Dropshipping Store Reputation: Managing Orders, Complaints, and Reviews

To manage your dropshipping store’s reputation, start by checking what you promise customers: who sells the product, whether its availability has been confirmed, when the supplier will hand the parcel to the carrier, and how the store will resolve any problems. Assign each inquiry to a responsible employee, with a next action and a time for the next update. Customers should understand what is happening with their order and whom to contact.

When you receive a complaint, acknowledge it through the channel the customer used. Reply briefly in public to a public complaint, then verify order details privately. Identify the appropriate solution and carry it out. Confirm a refund with evidence of the payment transaction, and confirm that an inquiry is resolved only after checking the outcome. If the store is the seller under the contract with the customer, the store remains responsible to that customer for fulfilling the seller’s obligations. Having the supplier dispatch the product does not end those obligations.

Show customers who sells the product and on what terms

These recommendations apply to sales by a Ukrainian store to consumers in Ukraine. For these relationships, apply the Law of Ukraine “On Consumer Protection” No. 1023-XII. The entry into force of Law No. 3153-IX is linked to the termination or lifting of martial law; its future rules should not be used as the current basis for responding to a customer. The entry-into-force condition is set out in the official record for Law No. 3153-IX.

Check the “Contacts,” “Payment and Delivery,” and “Returns” pages, as well as the order checkout. The store name should be linked to a specific seller. Under Article 7 of the Law of Ukraine “On Electronic Commerce”, customers must have direct, simple, and stable access to the full legal name of a legal entity or the surname, first name, and patronymic of an individual entrepreneur; the legal entity’s registered address or the individual entrepreneur’s registered address and actual place of residence; and an email address and/or the online store’s address.

Also publish the legal entity’s identification code or the entrepreneur’s taxpayer registration card number. For an entrepreneur who has refused that number for religious reasons, officially notified the tax authority, and has the corresponding mark in their passport, the law provides for the passport series and number instead. If the activity requires a license, provide information about it as well. Separately explain whether taxes are included in the price and state the delivery cost.

Before concluding a distance contract, provide the product’s main characteristics, the price including delivery, payment and delivery terms, warranty obligations and any other product maintenance or repair services, the procedure for handling claims and terminating the contract, and the period during which offers are accepted. If the contract provides for recurring deliveries, state its minimum duration. If the cost of electronic communications services differs from the capped tariff, disclose that cost too. Confirm the information in writing or electronically; the seller cannot unilaterally change the confirmed terms. These are requirements under parts 2–3 of Article 13 of Law No. 1023-XII.

As a practical step, send customers a confirmation that names the seller and lists the order contents, characteristics of the selected option, total price, and agreed terms. Keep a copy of the message: it can help establish which size, color, or dispatch date the parties agreed on. Under Article 11 of the Law “On Electronic Commerce,” the seller must promptly confirm receipt of an electronic order.

The customer must also receive documentary confirmation of the transaction when it is concluded or the product is delivered. Include the terms and procedure for exchanging and returning the product; the seller’s name and address; the procedure for handling claims; warranty obligations; and details of product maintenance or repair services. If the contract has no specified term, also state how to terminate it.

Check the product and supplier’s stock before making promises

Before starting to work with a supplier, place a test order to check the process yourself. Compare the product received with its description, and check its contents, packaging, labeling, and documents. Record how long the supplier took to confirm availability and when the parcel was actually handed to the carrier. One test can reveal specific process issues, but it does not confirm the quality of all future shipments.

Agree on a workflow with the supplier that your manager can verify:

• Who confirms the stock of a specific item, size, and color, and how long the unit is reserved.
• When the supplier updates stock and how they report discrepancies.
• What dispatch time they can confirm for a specific order.
• Who checks the order contents before packing and what evidence of an error can be provided.
• Who accepts returns, inspects the product, and reports the inspection result to the store.
• Whom the manager should contact if the primary contact is unavailable.

For products with unconfirmed stock, use a clear status such as “Availability being checked” and explain how it will be confirmed. Save the time of the latest check, the supplier’s response, and the reservation period. If the reservation expires before the customer confirms the order, check stock again.

Describe only confirmed product features. If you are still checking the material, compatibility, or included items, first get an answer or document from the supplier. Under Article 15 of Law No. 1023-XII, consumers must receive necessary, accessible, reliable, and timely information before purchase. A seller is not released from liability because the manufacturer or importer did not provide the relevant information.

Set up order status notifications

Decide which events should prompt the store to contact the customer: order receipt, availability confirmation, a change to the agreed timeline, actual handover to the carrier, a delivery problem, and completion of a return. Each message should state the verified status, the store’s next action, and when the next update will arrive if the issue is still open.

Distinguish between creating a shipping label and the carrier actually accepting the parcel. Report “Handed to carrier” only after acceptance is confirmed. When giving a delivery estimate, state whose information it is based on. If the supplier misses the agreed dispatch time, the manager should check the reason and tell the customer about the new circumstances and available options.

Under part 6 of Article 13 of Law No. 1023-XII, unless the contract states otherwise, the product must be delivered within a reasonable time, and no later than thirty days after the consumer agrees to conclude the contract. If the contract cannot be fulfilled because the product is unavailable, the seller must notify the consumer immediately and no later than that thirty-day period. In practice, notify customers as soon as the unavailability is confirmed: waiting until the deadline leaves them less time to decide.

If the requested product is unavailable, offer to agree on an alternative with the customer or arrange cancellation of the order and a refund in accordance with their rights. The law permits a standard contractual term for replacing an unavailable product only under specified conditions: the customer was informed of the term before the contract was concluded; the replacement meets the intended purpose, is of the same or better quality, and costs no more. For day-to-day operations, it is advisable to obtain the customer’s separate consent to a specific replacement and keep a record of it.

Keep one inquiry log with owners and dates

Collect inquiries from the website, email, messaging apps, and review platforms in one log. If a customer describes the same problem in several channels, link the messages to one case. This lets employees see previous agreements and prevents a single complaint from being counted multiple times in your statistics.

A recommended division of work: the manager communicates with the customer, a purchasing employee checks the circumstances with the supplier, an authorized person approves the solution, and the accountant or another responsible employee processes the refund. In a small store, the owner may perform these functions. In every case, record who is responsible for the current action.

Set your own response times based on working hours and team capacity. For example, the store might plan to check a dispatch by the end of the business day and update the customer again the following morning. This is an internal workflow. Applicable legal deadlines and agreed contract terms must be met regardless of this schedule. If the supplier is slow to respond, tell the customer by the promised time what has been checked, what is still missing, and when the next update will arrive.

Limit personal data and access to it

For an initial check, an order number and a message from the contact account, email address, or phone number used for the purchase are usually enough. Request additional information only when it is needed for a specific action. Under part 4 of Article 7 of the Law “On Electronic Commerce,” a seller may request only information necessary to conclude and perform an electronic contract.

Define the log’s purpose as handling inquiries and fulfilling obligations. Processing necessary data may be based on performing a transaction or a legal obligation. Requirements that data be relevant to its purpose, not excessive, and retained only as long as necessary are set out in Articles 6 and 11 of the Law of Ukraine “On Personal Data Protection”.

As a practical safeguard, grant access only to employees who need it for their tasks. Give the supplier only the information needed to investigate; a photo of the incorrect product can often be shared without the customer’s contact details. Remove phone numbers, addresses, payment details, shipping-label numbers, and document images from public replies. The disclosure of personal data is regulated by Article 14 of that Law. Once a case is resolved, retain the data for the period necessary for the lawful purpose and related obligations, and review whether continued storage is needed.

Take each inquiry from the first reply to a verified outcome

1. Acknowledge receipt of the inquiry. Reply through the channel the customer used. If the complaint is public, briefly name the reported problem without sharing personal data and explain how the store will check it. If the facts are already established, acknowledge the specific mistake. If the investigation is ongoing, say so clearly.
2. Check the order privately. Compare the customer’s details with your records, the ordered product with the one received, and the promised date with the parcel’s actual progress. Save the evidence and the consumer’s request.
3. Identify the legal basis and offer an appropriate solution. Consider the nature of the problem, the customer’s request, the contract, and applicable rights. You may offer an additional service or discount voluntarily; a valid customer request must be fulfilled through the required process.
4. Carry out the agreed actions. Arrange delivery of the correct product, accept a return, or make a payment. Record an owner and deadline for each action.
5. Verify the outcome. Obtain confirmation of delivery or refund and ask the customer whether any issues remain.
6. Close the case with a record of the basis. Record the solution, evidence, and customer response. If the customer has not replied, note “Completion documented; customer response pending” and leave a way to reopen the inquiry.

When money must be refunded, separate approval of the amount, creation of the payment instruction, and confirmation that the payment was completed. Tell the customer the actual status. If there is a delay, check the transaction with the payment service provider and set a date for the next update. A discount on a future purchase is appropriate only as a voluntary extra offer that the customer can freely decline.

Choose the return procedure based on the reason for the inquiry

For withdrawal from a distance contract, Article 13 of Law No. 1023-XII gives consumers the right to terminate the contract by notifying the seller within fourteen days of confirmation of the information or receipt of the product or its first delivery. To determine the deadline for a particular inquiry, record the relevant dates. For tangible goods, returning the product also indicates termination of the contract.

If confirmation of the information does not meet the requirements of part 3 of Article 13, the period for terminating the contract is ninety days from receipt of that information, or, for tangible goods, from receipt of the product or its first delivery. If the seller corrects the confirmation during that period, the consumer has fourteen days from receiving the corrected confirmation.

For your product range, check the applicable exceptions in part 5 of Article 13. The law sets conditions for, among other things, products made or processed to the consumer’s specifications that cannot be sold to others or can be sold only at a substantial financial loss; opened sealed audio or video tapes or software media; delivery of periodicals; and products priced according to financial market quotations. The contract may provide otherwise. Buying an ordinary product from a supplier for a specific order does not, by itself, establish that the product was made to individual specifications.

Parts 5–9 of Article 12 apply to distance contracts. They include, in particular, rules on notification of the return location, assigning return costs to the seller, and preserving the product. Part 6 also sets out the consequences of not providing documents: if the seller did not provide a document certifying the transaction, the transaction creates no obligations for the consumer. If a document or confirmation of the information was not provided, the consumer notifies the seller that the contract is invalid.

The seller must, within thirty days of receiving that notice, refund the money and reimburse the consumer’s costs of returning the product. Record the date the notice was received to meet this requirement on time. To terminate the contract, the consumer must keep the product received in unchanged condition. However, a reduction in value from opening the package, inspecting, or checking the product does not deprive the consumer of this right.

Destruction, damage, or deterioration of the product through no fault of the consumer also does not deprive them of the right to terminate the contract. Check the cause and condition of the product before deciding on a specific inquiry. Under part 5 of Article 12, the consumer’s obligation to preserve the product ends sixty days after receipt. If the seller has not taken steps to retrieve it during this period, the product becomes the consumer’s property at no cost.

Under part 9 of Article 12, late refunds incur a penalty of one percent of the product’s value for each day of delay. Record the date the customer received the product and the store’s retrieval actions in the inquiry log.

Product defects are covered by Article 8 of Law No. 1023-XII. For defects found during the warranty period, consumers may request a proportionate price reduction, free repair within a reasonable time, or reimbursement of the costs of repairing the defect. For substantial defects caused by the manufacturer, seller, or service provider, or for counterfeiting, the law provides a choice between terminating the contract and receiving a refund, or replacing the product; expert confirmation may be required.

Before deciding whether a defect is substantial, check all the conditions in point 12 of Article 1 of the Law. The defect must make the product impossible or impermissible to use for its intended purpose, arise through the fault of the manufacturer, seller, or service provider, and recur after repair for reasons beyond the consumer’s control. Alongside all these conditions, it must have at least one of three additional characteristics: it cannot be repaired at all; repair requires more than fourteen calendar days; or it makes the product substantially different from what the contract provides.

Claims are considered after the consumer presents the payment documents required by law and, for products under warranty, the relevant warranty documents.

If the contract is terminated under this Article, the money must be refunded on the day of termination or, if that is not possible, within a period agreed by the parties and no later than seven days. If the product’s price has increased, calculate the refund based on its value when the claim is made; if it has decreased, use its value at the time of purchase.

If replacement is chosen and the product is available, fulfill the request immediately; if a quality check is needed, do so within fourteen days or by a deadline agreed by the parties. If the product is unavailable, replacement must be made within two months of submission of the relevant request. If replacement cannot be completed within that period, the consumer may choose another remedy provided by law.

When replacing a product with one of the same brand, model, item number, and modification, do not account for price changes. When replacing it with a product of a different brand, model, item number, or modification, calculate the value of the defective product for the adjustment using its price at the time of exchange if the price increased, or its price at the time of purchase if it decreased.

When the consumer requests free repair, the defects must be repaired within fourteen days of presentation of the product or within another period agreed by the parties. At the consumer’s written request, provide an equivalent product for the repair period, including delivery, if it belongs to the list of exchange-fund products established by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine. Under part 9 of Article 8, the consumer must be paid a penalty of one percent of the product’s value for each day of delay in fulfilling the written request for such a product during repair and for each day repair is overdue.

For repair, track fourteen days from presentation of the product or the other period actually agreed by the parties. In the log, separately record the repair request date, the date the product was presented, and the repair deadline. If the parties agree on another period, retain evidence of their agreement and record that specific period. Also keep the written request for a product during repair, its receipt date, and the date the product was actually provided so that any delay in either obligation can be checked.

The seller must accept a product of inadequate quality. The seller, manufacturer, or enterprise handling the claim must pay to transport an oversized product or a product weighing more than five kilograms for the claim and to return it to the consumer. Any refusal based on the customer’s failure to follow usage or storage rules must be supported by evidence showing that this caused the defect. The customer has the right to take part in the quality inspection in person or through a representative.

How to reply publicly: three examples for common situations

The scenarios and replies below are hypothetical. Before publishing, adapt them to verified facts, working hours, and actions the store can actually take. Publish follow-up messages only after the relevant check or action is complete.

The parcel is late

Situation: The store confirmed dispatch, but the carrier has not accepted the parcel and the agreed timeline has passed.

First public reply: “We’re sorry about the delay. We checked your inquiry: the agreed deadline for handing the parcel to the carrier has passed, and we do not yet have confirmation that it was accepted. The store manager is checking the dispatch status. Please send your order number in a private message to our official profile. Today by 4:00 p.m., we’ll share the result of the check and the options available for next steps.”

What to do privately: Check the order, ask the supplier when the product will actually be ready, and check the carrier’s tracking events. If the dispatch time is still uncertain, tell the customer directly and discuss their decision on whether to proceed or cancel the order. Record the person responsible and the deadline for carrying out the decision in the log.

Message after the check: “We contacted the customer and agreed on the next steps. The manager is overseeing them and providing updates in private messages.” After completion is verified, you can add: “The agreed solution has been carried out, and confirmation has been provided to the customer.”

The customer received the wrong product

Situation: A review describes a mismatch in model or included items; the store is still checking the shipment.

First public reply: “We’re sorry for the inconvenience with the product you received. We’ll check whether the shipment matches your order. Please send your order number and photos of the product and its contents in a private message; you can cover any personal data in the photos. The store manager will share the result of the check today by 5:00 p.m. or let you know what other information is needed to decide what to do.”

What to do privately: Compare the ordered item number and included items with the shipment photos and documents. Once the error is confirmed, acknowledge it, record the customer’s request, and offer an appropriate remedy. If the parties agree that the correct product will be sent, provide a clear exchange procedure, address, agreed timelines, and shipping payment terms. If payment should be refunded, process and confirm the payment separately.

Message after the error is confirmed: “Our check confirmed that the shipment did not match the order. We apologized to the customer and agreed on a solution. The store manager is overseeing its completion.” Close the inquiry only after verifying the actual outcome.

An accusation has been made, but the order has not been found

Situation: The author reports a problem, but the information available publicly is not enough to identify the purchase.

First public reply: “We’re ready to check the situation you described. We haven’t been able to identify the order from the information in the review. Please send the order number or purchase date in a private message to our official profile, and contact us from the account or number used to place the order. After receiving those details, the manager will check our records and tell you the next steps by the end of the next business day.”

What to do privately: Check different sales channels, possible order number errors, and inquiries from the recipient rather than the person who placed the order. If there is no match, record what information was checked and what is still missing. You can post publicly: “We still need more information to identify the order. We’ve requested clarification and will continue the check once we receive a reply.”

Not finding an order in the first search leaves the matter open. A claim that a review is fake requires evidence. Keep a neutral tone and leave a way to resume the investigation if new information arrives.

Moderate reviews based on evidence and platform rules

Assign an employee to check reviews on the website, the store’s profiles, and platforms where the store is actually present at set times during business hours. Create or find a log entry for each substantive complaint. A sharp tone does not, by itself, disprove the problem described: first verify the purchase and service facts.

For a spam or fake engagement complaint, save the link, a screenshot of the post, the date, and the specific sign of a violation. Submit a report through the platform’s mechanism and cite the relevant rule. For example, the Google Maps policies prohibit reviews without genuine experience, paid or incentivized reviews, manipulation through multiple accounts, and certain posts involving a conflict of interest. Apply these rules to Google Maps; check another service’s own terms for that service.

Keep substantiated criticism and respond to its substance. Removing all negative posts deprives the store of information about recurring problems. If a post contains personal data or otherwise violates the platform’s rules, use the appropriate moderation process and handle the substantive complaint separately.

Invite honest reviews after the purchase is complete

Use the same invitation criteria for all customers who meet the platform’s requirements, such as confirmed delivery or completion of a complaint resolution. Include customers with different experiences. Use neutral wording: “Please tell us about your purchase experience: what was convenient and what we could improve. Leaving a review is optional.”

Google Maps policies allow you to request a review of a genuine experience without offering a reward or influencing the rating or content. They prohibit selectively requesting positive reviews and offering payment, discounts, products, or services in exchange for a review, its revision, or its removal. Therefore, process refunds regardless of the customer’s review and leave them free to choose their rating. Employees and other associated people must also follow the rules on conflicts of interest.

Separate order status updates from marketing messages. For necessary operational messages, use an appropriate basis for processing data, including performance of the contract. For marketing messages, obtain separate, voluntary consent that identifies the channel and message content, keep evidence of that consent, and provide a simple way to opt out. This is a recommended approach to marketing messages in light of Articles 6 and 11 of the Law “On Personal Data Protection,” which set requirements for the purpose and basis of data processing. If a review invitation includes a promotion or an offer for a new purchase, account for its marketing content.

Measure investigation time, recurring problems, and outcomes

Start with three metrics. For each, record the period, which inquiries are included, and the calculation method. Compare your own results under consistent conditions; set targets according to the store’s capacity and the nature of the inquiries.

• Time to the first substantive reply. Count the time from when the inquiry arrives to a reply that includes a verified fact or specific action, the person responsible, and a deadline for the next update. Track automated acknowledgments separately. In the report, state the number of inquiries and whether you measure calendar or business time. Show unanswered inquiries separately, along with how long they have been waiting.
• Recurrence of a specific problem. Divide the number of orders with a confirmed problem, such as incorrect items in the parcel, by the number of orders in the relevant group. For a supplier, compare their orders with problems against their completed orders over a comparable period. You can also count repeat inquiries about the same problem after a solution was reported.
• Share of inquiries with a confirmed resolution. Select a group of inquiries by date received and, on the review date, divide the number resolved by the total in that group. Show unresolved cases separately, including how long they have been open and any cases where documents confirm completion but the customer has not replied.

Illustrative numerical example. A supplier fulfilled 200 orders in a month; incorrect order contents were confirmed in 6 of them. The rate is 6 ÷ 200 × 100% = 3%. In a separate report, the store analyzes 20 inquiries received during a selected week: fourteen days later, 15 have a confirmed resolution. The rate as of that date is 15 ÷ 20 × 100% = 75%; the other 5 cases should be shown separately. These figures illustrate the calculation and do not set performance standards for a store.

Account for the time between a sale, delivery, and a complaint. Recent orders may not yet have a final outcome, so review the same group again after delivery and inquiry handling are complete. If the same cause recurs, assign a specific change: an extra item number check before packing, a fresh stock reservation, or a clearer product description. After the change, review the next comparable group of orders.

Torgsoft: checking contacts and return documents

In Torgsoft, the “Налаштування → Контрагент” (“Settings → Counterparty”) form lets you store a counterparty’s name, phone number, email address, and delivery settings. Use the customer’s and supplier’s relevant contact details to check the facts of an inquiry. The “Документ → Повернення” (“Document → Return”) form supports recording a return using the barcode of a receipt generated by Torgsoft or by selecting the relevant sale, including a partial product quantity. These records help you verify the product and sales document; the inquiry log should separately track the owner, deadlines, and outcome of communications.

Compare a return record and the recording of a refund in the program with whether the payment transaction actually took place. A bank refund requires payment confirmation. The “Максимальний термін повернення” (“Maximum return period”) setting affects how the program works; the customer’s rights are determined by applicable law. If a software limit prevents you from recording a valid claim, check the settings. When selecting a product from the list of sales, the program shows purchases from the current accounting center by default, for the maximum return period; for a selected customer, it shows only that customer’s purchases.

If the relevant sale is missing, check the period, selected customer, and “Центр обліку” (“Accounting center”) filter. Use these forms for contact details and checking sales and return documents. Assign an employee to check social media reviews, and use a separate log to record owners, deadlines, and outcomes for complaint handling.