Your furniture order failed its pre-shipment inspection. What next?
A failed inspection means the random sample had too many major or minor defects for your AQL, or at least one critical defect. Hold the balance payment, then choose: demand rework and re-inspect, hold the container, or release payment knowing what is inside. A re-inspection after rework re-checks the failed points in full.
Read why it failed
The decision page of the report tells you which of the three tests the lot failed. The answer decides what you can fix.
| Failed on | What it means | Usually fixable? |
|---|---|---|
| Critical defect | Something unsafe or unshippable, such as a split frame or a cabinet that tips forward. One is enough to fail the lot. | Only if the cause is found and every piece is checked |
| Major defects | Defects that affect function, saleability or durability reached the reject number for AQL 2.5 (by default). | Often: loose joints, colour drift, hardware, wet wood |
| Minor defects | Cosmetic defects reached the reject number for AQL 4.0 (by default). | Usually: touch-up, cleaning, re-packing |
Check the counts yourself with the AQL calculator and verdict checker, and see how each class is defined in the defect library.
Three options, and when each makes sense
The inspector reports; you decide. Talk it through with the inspector who walked the floor before you choose.
Demand rework, then re-inspect
When: The defects can be fixed: finish, hardware, packing, loose joints, wood that can go back in the kiln.
How: Hold the balance payment, send the factory the failed points, agree a rework date, and book a re-inspection of the failed points.
Watch for: Rework takes days. Book the original inspection 5 to 7 days before the container date so it fits.
Hold the container
When: The problem cannot be fixed in time, or the factory disputes the findings.
How: Keep the balance unpaid and the goods at the factory while you negotiate replacement, a new date or cancellation.
Watch for: A missed vessel costs time and may cost a booking. The report is your evidence in the negotiation.
Release payment anyway
When: You decide the defects are acceptable for this order, for example cosmetic minors on a clearance line.
How: Release the balance knowing exactly what is in the container. The report documents it, which is the basis for any agreed deduction.
Watch for: Once paid, your leverage is gone. Never release a lot that failed on a critical defect.
From failed report to a container you can pay for
- Read the decision page. Check which test failed: major defects at or above the reject number, minor defects at or above the reject number, or any critical defect, which fails the lot on its own.
- Hold the balance payment. Do not release the balance while the decision is open. That is the leverage that gets rework done.
- Choose rework, hold or release. Talk it through with the inspector who walked the floor. Rework suits fixable defects; hold suits disputes or defects that cannot be fixed in time.
- Share the failed points with the factory. Findings go only to you. Tell us to share the defect details with the factory if you want them used for rework.
- Book the re-inspection. After rework, a re-inspection re-checks the failed points in full. Qualis charges $149 per visit, within 48 hours in Jodhpur or Jaipur.
- Supervise the loading. A passed re-inspection still has to reach the container intact. Container loading supervision counts the cartons in and photographs the seal.
Re-inspection prices are on the pricing page. For the last step, see container loading supervision.
Make the next failure cheaper
- Write this clause into the purchase order: "Balance payable against passed pre-shipment inspection report."
- Agree in writing who pays for a re-inspection if the lot fails.
- Book a during-production inspection at 20 to 50% complete, while rework costs hours instead of containers.
- Put the AQL, moisture limit and golden sample in the PO. The free furniture inspection checklist lists what to specify.
Failed inspection questions
What does it mean when a pre-shipment inspection fails?
The random sample contained more major or minor defects than the reject number for your lot size and AQL, or it contained a critical defect. A failed result describes the lot, not just the sampled pieces: the sample was drawn to stand for the whole order.
Does a failed inspection stop the container from shipping?
The inspector has no power to stop a shipment. Your payment terms do: if the balance is payable against a passed pre-shipment inspection report, the factory has a reason to fix the goods before they ship.
How much does a re-inspection cost?
At Qualis a re-inspection after rework is $149 per visit. The failed points are re-checked in full, within 48 hours in Jodhpur or Jaipur.
Who pays for the re-inspection?
You book it, so the fee is invoiced to you. Whether the factory reimburses it is a commercial term between you and the factory, so write it into the purchase order before production.
Does the factory see the inspection report?
Not unless you instruct it. Findings, photographs and results go only to the buyer; factories receive defect details only if you tell us to share them for rework.
What if the order fails again?
The same three options apply. A second failure usually means the rework was partial or the problem is in the process, not the pieces, so ask what the factory changed before you book another visit.
Already shipped and arrived with defects? Read what to do when a supplier ships defective furniture.
Book a re-inspection
Tell us the order, the failed points and the rework date. Failed points are re-checked in full, $149 per visit.
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