Receiving a container of towels from India — what to check on arrival and how to raise a problem
In short. What to check when a container of towels arrives, who is responsible for transit damage and who for quality, and how to raise a problem in time.
When a container of towels arrives, the checks that matter happen in the first hours, before the cartons go into a warehouse and before anyone signs for them. The reason is that two different parties can be responsible for a problem, they have very different deadlines, and the evidence you collect at the door is what decides whether a claim succeeds. This guide sets out what to check, in what order, and who to tell.
It describes a typical sea shipment on FOB terms. It is practical guidance, not legal advice: your sales contract, your bill of lading and your insurance policy decide the details.
First, who is responsible for what
Under FOB the seller's responsibility ends, and the risk passes to the buyer, once the goods are loaded on the vessel at the port of shipment. So the two kinds of problem go to different places:
- Damage or loss in transit (crushed or wet cartons, a broken seal, missing cartons) is a matter between you, the carrier and your cargo insurer. It is not a quality claim against the mill.
- The goods are not what was agreed (wrong size, colour or weight against the approved sample, wrong quantity packed, wrong labels) is a claim against the supplier, under your contract and against the approved sample.
Sorting a problem into the right box on day one is most of the work. Our guide on what FOB means explains where the supplier's responsibility stops.
Step 1: Before the container is opened
- Check that the container number and seal number match the bill of lading and the packing list.
- Check the seal is intact. A broken or different seal is recorded before anything else happens.
- Look at the container: water marks, holes or visible damage to the walls or floor.
- Photograph all of it, with the numbers visible.
Step 2: While it is unloaded
- Count the cartons and compare with the packing list. Do not sign for a number you have not counted.
- Note visible damage on the delivery receipt before you sign. A clean signature is evidence that the goods arrived in good order.
- Set aside any carton that is crushed, wet, stained or smells of damp. Photograph it in place, then keep it.
Step 3: Inspect a sample against the approved reference
Opening a few cartons is not an inspection. Take the cartons from different places in the load, front and back, top and bottom, rather than the easiest to reach, and check what is inside against the approved sample and the specification:
- the quantity in each carton against the packing list
- size and weight, using the measuring method agreed for the order
- colour, against the physical lab dip you approved; our guide on lab dips explains why a screen is not a reference
- labels, packaging and barcodes, against the packaging brief
- construction, border and finish, against the sample
A standard way to decide how many pieces to check is the sampling table in ISO 2859-1, which gives a sample size for a lot size, and an acceptance number for the quality level (the AQL) that you have agreed. For a lot of 12,000 pieces at General Inspection Level II, for example, the table gives a sample of 315 pieces. The AQL is a figure agreed in the contract, not something this guide can set for you. Our guide to reading a pre-shipment sample covers the earlier check that this arrival inspection should confirm.
Step 4: Write it down the same day
Raise any problem in writing, quickly, to the right party. Ocean carriers' liability is usually governed by international rules under which notice of loss or damage is due at the time the goods are removed, or within three days if the damage is not apparent, and a court claim against the carrier generally has to be brought within one year of delivery. Your bill of lading and the law that applies to it set the actual terms, and your insurance policy has its own notice period, so check both on the day the container arrives.
Which problem goes where
| What you find | Likely route | First action |
|---|---|---|
| Broken or different seal, missing cartons | Carrier and insurer | Note it on the receipt, photograph, notify in writing |
| Crushed or wet cartons | Carrier and insurer | Keep the cartons, photograph, notify in writing |
| Quantity different from the packing list, goods intact | Supplier first | Count again, then send the supplier your count |
| Colour, size or weight not as the approved sample | Supplier | Measure against the sample, keep the evidence, notify |
| Wrong labels or packaging | Supplier | Photograph, compare with the packaging brief |
| Odour, mould, staining | Work out the cause first | Keep the goods, get an independent report if the value justifies it |
What to send the supplier if the goods are not as agreed
- the order or contract reference, the invoice and the packing list
- photographs that show the carton label and the defect together
- your count and your measurements, with how you took them
- the approved sample, or a photograph of it, compared with what arrived
- what you are asking for: a replacement, a credit or a rework
Keep every carton and every piece involved until the claim is settled. Washing, relabelling or disposing of goods before the supplier has seen the evidence weakens the claim.
What this guide does not cover
It does not give legal advice or the rules of your country or your insurer. It does not cover import customs clearance or an inspection by customs, and it does not replace the claims terms in your own contract.
What to ask a supplier
- How are quality claims handled, and what evidence do you need?
- Within what time after arrival must a claim be notified?
- Is a reference sample from the production lot kept for comparison?
- Can the packing list be sent in advance so cartons can be checked against it on arrival?
- What is the remedy for a confirmed fault: replacement, credit or rework?
Tell us what you will inspect on arrival and the packaging and marking you expect, and our export team will confirm how the approved sample, the packing list and the carton marking can be set up to match that check.