Chargebacks

What is a chargeback?

A chargeback happens when a customer disputes a payment directly with their bank or card provider instead of requesting a refund from you. The bank reverses the payment, the funds are taken back, and you lose both the money and the product that was already delivered.

Chargebacks are common in digital goods stores. The most frequent causes are:

• Stolen cards. Someone uses a stolen credit card to make a purchase. The real cardholder notices and disputes it.
• Friendly fraud. The buyer makes a legitimate purchase but later claims they didn’t authorize it to get their money back while keeping the product.
• Unauthorized family purchases. A child uses a parent’s card without permission. The parent disputes the charge.
• Buyer’s remorse. The customer regrets the purchase and disputes it instead of asking for a refund.

How FluxStore handles chargebacks

When your payment provider (Stripe or PayPal) notifies FluxStore of a chargeback, the order is automatically marked as chargebacked in your dashboard. You can see all chargebacked orders by filtering your order list by status.

Auto ban

With Auto Ban on Chargeback enabled, FluxStore automatically creates a ban for the player when a chargeback is detected. The ban uses the reason you configure and prevents them from making future purchases on your store.

To enable this, go to Dashboard > Store Settings > Checkout and turn on Auto Ban on Chargeback. You can set a custom ban reason like “Chargeback filed” that will be shown if the banned player tries to purchase again.

You can review and manage all bans (including automatic ones) from Dashboard > Bans. See Bans for more.

Chargeback commands

Beyond banning, you can configure commands that run on your server automatically when a chargeback is detected. For example, you might remove a rank or take back items that were delivered as part of the order.

Each package has a Chargeback command type in its command settings. These work the same way as your initial delivery commands, supporting the same variables ({player}, {username}, {uuid}) and server targeting. When a chargeback comes in, FluxStore runs the chargeback commands for every package in that order.

Configure these from Dashboard > Packages, then edit a package and add commands with the Chargeback type.

Stripe chargeback protection

Stripe offers a standalone Chargeback Protection  product (separate from Stripe Radar, their fraud detection tool). For 0.4% per transaction, Stripe covers you if a protected payment is later disputed as fraud. They pay back the disputed amount and the chargeback fee, so you lose nothing.

Chargeback Protection is currently available for businesses in the US and Europe. You enable it through your Stripe dashboard, not through FluxStore. If chargebacks are eating into your revenue, this is worth considering alongside the tips below.

Reducing chargebacks

There’s no way to prevent chargebacks entirely, but you can significantly reduce them:

• Collect customer information at checkout. Require first name, last name, email, and address. The more information you have, the stronger your evidence if you need to fight a dispute. See Checkout.
• Have clear terms of service. Require customers to accept your terms before purchasing. Include your refund policy, what they’re buying, and that digital goods are non-refundable. If a dispute is filed, your accepted terms are strong evidence in your favor. See Checkout.
• Use a clear store name. Make sure your store name matches what appears on the customer’s bank statement. If they don’t recognize the charge, they’re more likely to dispute it.
• Offer easy refunds. If a customer can get a refund from you quickly, they’re less likely to go through their bank instead.
• Enable fraud protection. Catch suspicious orders before they go through. See Fraud Protection.
• Consider Stripe chargeback protection. A small per-transaction fee can save you from covering fraudulent disputes entirely.

FAQ

Do I lose money on every chargeback? Yes. When a chargeback is filed, the payment provider reverses the payment. You lose the sale amount plus any chargeback fees your payment provider charges (typically around £15/$15 per dispute).

Can I fight a chargeback? That depends on your payment provider. Stripe and PayPal both allow you to submit evidence to dispute a chargeback, but the process is handled on their platform, not through FluxStore.

Can I automatically revoke items or ranks on chargeback? Yes. Each package has a Chargeback command type alongside Initial, Expiry, and others. You can add commands like lp user {player} parent remove vip that run automatically when a chargeback is detected on an order containing that package. These work the same way as your other package commands, with the same variables ({player}, {username}, {uuid}) and server targeting. Configure them from Dashboard > Packages on each package’s command settings.

What if someone is banned unfairly? You can unban any player from Dashboard > Bans. If you have auto ban enabled, review your bans periodically. Not every chargeback is malicious.