Q&A

Common questions from r/ecommerce and real merchant pain points.

Why don't my Shopify payouts match my sales?

Payouts include sales minus transaction fees, refunds, and chargebacks. They don't include app subscriptions, currency conversion fees, or reserve holds. Also, payouts are batched (daily/weekly), so today's sales may not appear until the next payout cycle. See our reconciliation guide for a step-by-step SOP.

My checkout works on desktop but not on Safari iOS. What's wrong?

Common causes: Apple Pay button conflicts, third-party scripts blocking payment forms, CSS z-index issues on mobile Safari. Test on real iOS devices (not simulators), check browser console for errors, and disable third-party scripts one by one. See our checkout monitoring guide for a full checklist.

I got a chargeback for 'unauthorized transaction' but the customer ordered before. What do I do?

Gather evidence: AVS match confirmation, CVV verification, IP address, device fingerprint, previous successful orders from same card, 3D Secure authentication (if used). Respond within the deadline (usually 3-5 days for Visa RDR). See our chargebacks guide for evidence templates.

My 3PL refuses to ship liquids/batteries/supplements. Why?

3PLs reject these due to leak risk, hazmat regulations, lithium-ion restrictions, FDA regulations, and customs complexity. You need proper certifications, correct labeling, and sometimes special handling. See our shipping guide for restricted products checklist.

Do I need to comply with EAA 2025? I'm a small store.

If you sell to EU customers, yes. EAA 2025 requires WCAG 2.1 Level AA compliance (alt text, keyboard navigation, screen reader compatibility, color contrast, form labels). Overlay plugins don't actually fix code and don't meet requirements. See our compliance guide for what small stores actually need.

My site is slow after adding apps. What can I do?

App bloat is real. Map your app stack, identify which apps are slow (use browser dev tools), consider consolidating (one app that does what 5 apps do), or build custom integrations. See our operations guide for store health audit checklist.

What's DDP and should I offer it?

DDP (Delivered Duty Paid) means you pay shipping, customs duties, and import taxes. Customer pays nothing. Best for high-value items, B2B, predictable markets (EU, UK). You must calculate duties upfront and include in price. See our shipping guide for DDP vs DDU breakdown.

My promo code stopped working. How do I debug it?

Check: cart total calculation errors, discount app conflicts, expired/invalid code logic, minimum order value not met. Test all active promo codes weekly, check discount app logs, verify cart calculations. Set up automated promo code testing. See our checkout guide for prevention checklist.

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