Document the problem before you finish unpacking the rest of the order. Photos of the box, the packaging materials, and the damaged or missing items — taken before anything is moved or thrown away — are what let a supplier resolve the issue quickly. Waiting until the box is fully unpacked and the packaging is in the trash makes every claim harder to verify.
What should I check the moment a pallet or box arrives?
Before you sign for a freight delivery or break down a package, look at the outside of the packaging for obvious crushing, tearing, or water exposure. If a freight shipment shows visible exterior damage, note it directly on the carrier's delivery receipt before you sign — a signature without a damage notation can make a freight claim harder to pursue later, since it's read as accepting the shipment in good condition.
For a standard parcel delivery without a signature requirement, photograph the box exterior as it arrived, from more than one angle, before opening it.
What should I photograph once I start unpacking?
Work through this in order, photographing each step:
- The exterior packaging, all sides, before opening
- The interior packing materials as first revealed — crushed foam, shifted dividers, anything showing how the damage happened in transit
- Each damaged item individually, with the damage clearly visible
- The shipping label and order number, so the photos can be matched to the order
- The full contents laid out, if you're also checking for a shortage
Keep the original packaging until the issue is resolved. It's often needed to support a claim, and in some cases a replacement or return process requires shipping the damaged items back in the same materials they arrived in.
Should I refuse a delivery that looks damaged, or accept it and report separately?
This depends on how bad the visible damage is and on the carrier's own process, so there's no single right answer that fits every situation — but as a general rule, severe, obvious damage to the outer packaging is usually worth noting and, if the carrier allows it, refusing or accepting with a clear damage notation rather than signing a clean receipt. Minor damage that doesn't clearly affect the contents is usually simpler to accept and inspect on your own timeline, documenting as you go.
If you're ever unsure in the moment, err toward noting damage on the delivery paperwork before signing. It's easy to add detail to a claim that already has a damage notation on file; it's much harder to establish damage after signing a receipt that states everything arrived in good condition.
How do I check for a shortage rather than damage?
Count what arrived against your order confirmation, not against memory. Lay out the full contents and count by exact quantity and by any variant — if the order included more than one design or material, verify each line separately, since a shortage in one specific item is easy to miss when the total box count looks roughly right.
Check for a packing slip inside the shipment first — it lists what was supposed to be included and is the fastest way to spot what's actually missing versus what shipped in a separate box.
| Situation | What to capture | Do before |
|---|---|---|
| Freight delivery, visible exterior damage | Note on carrier's delivery receipt, photos | Signing for the delivery |
| Parcel delivery, damage found on opening | Photos of box, packing materials, and items | Discarding any packaging |
| Shortage suspected | Full count against packing slip and order confirmation | Assuming a box shipped separately without checking |
| Item damaged but box looks fine | Photos of the item and how it was packed inside | Repacking or discarding materials |
Does it matter how quickly I report the problem?
Yes — report it as soon as you've documented it, rather than waiting until you need the frames for an install. Freight carrier claims in particular often run on tighter windows than most people expect, and evidence is strongest when it's fresh: packaging hasn't been discarded, the delivery is still recent enough for the carrier to check their own records, and details are still fresh in the receiving staff's memory.
This matters even if the frames aren't needed immediately. A damaged shipment discovered and reported the day it arrives is a much simpler problem to resolve than the same damage reported a month later when packaging is gone and the timeline is fuzzy.
What if damage isn't visible until you try to install the frame?
Some damage — a hairline crack, a slightly bent frame, a warped channel — isn't obvious from the outside of the packaging and only shows up once you actually try to seat the plate or mount the frame to the vehicle. Document it the same way you would visible shipping damage: photos of the specific defect, the order it came from, and when you discovered it, even though the discovery happened later than delivery.
Check frames for this kind of hidden damage at receiving, before they're distributed across the lot or sent to individual vehicles for install. Damage caught in a box at the loading dock is a quick fix; the same damage discovered on a vehicle already delivered to a customer is a much bigger problem to unwind.
Does it matter whether the damage was caused by the carrier or before it shipped?
Not for your first step — document and report either way, and let your supplier sort out whether it's a carrier claim or a production issue on their end. From the receiving side, damaged is damaged and short is short; the cause determines how it gets resolved internally, not whether you should report it.
That said, the type of damage is a useful clue. Crushed corners, punctures, or water damage on the outer packaging point toward transit. A defect on an item that arrived in intact, undamaged packaging points more toward a production issue. Mention what you observed about the packaging when you report it — it helps route the issue correctly the first time.
What information should I have ready when I reach out?
Your order number, the photos described above, a brief description of what's damaged or missing, and — for a freight shipment — whether any damage was noted at the time of delivery. Having all of it ready in one message gets a faster response than a back-and-forth where each detail has to be requested separately.
For specifics on how a damaged or short shipment is resolved for your order — replacement, reprint, or another path — contact us directly with that documentation. Return and replacement terms aren't something to guess at secondhand; ask us for the specifics that apply to your order.
None of this needs to slow down the rest of your receiving process. Document the affected items, set them aside, and continue checking in the rest of the shipment — a damaged or short line item doesn't mean the whole order needs to wait on a resolution before you can use what arrived correctly.