A delivery that appears short can have several causes. The supplier may have shipped fewer units, a carton may be missing, the purchase order may use a different pack unit, or goods-in staff may have counted saleable units against an outer-carton quantity. Adjusting stock immediately can make the system balance while leaving the cause unresolved. A product business needs a short investigation that connects the purchase order, supplier paperwork and physical receipt before deciding what quantity or financial correction is justified.
Secure the received goods and record the initial count
When a shortage is suspected, preserve the evidence before stock is distributed around the warehouse. Record what arrived, how it was packed and which SKU or supplier reference is affected. Photographs can be useful where packaging condition or carton count matters, provided the business's normal process allows them. The initial record should describe observations rather than conclusions. “Three cartons received” is stronger evidence than “supplier missed one carton” until the expected packing arrangement has been confirmed.
Compare the receipt with the purchase order
Check the ordered SKU, quantity and unit of measure. A purchase order for cartons can be misread as individual units, particularly where systems display only a number and abbreviated unit. Confirm what the business intended to order rather than assuming the current stock expectation is correct. If the order itself was ambiguous, record that process weakness separately. The supplier cannot be expected to resolve an internal quantity definition that was never made clear in the purchasing document.
Check supplier dispatch and packing information
Review the supplier's delivery note, packing list or other available dispatch record. Match references carefully and note whether the supplier documents the same pack level as the purchase order. A difference between ordered and dispatched quantity may already be visible here. If the paperwork claims the full quantity was sent, the investigation moves to the physical shipment and carrier route rather than ending with an immediate stock adjustment.
Verify pack quantities before calculating the shortage
A carton can contain several inner packs or saleable units, and supplier terminology may not match internal language. Confirm the conversion before stating how many units are missing. This is especially important when a new supplier or product has not yet had its first physical pack structure verified. A mistaken conversion can produce a shortage on paper even when the correct goods arrived. Record the verified relationship so the same ambiguity does not affect the next receipt.
Separate missing goods from damaged or unusable goods
A shipment can be complete by count but still create a stock shortfall because some units are damaged or cannot be sold. Keep these cases distinct. Missing units require evidence about what was not received; damaged units require a condition record and a decision about their status. Combining both into a single shortage number makes supplier discussions and later reconciliation harder. The stock system should eventually reflect saleable reality, but the exception record should preserve why units were unavailable.
Raise the supplier query with a concise evidence pack
Provide the purchase reference, affected product, expected quantity, observed receipt and relevant supporting information. Avoid sending a long narrative that forces the supplier to reconstruct the basic issue. If the shortage could involve carrier loss or split delivery, include that uncertainty rather than accusing one party before the route is established. A structured query helps the supplier respond with equally specific information and gives the business a clearer record if a replacement, credit or later shipment is agreed.
Hold provisional adjustments apart from final resolution
The warehouse may need an accurate available-stock figure before the supplier case closes. If so, record the operational quantity honestly while keeping the shortage case open. Do not treat a temporary stock correction as proof of the final commercial outcome. The supplier may send replacement units, issue credit or provide evidence that changes the investigation. Linking the exception record to later receipts or credits prevents the business from correcting the same shortage twice.
Close with both a transaction fix and a process lesson
When the outcome is known, update the relevant stock, purchasing and financial records and retain the reason. Then ask whether anything internal made the shortage harder to identify: ambiguous units, missing pack data or weak first-delivery checks are common examples. Fixing that source can be more valuable than simply closing one supplier query. A disciplined short-shipment workflow keeps physical evidence, system quantities and commercial resolution connected from the first count to the final correction.