How to Protect Your Print Shop from Buyer Fraud

Running a print shop requires a constant balance between creativity, production, and financial stability. One threat that can truly disrupt your operations is buyer fraud. 

It’s a silent killer for many businesses, and unfortunately, most shop owners don’t even think about it until they’ve been hit.

Read on for a deeper look at buyer fraud, how it can affect your shop, and, most importantly, how to prevent buyer fraud. 

What is Buyer Fraud?

Buyer fraud happens when someone deliberately deceives you during a transaction. It’s a calculated attempt to get your products without paying for them.

There are two major types of buyer fraud:

1. Buyer Abuse

This happens after a legitimate transaction. The customer receives the order but then claims there’s an issue with what they received. They might say the product was defective, never arrived, or wasn’t what they expected to get a refund or avoid paying.

Example: You ship out a batch of custom hoodies, and shipping confirmation shows it delivered to the customer. Days later, the customer disputes the charge with their credit card company, claiming they never received the order even though you have proof of delivery.

2. Bad Buyer Fraud (“True Fraud”)

This is the classic fraud scenario—the customer orders using stolen credit card information or other unauthorized payment methods.

Example: You receive a 500-piece rush order for customized tote bags with multiple payment attempts. The order looks normal otherwise, but shortly after you find out the payment was made with a stolen card, and now you’re out the products AND the money.

How Buyer Fraud Hurts Your Print Shop

Whether it’s buyer abuse or bad buyer fraud, the damage can be brutal:

❌ Chargebacks & lost revenue – Disputed transactions mean you might be forced to refund payments, even if you already shipped the order.
❌ Wasted time & materials – You’ve already spent the ink, screens, and hours printing the order, only to lose everything.
❌ Increased risk for future transactions – Too many disputes and chargebacks can mark your shop as “high risk,” making payment processing harder (or more expensive) in the future.
❌ Stress & frustration – Fighting fraud takes time and energy—time you should spend growing your business.

How to Protect Your Print Shop from Buyer Fraud

Thankfully, you can usually fight fraud and protect your business with a few standard procedures for every customer order. Let’s break it down based on the type of fraud you’re dealing with.

Stopping Buyer Abuse (After the Sale)

For this scenario, solid documentation and clear policies are the best defense. 

Track shipments & require delivery confirmation

• Always use detailed tracking numbers, delivery receipts, and signature confirmation for larger orders.
• Ship only to the address listed on the payment or invoice.

Keep strong records

• Save all documents: invoices, work orders, contracts, and emails. 
• This documentation can be your best weapon if a customer disputes a payment.

Have clear refund & return policies

• Make sure customers see and acknowledge your policies before completing a purchase. 
• Keep your terms easy to understand and hard to manipulate. Spell out time limits, return windows, and what qualifies for a refund. 
• If possible, have the customer sign a document acknowledging they’d read both policies and understand. 

Be prepared

• If you’re faced with buyer abuse, these records will help you make your case to the payment processor or dispute resolution service.

Stopping Bad Buyer Fraud (Before the Sale)

Since bad buyer fraud happens before the payment even goes through, you’ll want to look for red flags early on. 

Use Address Verification (AVS) & CVV security checks

• AVS checks if the billing address matches the one on file with the card.
  • Want even more protection? You can also enable AVS matching on your account at no additional charge. If you’d like to add this optional feature to your account, contact our Support Team — we’re happy to set you up!
• CVV (the 3-digit code on the back of the card) ensures the buyer has the physical card.
  • With Printavo and InkSoft Automated Payments, collecting the CVV code is already required for every payment — giving you an extra layer of protection on every sale. 

Watch for suspicious payment behavior

• If a transaction is declined, don’t keep retrying the card, as this could be a sign of fraud.
• Multiple payment attempts with different cards from the same person are also a red flag.

Manually verify large or unusual orders

• If an order looks too good to be true, confirm it with the buyer.
• A short phone call with the buyer can help weed out a scam order. 

Train Your Team
Make fraud prevention a part of your team’s training to help spot scam orders. Encourage employees to flag anything that feels off—trust your gut.

Stay Proactive, Stay Protected

Fraud isn’t a matter of “if” it’s a matter of “when,’ especially in the era of digital commerce. But by putting these protections in place, you can dramatically reduce risk and keep your business safe.

Here’s your fraud prevention shortlist:

✅ Track every shipment & require delivery confirmation.
✅ Keep thorough transaction records.
✅ Clearly outline your refund & return policies.
✅ Enable AVS & CVV security checks.
✅ Verify suspicious or high-value orders manually.
✅ Train your team to spot fraud attempts.

Get started right away, and pick one thing you can improve on today. Maybe it’s setting up AVS & CVV checks or making your refund policy more transparent. Every step you take makes a difference.

Remember, you’re protecting more than your money—you’re protecting your team’s time, energy, and sanity.

By proactively tracking transactions, keeping clear records, and utilizing the fraud detection tools provided in Printavo and InkSoft automated payments, you can secure your shop against bad actors and protect your cash flow.