Most disputes look like a shipping or quality problem on the surface. Underneath, the majority trace back to a mismatch that existed the moment the order was placed — a spec, a quantity break, or a lead time that wasn't actually confirmed.
Root causeShare of disputes
Spec mismatch at order time34%
Lead time not confirmed21%
Quantity break misapplied12%
Actual shipping/quality issue33%
By the time a dispute is filed, the outcome was often already decided at checkout.
What closes the gap
The short version
- Two in three disputes trace back to what happened before shipping, not during it.
- Confirming lead time explicitly at order time removes the single biggest cause.
- Quantity-break errors are rare individually but easy to prevent with a checkout-time confirmation step.
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Farah Sheikh
Operations Lead, Orders & Disputes
Farah runs the orders and disputes function for reCart Buyer, working with both sides of a transaction to resolve it fairly and fast.