I bought a ticket for an event in January 2020 for April 2020...as you can guess, the event was delayed. It ended up being delayed for over two years. The merchant refused to refund the charge, and a chargeback was my only recourse. Was that first party fraud? I really don't think so, I bought something that wasn't delivered, seems pretty simple to me.

This likely depends heavily on the terms & conditions of the ticket issuer at the time of purchase.

It's not obvious to me that your credit card processor should be forced into dispute resolution in lieu of small claims courts... but if they are being asked to serve that function, then it's reasonable to request evidence from the merchant before rendering a decision based on your accusation.

No.

The goods were not delivered and the vendor kept their money anyway. How is this okay?

Ticket vendors usually have crappy terms of service. Why did you agree to it?

As the previous comment said, this belongs in small claims court, not chargebacks.

Because it's either that or never get to see cool things? This doesn't justify ripping off individuals who made the purchase in good faith.

You may very well be right: maybe they're ripping you off and maybe the ToS are unenforceable.

What I'm saying: adjucating these situations is the purview of a justice system (ie courts). If you were ripped off, you can always go after the party that caused damages (ticket issuer). If you want a "short cut" to "justice" provided by a credit card processor, well then they get to decide when & how -- and I don't think it's unreasonable for them to collect "evidence" from both parties to make more-informed decisions. And again, if you dislike their rulings you always have small claims court at your disposal.

It's not justified. But every time we click past terms of service, we know we're agreeing to a small chance of getting screwed.