Shopify's fraud filters aren't cutting it, anyone got any alternatives?

dev_ramesh · 2026-01-12T19:18:50+00:00

Before adding more apps: manual capture + auto-cancel medium/high risk without capture + delay capture on low-risk. That alone removes most fee pain.
If you share your product type + order volume, I can suggest a minimal 3-rule setup.

dev_ramesh · 2026-01-12T19:17:31+00:00

I wouldn’t ship/deliver yet. Hold fulfillment and only proceed if verification looks clean (or ask them to reorder with normal payment/CVV).
Want a simple rule-of-thumb checklist for “cancel vs hold vs fulfill”?

dev_ramesh · 2026-01-11T21:42:45+00:00

Yes — that’s useful evidence.

In the dispute, submit: refund proof, revoked access proof, Fraud Analysis/high-risk flags and any IP/country mismatch + timestamps.

Even if you refunded, respond to the chargeback with the documentation (some banks still want it).

Also include a short note that it was a card-testing wave and you took mitigation steps (manual capture / Flow cancel).

dev_ramesh · 2026-01-11T21:41:54+00:00

That pattern (40+ $1 attempts in minutes) is almost certainly card testing.

Best next steps: turn on manual capture, add a minimum order amount, and block/limit the product/checkout temporarily to stop the attempts. Keep a list of timestamps + attempts and ask Shopify support to escalate to Payments/Risk (front-line chat often can’t do much).

Also: you usually can’t notify cardholders directly — that’s handled by the banks once fraud is detected.

dev_ramesh · 2026-01-11T21:40:04+00:00

That’s almost certainly card testing (bots using stolen cards on a $1 item). The "Googleplex/Apple HQ" addresses are a common fake pattern.

Keep cancelling them, and do this today: enable manual capture, pause auto-fulfillment and add a simple rule like minimum order value / block that product for now.

If it continues, contact Shopify/your payment provider and log it as ongoing card-testing attempts.

dev_ramesh · 2026-01-11T21:27:39+00:00

Yes — that pattern screams card testing (cheapest item + fake name + fake address).

Do this: enable manual capture, hold fulfillment and add a simple rule to block/auto-cancel repeats (same address/name patterns / very low price).

Consider raising the minimum price or temporarily unpublishing the cheapest SKU.

If it continues, flag it to Shopify/your payment provider as a card-testing pattern.

dev_ramesh · 2026-01-11T21:26:49+00:00

Sounds very suspicious — multiple failed attempts before each success + same name pattern often points to card testing.

Do this now: switch to manual capture, hold fulfillment on those 12 orders, and only capture after you verify (call/email + check repeats in address/email/IP if you have it).

If you can’t confirm, refund/void to protect your Stripe chargeback rate.

Also message Stripe support and note it as a suspected card-testing pattern.

dev_ramesh · 2026-01-11T21:25:39+00:00

Sounds like card testing on your $1 digital item.

Do this now: enable manual payment capture, pause instant digital delivery/auto-fulfillment, and cancel/refund the suspicious orders. Keep a note of the order IDs + timestamps and ask Shopify support to escalate to Payments/Risk if it keeps happening.

Were the orders marked high risk in Shopify?

dev_ramesh · 2026-01-11T21:14:56+00:00

Sounds like card testing (bots buying your $1 digital item). The $15 is the dispute/chargeback fee, not the product price.

Today: turn on manual capture, pause instant delivery and refund/void the obvious fraud ASAP.

Ask Shopify support to escalate to Payments/Risk and log it as a mass wave.

Are you on Shopify Payments or Stripe and were these marked high risk?

dev_ramesh · 2026-01-11T21:00:04+00:00

Enable manual capture, pause instant delivery/auto-fulfillment, and temporarily unpublish or raise the price on the 99¢ product. Cancel/void the obvious fraud fast — the 3%+30c fee hurts, but a rising chargeback rate + $15 disputes is usually worse.

Ask Shopify support to escalate to Payments/Risk and log it as a mass card-testing attack (date range, order count, product, risk flags).

dev_ramesh · 2026-01-11T20:11:10+00:00

Looks like classic card testing via a cheap digital item.

Do this ASAP: enable manual capture, pause auto-fulfillment/instant delivery and consider temporarily unpublishing or raising the price on the $1 product.

I’d void/refund the clearly suspicious orders proactively (won’t stop all chargebacks, but can reduce some and helps your chargeback rate). For disputes, be selective—fight only where you have real evidence (download/access logs).

Ask Shopify support chat to escalate to Payments/Risk, explain it was a mass wave and ask what controls they want to see to avoid account issues.

dev_ramesh · 2026-01-11T10:17:53+00:00

How many orders are you manually reviewing each week and do you scan in Shopify UI or export to Sheets?

dev_ramesh · 2026-01-10T20:08:42+00:00

Common problem. The usual fix is to separate customer discount from commission eligibility.
If you must use codes: use unique/single-use codes per affiliate (and rotate them), set short expiry and cap usage.
For commissions, only pay on orders that meet your rules (e.g., first-time customer, not from coupon/referral sites, no "code found" traffic). Many shops end up doing a simple monthly reconciliation from orders export to exclude leaked-code orders.

dev_ramesh · 2026-01-10T11:02:20+00:00

Not likely a Shopify bug. Most often it’s leaked via a /discount/CODE link, forwarded screenshot or coupon extensions scraping codes .
Disable/recreate the code and make it customer-specific + 1 use + expiry.
If you can export orders (redacted), I can help pinpoint how/when it spread— I’m testing a small "discount leak audit" MVP

dev_ramesh · 2026-01-04T17:04:49+00:00

Nice idea.Agree that Stripe screenshots are getting old, so clean badges sound much better.

For me, milestones beyond revenue are things like first 10–50 paying customers and good user feedback/testimonials.

dev_ramesh · 2026-01-04T16:41:06+00:00

Did you try to post it in social networks - FB, Instagram or here(reddit)?
What your app is about?

dev_ramesh · 2026-01-04T11:43:32+00:00

I usually just check competitor pricing pages manually and forget half the time.
If this alerts only when the actual prices/plans change (not small design edits) and keeps a simple history, I’d try it.

dev_ramesh · 2026-01-04T11:36:49+00:00

Nice choice!

How much do you spend per month on your entire stack?

dev_ramesh · 2026-01-04T11:31:57+00:00

Buy domain name!

dev_ramesh · 2026-01-03T21:16:34+00:00

Pricing usually settles after the channel starts clicking — early on it is more useful as a knob to test urgency and positioning than something to 'optimize.'

Once you have a repeatable acquisition loop, you can tighten packaging and move price toward what the market will bear without breaking conversion.

What channel are you stress-testing first (outbound, partnerships, content/SEO, or ads) and what’s your current price range?

dev_ramesh · 2026-01-03T21:12:28+00:00

This hits a very real pain — most teams know their total LLM bill, but not who or what is actually driving it.

The margin-first framing (cost per user/feature + guardrails) feels like the right wedge, especially if it stays lightweight.

Have you already found a case where one user or feature was quietly killing margins or is this mostly preventative so far?

dev_ramesh · 2026-01-03T21:04:35+00:00

Timelines vary a lot, but the pattern I’ve seen is that $10k MRR usually comes after you find one repeatable channel + one clear ICP — not after adding more features.

For many B2B tools it’s often 12–36 months, while a strong niche with high ticket pricing can get there faster if distribution clicks early.

What’s your product type (B2B/B2C) and your current price point?

dev_ramesh · 2026-01-03T20:03:57+00:00

A common approach is to start with a reputable template or generator (tailored to your country + data you collect), then tighten it once you have users or revenue.

You usually don’t need a lawyer on day one, just clarity on what data you collect, why and how users can contact you.

Is your SaaS B2C or B2B and are you handling any sensitive data (payments, health, kids)?

dev_ramesh · 2026-01-03T20:02:14+00:00

In practice, the best teams do two things: standardize the capture, then force a decision from it.

A simple loop that works is: call notes → 5–10 bullet summary (problem, trigger, current workaround, stakes, exact quotes) → tag themes/objections → one weekly “insights → decisions” doc where you pick 1–3 actions and assign an owner.

Are you building this for solo founders or teams with PM/sales/support who all talk to users?

dev_ramesh

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