Solutions · reviewed 8 October 2026

Phantom returns: evidence that wins the claim

A phantom return is a return that is not your product: an empty box, a brick, a used item, or a different SKU. The marketplace refunds the buyer from your settlement and the claim window starts running. You win it with evidence that exists before the parcel left you, not with an argument afterwards.

How Returns Shield works

• A signed QR goes on every parcel at pack-out. The signature is per workspace, so a code from another seller's parcel, or a forged one, does not verify.
• When a return arrives, scanning the QR proves it is the parcel you sent. A return without it, or with a code signed for another workspace, is flagged as a phantom return.
• The claim is drafted with the pack-out video and the scan record as evidence, in the form the marketplace's own claim process expects: Amazon SAFE-T, Flipkart SPF.
• Claim windows are stored per channel and editable, because marketplaces change them; the Recovery ledger orders the work by deadline.

Returns reach the ledger on their own

Returns raised on a marketplace are imported into the Returns ledger on each channel poll, windowed by when the return was raised. Each case carries the marketplace's reason, the order, and any pack-out evidence recorded before dispatch. Nothing has to be opened by hand to be tracked.

What is still being built

The dispute flow for a contested phantom claim and courier scorecards are on the public roadmap, without dates. What exists today is the evidence, the flag and the drafted claim.

Questions

Do I need special hardware?

A label printer for the QR and a phone camera or barcode scanner for the scan. The pack-out video is optional and is the strongest evidence.

Does the QR change my marketplace label?

No. It is an additional label inside or on the parcel; the marketplace's shipping label is untouched.

What if the buyer removes the QR?

A return without a verifiable QR is flagged, and the claim says the parcel was dispatched with a signed code and the scan record shows none. That is the evidence the marketplace asks for.

How many days do I have to claim SPF on Flipkart?

Fourteen days from the day you receive the returned product, and seven days to dispute a rejection, per Flipkart's own FAQ. A return that never arrives is a different claim, raised after 60 days and within 120 of the return being created.

What is the SAFE-T claim window on Amazon?

Amazon cut it from 60 to 30 days on its US store from 16 February 2026, counted from the later of return receipt and refund; Amazon.in's policy page states the window for Indian sellers. Build the process for 30 days and both are met.

Where to go next