recording rules vary by state.

For a charge you don't recognize, preserve login alerts, password-reset emails, new-device notifications, and two-factor authentication messages. Then change the affected password and secure your email account from a device you trust. Contact the financial institution promptly rather than waiting while you reconstruct browser data.

Shipping and product evidence

For a missing, damaged, counterfeit, or incorrect item, collect:

• Tracking number and carrier scans
• Delivery photo or signature record
• Shipping label and package condition
• Photos of the contents, damage, model number, or serial number
• The date and location where you looked for the package
• Messages from the carrier, seller, or marketplace

A carrier's "delivered" scan shows what the carrier recorded. It may not prove that you personally received the package or that the contents were correct.

Browser, device, and wallet records

Browser history, cookies, cached pages, and local storage may show that a device visited a merchant or retained a cart. They can be deleted, generated as part of ordinary browsing, or associated with several users. Usually, they aren't enough to identify the person who made a purchase.

Wi-Fi and browser records have similar limits. Encrypted checkout traffic normally won't reveal the contents of a payment form, and visiting a domain isn't proof that an order was completed.

For a cryptocurrency or NFT purchase, record the marketplace receipt, wallet address, network name, transaction hash, and sale terms. A blockchain record can confirm that a wallet transfer occurred, but it generally doesn't prove who controlled the wallet, what the seller promised, or that a physical item was delivered.

Preserve the files safely

A straightforward file trail is more useful than a large, unexplained data dump:

1. Create a case folder. Use a name such as Merchant-name-charge-date and keep statements, emails, screenshots, tracking records, and notes together.
2. Write the timeline. Use actual dates. Add the time zone when the timing could matter.
3. Keep originals unchanged. Store an unedited email or statement, then make a separate copy for highlighting or notes.
4. Back up the folder securely. Use a trusted drive or cloud account protected by a strong password and multi-factor authentication.
5. Redact before sending. Hide full account numbers, passwords, security codes, and unrelated personal information. Keep the unredacted original in your secure folder.
6. Use official contact details. Find the issuer's number in the app or on the statement instead of clicking a link in a suspicious message.
7. Watch the deadline. Recovering browser history or old app data shouldn't cause you to miss a dispute deadline.

Most consumers don't need Autopsy, Wireshark, Volatility, memory dumps, or browser-cache extraction. A clear statement, merchant record, delivery history, and dated correspondence are usually more useful in a payment dispute. Don't bypass passwords or inspect a device or account you don't lawfully control.

Send a short evidence packet

A reviewer can usually work more easily with a focused packet than with dozens of unrelated screenshots. Put the key information in this order:

• A short description of what went wrong
• Merchant name, transaction amount, transaction date, and statement date
• Order number and promised delivery date
• A dated timeline
• The statement or transaction record
• Order confirmation and shipping records
• Seller messages and any refund promise
• The result you want, such as a refund, correction, or removal of an unauthorized charge

A concise explanation might look like this:

I am disputing a $89.99 charge from [merchant] posted on [date]. Order [number] was scheduled for delivery on [date], but I did not receive it. I contacted the seller on [dates] and received [response]. Attached are the statement entry, order confirmation, tracking history, and correspondence.

Keep a copy of everything you submit. Note the submission date, delivery method, confirmation number, and names of uploaded attachments.

Use the payment-specific dispute process

Credit-card billing errors

For U.S. credit-card billing errors, the FTC's guidance on disputing credit-card charges says a written dispute must reach the issuer within 60 days after the first statement containing the error was sent to you. The deadline is tied to that statement, not necessarily the date you placed the order.

Send the notice to the billing-inquiries address on the statement. It may be different from the address used for payments. Include:

• Your name and account information
• The disputed amount
• The transaction date and merchant descriptor
• The order number, if available
• A clear explanation of why the charge is incorrect
• Copies of supporting records, not irreplaceable originals

Contacting the seller can help, but it doesn't replace timely written notice to the card issuer. If the 60-day deadline is approaching, send the issuer's notice first and continue the merchant discussion separately.

Under the FTC's guidance, the issuer generally must acknowledge the dispute in writing within 30 days unless it has already resolved the matter. It must resolve the dispute within two billing cycles, and no later than 90 days after receiving the notice. During the investigation, you generally don't have to pay the disputed amount or related finance and other charges, but you should continue paying amounts that aren't disputed.

Some issuers may extend the 60-day period when a shipment is delayed. Ask the issuer whether that option applies; don't assume it does.

Debit cards and electronic transfers

Debit-card and bank-account transactions don't use exactly the same billing-error process as credit cards. If you believe an electronic transfer was unauthorized, notify the bank or card provider immediately and ask what written notice and documentation it requires.

The Federal Reserve's Regulation E guidance explains that consumer liability can depend on how quickly the institution is notified. The FDIC's Electronic Fund Transfer Act guidance also describes rules governing electronic transfers.

Give the institution the exact transaction, date, amount, and reason you believe it was unauthorized. If you approved the payment but the merchandise never arrived, say that instead and ask whether the bank has a separate merchant-dispute process. For prepaid cards and peer-to-peer services, contact the issuer or platform as well; don't assume the credit-card 60-day procedure applies.

For a wire transfer, bank transfer, or peer-to-peer payment, act immediately and preserve the confirmation, recipient information, platform case number, and funding-account record. Recovery options depend heavily on the provider and transaction type.

Shipping delays and missing merchandise

The FTC's Mail, Internet, or Telephone Order Merchandise Rule generally requires a seller to have a reasonable basis for its advertised shipping time. If no shipping time is stated, the rule generally uses a 30-day period. When the seller can't meet the promised time, it must follow the rule's procedures for obtaining consent to a delay or refunding payment for unshipped merchandise.

That seller obligation is separate from a card issuer's dispute deadline. Keep the advertised delivery promise, delay notice, and any message in which you accepted or rejected a new delivery date. The shipping rule doesn't by itself guarantee that a card issuer will reverse a charge.

Unordered products

An unordered product and an unauthorized charge are separate issues. A package with your name on it doesn't prove that you placed the order, and a statement charge doesn't prove that an unexpected package belongs to that transaction.

Photograph the label and contents. Check whether another household member sent a gift, and review subscriptions and marketplace accounts. Don't pay an invoice merely because an unexpected package arrived. The FTC's guidance on bills for items you never got and unordered products describes steps consumers can consider.

What the evidence can and cannot show

Digital records are usually corroboration, not a complete identity record:

• A receipt or order number shows that a merchant system generated a record. It doesn't prove that you personally authorized the purchase.
• A statement shows a charge posted to your account. It doesn't show who used the account or whether the seller delivered the goods.
• A browser-history entry shows activity on a device, not the identity of the user.
• An IP address may identify a network or approximate location, not a particular person.
• A transaction ID can help locate an order or payment, but it doesn't prove delivery, product quality, or compliance with the seller's promises.
• A delivery scan records a carrier event, not necessarily possession by you or the condition of the contents.
• A refund promise is not the same as a credit on your statement. Check for the credit and request a refund date or reference number.
• A blockchain transaction is difficult to alter, but it doesn't establish the real-world identity or obligations of the parties.

Avoid sending a full browser export when the issuer asked for the statement and merchant correspondence. Extra data can expose passwords, unrelated purchases, and other people's information without making the claim stronger.

If the seller or financial institution says no

Ask the seller for a written explanation and the records supporting its position. If it promised a refund, request the processing date and reference number. Then check the statement for the credit rather than relying only on an email promise.

If a card issuer rejects the dispute, ask for the reason and keep proof of your original notice. Use the issuer's stated reconsideration or complaint process, sending a focused packet that addresses the specific reason for the decision.

For help finding an appropriate complaint route for an online purchase, use USA.gov's online purchase complaint guidance. A complaint to another agency doesn't replace a required dispute notice to your card issuer or bank.

Start with the statement entry and merchant order record. Add the timeline, then send the correct notice before spending time on less reliable material such as browser history or cached files.