Klarna and Afterpay dispute process for merchants: deadlines and evidence

Buy-now-pay-later disputes look like chargebacks from the merchant's side: money is held, a deadline appears, evidence is requested. Underneath, they run on different rules. The provider decides instead of a card issuer, the clocks are set by the provider, and each one has its own idea of what proof of delivery means.

Merchant-side guidance for both providers is thin, so this guide puts their published rules in one place, checked October 2026, with a procedure and replies you can paste.

How BNPL disputes differ from card chargebacks

The biggest difference is who decides. In a card chargeback the cardholder's bank decides; in a BNPL dispute the provider does. Stripe's guide to how disputes work notes that local payment methods such as Klarna and PayPal set their own decision-maker, dispute window, fees and evidence rules, and that some include an inquiry phase before a formal dispute.

Sources: Stripe's Klarna disputes guide, Klarna's disputes documentation and Afterpay's developer documentation.

There is a practical upside. Both providers encourage the customer to contact the merchant first, and Klarna pauses the customer's outstanding repayments while an inquiry is open. That makes the first days of a BNPL dispute the cheapest moment to resolve it, before any evidence is needed.

Klarna dispute time frames and evidence rules (checked October 2026)

Klarna sends every dispute request with a deadline, and missing it means Klarna resolves the dispute in the customer's favor. Its disputes documentation sets these merchant deadlines:

Three details decide most Klarna cases:

1. A tracking link is not proof of delivery. Klarna's evidence guide says: "We expect you to provide a POD as an attachment, it is not sufficient to provide a tracking link." Without a valid proof of delivery, the dispute is decided for the customer.
2. Delivery alone isn't "full" delivery. The extra proof Klarna asks for, a packing list, delivery note or parcel weight, is about what was inside, not where it went. A record of every item going into the box answers the same question visually.
3. Refund promptly if you agree. For "return not refunded," if you agree to adjust the invoice but don't refund within 96 hours of responding, Klarna charges the amount back automatically.

Klarna disputes processed through Stripe

If you accept Klarna through Stripe, the flow has an extra stage. Stripe's Klarna disputes guide says almost every Klarna dispute starts as an inquiry lasting 21 calendar days. Klarna accepts no evidence during the inquiry; you can contact the customer, or refund in full, which avoids a dispute fee. If the inquiry isn't resolved, it escalates to a chargeback dispute.

From escalation you have 12 calendar days to provide evidence (5 for fraud disputes), and only a single round of evidence is possible. For "goods not received," Stripe suggests the shipping tracking number, carrier, shipping date and customer communication; for "faulty goods," customer communication. Stripe charges a single dispute fee on Klarna disputes, and reverses it if you win.

Afterpay dispute rules for merchants (checked October 2026)

Afterpay's dispute process is narrow by design. Its developer documentation says it currently supports only one dispute reason, product_not_received.

The customer-side rules come from Afterpay's help page for shoppers, which also says reviews typically take 10 to 14 business days. The 500-character limit is on Afterpay's Business Hub help page, which warns that exceeding it produces a generic "Something went wrong" error.

One more clock sits in the contract. Afterpay's US merchant agreement (section 8.2(d)) lets Afterpay request proof of delivery when it suspects goods weren't delivered. You must provide the carrier name and tracking number and confirm delivery to the address the customer gave, within two business days; otherwise you refund the purchase amount and reimburse chargeback fees unless you otherwise show delivery. The same agreement (section 17.3(c)) leaves the customer's consumer rights over the goods, including refunds for faulty items, between you and the customer.

Step by step: answering a BNPL dispute

The order of work matters more than usual, because the early stage is where BNPL disputes are cheapest to close.

The stills that do the most work in a "not received" or "missing item" case are the order reference with the items laid out, each item entering the carton, and the sealed carton with its shipping label. Together they connect the tracking number to the contents. The capture standard is in what makes a packing video count as evidence.

Copy-ready replies for Klarna and Afterpay

Replace the brackets and keep every sentence backed by an attached page.

With real details filled in, the Afterpay note runs to roughly 380 to 400 characters, which leaves a little room for one extra fact. Count it before you paste.

How PallasMark handles BNPL disputes

PallasMark produces the attachment both providers ask for, from a record made at the bench before the parcel left.

A record of full delivery, made at packing. Packers scan the order barcode and record on the phones the team already has, so the recording is bound to that order from the first frame. Every file is fingerprinted with SHA-256 when stored, and a public verification page lets anyone confirm it hasn't changed.

One PDF for the provider's form. On request, PallasMark builds the evidence dossier for the order: four stills from each recorded video, up to six videos, the order details and verdict, photos, fingerprints, buyer approval, return evidence, and the carrier and tracking number read from your store. Stills of every item going into the box sit naturally next to a packing list or parcel weight on Klarna's "additional proof of full delivery." You download the PDF and attach it in Klarna's Merchant Portal, the Stripe Dashboard or Afterpay's Business Hub. See chargeback evidence.

Returns that prove themselves. Klarna's "return not refunded" disputes turn on what actually came back. With return evidence, the buyer films the returned item and its packaging through a link when the return opens; Shopify and ShipHero returns request it automatically. That footage and your packing stills go into the same dossier. More on the workflow is on the returns use case page.

Fewer disputes to answer. For high-value orders, buyer approval before dispatch lets the buyer watch the sealed recording and approve the parcel before it ships, which builds the kind of buyer trust that keeps a complaint from becoming a dispute. You can start on the free plan with no card; see pricing.

Related reading

This guide is part of our hub on seller dispute evidence by platform. For card disputes on the same store, see Stripe dispute evidence and Square dispute evidence, and for why every dispute counts against you even when you win, read Visa VAMP thresholds and how to prevent disputes.