Response < 2 hrs· Report < 24 hrs· Paid by buyers only
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DEF-047 · Quantity · Count

Short shipment

Cartons counted at the door, not the invoice. Orders arrive 5–20% short with no recourse after payment.

SeverityMAJOR
MaterialAny packed goods
Process stagePacking, tally and container stuffing
SurfacesAt devanning, once the balance has been paid.
Book the inspection that catches it All defects
Warehouse stack of brown export cartons being tally-counted, with the count chalked on the end panels.
DEF-047QUANTITY · COUNT

Why it happens

The count is taken against the supplier’s own packing list rather than against your invoice, so a document that agrees with itself passes.

On consolidated containers built by an export house from several factories, a per-container count tells you the box is full — not that everything in it is yours.

Discovered at destination, it is a credit-note negotiation with a supplier who already holds your balance payment. Found in India, it is a loading correction.

Write it into the order

How to specify against it

A defect you can name in the purchase order is a defect an inspector can fail the shipment on. One you only describe in an email is not.

  1. Require the tally to be reconciled to your commercial invoice and purchase order, not only to the packing list.
  2. Require an SKU-level count rather than a carton count, so a full container of the wrong mix cannot pass.
  3. On any consolidated load, require a per-factory tally at the door.
  4. Tie the balance payment to a passed inspection report, so the count happens while the leverage is still yours.
Where we catch it

The inspection point

Each of these is a numbered check on a published scope, so you can see exactly which visit finds this and when.

Further reading: Pre-shipment inspection or container loading supervision? · Delhi NCR risk guide — one container, several factories

Other defects in the library

Wrong or missing hardware

DEF-053 · Hardware · Kit
Flat-pack kits with mismatched fittings turn a sellable SKU into a returns problem.

Container loading damage

DEF-061 · Loading · Stacking
Poor dunnage and stacking crush the bottom tier before the ship leaves Mundra.

Unseasoned timber cracking

DEF-011 · Wood · Moisture
Sheesham shipped above 12% moisture splits when it meets central heating in the US or EU. The single largest claim category.

Catch this one before it ships.

Confirmed within 2 hours. Report within 24 hours of inspection. Paid by buyers only — never by factories.

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