Carton count short against the packing list at loading
Updated 2026-09-01
Context
A buyer was shipping a mixed container of consumer goods and had not worked with this factory before. They asked for a container loading check rather than a full pre-shipment inspection, because the goods had already been inspected at the factory two weeks earlier.
Assignment
Attend at the loading point, confirm the truck and container number, reconcile the carton count against the packing list and the shipping marks, photograph each stage of loading, and record the container seal number.
Observations
- · The packing list stated 412 cartons. The count taken during loading reached 388 before the factory stopped bringing cartons out.
- · Twenty-four cartons were still on the factory floor, unsealed, with labels not yet applied. The factory said they would go on the next shipment.
- · Cartons loaded first were placed without dunnage against the container wall, which is where moisture staining usually starts on this route.
- · Shipping marks on the two product lines were similar enough that a mis-sort was easy to make in low light.
Outcome
Loading was paused before the doors closed. The buyer was sent the carton count, the photographs and the seal number, and decided to hold the container for the missing 24 cartons rather than accept a part shipment. The paperwork was amended and the container sealed the next morning.
Takeaway
A loading check is the last point where a quantity problem is still cheap to fix. Reconcile the count at the door, not from the documents.
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