Receiving a container from China against the packing list

A container from China can be unloaded in a few hours, but the argument about what was inside can last for months. The supplier says everything was loaded, the carrier says the seal was intact, the warehouse says 40 cartons are missing, and the local accountant has already booked the whole shipment from the invoice. Receiving goods against the packing list, calmly and with records, is what turns an argument into a claim that can actually be settled.

Before the truck arrives

• Get the full set of papers in advance: packing list, commercial invoice, transport document and your purchase order. Check that carton counts and item codes agree across them. If the invoice says 1,200 cartons and the packing list says 1,180, you want to know before the truck arrives.
• Prepare the space. You need a staging area big enough to lay cartons out by item, pallets, a scale, and a camera or phone that stamps the date. Work in pairs, one person counting and one recording.
• Decide who is allowed to sign for the goods, and what they may and may not write on the delivery paperwork.

At the door: seal and outside condition

1. Before opening, photograph the container or truck number, the seal and the doors. Compare the seal number with the transport documents.
2. Note the date, time, driver and vehicle plate.
3. Once the doors open, photograph the cargo as found: stacking, water marks, tilting.
4. Unload in the reverse order of loading where you can, and keep cartons with the same shipping mark together.

If the seal is broken or missing, or the doors show signs of being opened, write it on the carrier's paperwork before you sign. A complaint made later carries less weight than photographs and the driver's acknowledgement made at the time.

Count against the packing list

Count in two layers. The first is the outer count: cartons per shipping mark or batch. The second is inside the cartons:

• Outer count: does the number of cartons per mark match the packing list?
• Inner count: for uniform goods, open a share of the cartons; for valuable or mixed goods, open every carton.
• Weight: compare gross weight per carton or pallet with the packing list. A large gap usually means missing contents.
• Condition: crushed corners, water marks, damaged inner packing.

An invented example: the packing list says 1,200 cartons of LED panels, 20 panels each, 24,000 panels in total. You count 1,192 cartons, and 5 of them are crushed with 14 panels broken. You open 120 cartons, about 10 percent, and each holds 20. The result: 8 cartons short, which is 160 panels, plus 14 damaged. Record the quantity, because "short" alone is not enough to claim on.

What the usual differences tell you

• Fewer cartons, while another shipping mark in the same lot has extra: goods were probably mixed at loading. Check the marks before you decide anything is lost.
• Carton count right, weight low: contents are missing, or a different specification was packed.
• Fewer pieces in each carton than the list says: probably a packing error at origin. Open more cartons to confirm it is not a one-off.
• Surplus goods: do not book or use them. Report them as they are, because they may belong to another buyer, or the packing list itself may be wrong.
• Model different from the list: write down the code on the list and the code on the goods, and photograph the nameplate.

Record differences, then book and claim

Keep a simple difference sheet: item, packing-list quantity, quantity received, difference, nature of the problem (short, damaged, wrong item, surplus) and photo numbers. Ask the driver or a carrier representative to sign it too. When a full count takes longer than the unloading window, write "received subject to count" on the receipt. Keep damaged goods apart so they are not mixed with good stock.

Booking and claiming come next. Book what physically arrived, not the invoice quantity. If the local accountant has already booked the invoice, how the shortage appears in the books is a decision for your finance team. The warehouse's part is to keep "received" and "to be claimed" apart, in storage and in records. Check the purchase contract for the period in which shortages and damage must be reported, and send the notice with your evidence inside it.

In short

UzWarehouse's inbound checks compare cartons and goods with the packing list, invoice and receipt note, and record damage, shortages and mix-ups on the spot, so claims against suppliers or carriers rest on evidence.