A seller wrote to us last month: 480 cartons of storage boxes left Shenzhen, and the warehouse in Ontario received 468. The forwarder says the seal was intact. The warehouse says the container arrived short. The factory says the loading photos show 480. Everyone is telling the truth, and twelve cartons are still missing.
A gap like this is almost never a mystery. It is almost always a missing document — and the documents have a deadline.
First, decide which of three things happened
- Short at loading. The container was closed with fewer cartons than the packing list says. The tell is the count at the loading bay against the packing list, plus the seal photo taken at the factory door.
- Short in transit. If the seal is intact on arrival and the container is short inside, the loss happened between sealing and delivery. This is where consolidated LCL cargo suffers most, because cartons are handled twice.
- Short at receiving. Pallet mixed, marks unclear, cartons counted twice or not at all. The warehouse's own receiving report is what settles this one.
The 48-hour window is real
Most warehouse terms say a discrepancy must be raised within 24 to 48 hours of receipt. After that the receiving report is treated as accepted and the claim is closed — politely, and in writing. So the moment cargo arrives, the clock starts, whether or not anyone at your end is awake.
Three documents, and they are all made before the vessel sails
| Situation | Who carries it | What settles it | When to raise it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Short at loading | The shipper or the loading site | Bay count against the packing list, seal photo | Before the cut-off |
| Short in transit, seal intact | Carrier, or the consolidator for LCL | Seal number on the bill, arrival photos | Within 48 hours of receipt |
| Short at receiving | Warehouse | Their discrepancy report, your carton marks | Within 24 hours, in writing |
| Damaged in the yard | Whoever held it at the time | Photos at hand-over, gate-in record | Same day |
Four things to do before the container leaves
- Scan every carton and print pallet marks. One SKU per pallet where you can — a mixed pallet is where counting errors are born.
- Send the ASN ahead with carton count, gross weight and CBM, so the warehouse books the right dock slot and the right labour.
- Photograph the seal at the factory door, and put the seal number on the bill of lading.
- For LCL, mark each carton with the house bill number and keep your lots separate. Two shippers' cartons in one pallet is a claim nobody can win.
Three sentences that do not help a claim
"The seal was intact" proves the door stayed shut, not that 480 cartons went in. "The factory says it loaded 480" is an opinion until there is a photo or a bay count. "The warehouse miscounted" needs their report to contradict, and the report is the document you are asking them to correct. Each of these is true, and none of them is evidence.
A plain note from the desk: a short receipt is settled by paper, not by argument. Count at the bay, photograph the seal, send the ASN, and open the claim in the first two days — after that the file closes itself.
If you have a shipment arriving this month, send us the packing list, the seal photo and the warehouse's receiving report on WhatsApp. We will tell you which of the three situations it is, and what to write in the claim before the window shuts.