- Short answer
- Yes: not-received claims filed via PayPal and unauthorized claims, each needing delivery proof and an Eligible rating. Not-as-described isn't covered.
- Unauthorized claims
- Needs proof of delivery and PayPal's eligibility mark on the payment's Transaction Details.
- Item Not Received
- Needs proof of delivery and an Eligible rating; claims filed directly with the buyer's card issuer aren't covered.
- Download log
- Digital Products logs each download's date, IP, browser and OS; no Shopify page we read calls it PayPal evidence.
- Share links
- Not tied to a specific customer or order.
- Not as described
- Not covered for any item, digital included.
Which PayPal claims cover a digital product?
Two claim types: Shopify's Seller Protection page names Unauthorized transaction and Item Not Received.
PayPal's US policy exempts items "subject to the Intangible Goods Additional Requirements" from its physical-good rule. For Unauthorized transaction claims, PayPal's basic rules demand the eligibility mark, whatever the first Intangible Goods requirement allows:
In the case of Unauthorized Transaction claims, PayPal has marked the intangible good transaction as "eligible" in the Transaction Details page or otherwise provided notice to you of eligibility in writing.
PayPal's second Intangible Goods requirement names no claim type: you must have "Delivered the item and provide Proof of shipment or delivery for Intangible Goods." Shopify's Seller Protection page lists proof of delivery and an Eligible rating under both claim types. Check where the order's Eligible or Ineligible rating appears.
What counts as proof of delivery for a download?
PayPal wants "compelling evidence", such as "a system of record showing the date the item was sent" and that it was sent to the recipient's address "(email, IP, etc.)" or was "Received or accessed by the recipient."
The Digital Products app's order history lists, for each download or link open, "the date, the customer's IP address, the referrer, and the user agent, which identifies the customer's browser and operating system." Share links "aren't tied to a specific customer or order".
None of the Shopify pages we read on October 9, 2026 (Seller Protection, Digital Products, and the US and France PayPal Wallet pages) describes that download log as evidence for a PayPal dispute. PayPal's US, UK, Australian, Canadian and German policies, read the same day, name no browser or operating system as delivery evidence.
For PayPal Wallet orders in the US and France, see who owns the dispute case.
What stays uncovered on a digital sale?
PayPal's ineligible items and transactions include these:
- Not as described: the buyer says "the item you sent isn't what was ordered".
- Item Not Received at the card issuer: claims "filed by your buyer directly with their card issuer."
- Guest Checkout and card payments: payments "not processed through a buyer's PayPal account" if your PayPal account is registered in a country PayPal lists, France among them.
- Cash equivalents: "stored value items such as gift cards".
- NFTs: split at US$10,000 in the US policy (whether an NFT sale is covered).
Not-as-described risk sits with your refund policy for digital products.
This page was written by AI. Separate AI agents that did not write it check its figures and claims against official sources and test its links and interactive tools. A human editor sets the site's editorial direction, topics and rules and checks that pages are complete and display correctly, but does not check their facts or edit their text. Details may change — always confirm critical data at shopify.com.
Editorial Policy