Key takeaways<\/h2>\n\n- Run every delivery through five stages in order: check, count, inspect, record, claim. Then put the goods away.<\/li>\n
- Count blind where you can, so staff count what is there rather than confirm what the paperwork says.<\/li>\n
- Record only what you accept. The supplier’s bill should match your receipt, not the supplier’s invoice.<\/li>\n
- A claim is only as strong as its evidence: photos, the carrier’s signed note, counts, lot numbers and the purchase order line.<\/li>\n
- Write decision rules for shortages, over-deliveries, damage, wrong items and short-dated stock so the dock team does not have to guess.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n
What a goods receiving procedure covers, from dock to shelf<\/h2>\n
Receiving is the point where a supplier’s promise becomes your stock and your debt. Every mistake made here travels forward: a miscount becomes a stock discrepancy, an unchecked price becomes an overpaid bill, and unnoticed damage becomes a customer complaint weeks later.<\/p>\n
A sound procedure has five stages, and the order matters:<\/p>\n
\n- Check:<\/strong> the delivery is expected, the paperwork matches an approved purchase order, and the outer packaging is intact before anyone signs.<\/li>\n
- Count:<\/strong> every line, in the unit you buy in, against the order rather than against the delivery note.<\/li>\n
- Inspect:<\/strong> condition, specification, labelling, lot numbers, expiry dates and serial numbers.<\/li>\n
- Record:<\/strong> the accepted quantity, lots and location go into your system the same day.<\/li>\n
- Claim:<\/strong> anything short, damaged, wrong or out of specification goes back to the supplier or carrier with evidence.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
The value of a claim is simple to work out. Use the price on the purchase order, not the price on the supplier’s invoice:<\/p>\n
Claim value = (ordered or invoiced quantity \u2212 accepted quantity) \u00d7 purchase order unit price + tax and freight charged on those units<\/code><\/p>\nIf the supplier has also charged a different unit price from the one agreed, that is a separate price claim: invoiced quantity \u00d7 (invoiced price \u2212 agreed price).<\/p>\n
Goods receiving SOP: the step-by-step procedure<\/h2>\n
Copy this procedure into your operations manual and adjust the names, times and limits to your business. Each step says who does it and what evidence it leaves behind.<\/p>\n![\"Flow](\"https:\/\/cashflowinventory.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/cfi-guides\/goods-receiving-sop\/goods-receiving-sop-steps.webp\")
Every delivery runs through the same six stages, in this order, before stock is available to sell.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n- Confirm the delivery is expected.<\/strong> The receiver finds the approved purchase order before the vehicle is unloaded. No order, no receipt: unexpected goods go to a marked hold area and the buyer is told the same day.<\/li>\n
- Check the outside before you sign.<\/strong> Count the cartons or pallets against the carrier’s note. Look for crushed corners, wet patches, broken seals and retaped boxes. Photograph anything wrong with the label visible.<\/li>\n
- Sign for what you can see, not what you were told.<\/strong> Write the outer count and any visible damage on the carrier’s paperwork before signing, for example “3 cartons crushed, contents not yet checked”. A clean signature makes later carrier claims much harder.<\/li>\n
- Count blind, line by line.<\/strong> Give the counter a list of item names without quantities and have them write down what they find. Count in the purchasing unit (cases, packs or each) and open any carton that looks light or rattles.<\/li>\n
- Inspect quality and identity.<\/strong> Check the item code, size, colour or strength, the barcode, the condition of the inner packs, and lot numbers, expiry dates and serial numbers for tracked items. Compare expiry dates with your minimum remaining shelf life.<\/li>\n
- Separate what you will not accept.<\/strong> Damaged, wrong or short-dated units go into a quarantine area with a tag showing the supplier, order number, date and reason. They never go to the sales shelf, even “for now”.<\/li>\n
- Compare and decide.<\/strong> The receiver sets the counted quantity beside the ordered quantity and the delivery note quantity, then applies the decision rules below. Anything outside the rules goes to the buyer.<\/li>\n
- Record the receipt the same day.<\/strong> Enter the accepted quantity on each line, with lots, expiry dates or serial numbers, the date and the location. Attach the photos and the signed carrier note.<\/li>\n
- Raise claims within the supplier’s and carrier’s notice windows.<\/strong> The buyer sends one claim per delivery listing every discrepancy, its value and the evidence. Diary a follow-up date.<\/li>\n
- Label and put away.<\/strong> Print labels if the goods need them, then move the stock to its bin. Stock is not available for sale until it is on the shelf and in the system.<\/li>\n
- Match the bill.<\/strong> Accounts compares the supplier’s invoice with the receipt and the claims before approving anything for payment.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n
Expert tip:<\/strong> keep the person who counts separate from the person who records the receipt in the system, at least for high-value lines. Two people seeing the same number is the cheapest control you will ever add.<\/p>\n<\/div>\nCopy-ready goods receiving checklist<\/h2>\n
Print this and keep it at the dock, or turn it into a form. One checklist per delivery.<\/p>\n
\nGoods receiving checklist<\/h3>\n\n- Supplier name, delivery date and time, carrier name and vehicle or consignment number<\/li>\n
- Approved purchase order number found and matched<\/li>\n
- Outer cartons or pallets counted: ____ expected \/ ____ received<\/li>\n
- Seals intact (if sealed), no visible damage, or damage photographed and noted on the carrier’s paperwork<\/li>\n
- Carrier’s note signed with the outer count and any remarks<\/li>\n
- Each line counted blind in the purchasing unit<\/li>\n
- Item codes, descriptions and barcodes match the order<\/li>\n
- Lot numbers and expiry dates recorded; remaining shelf life meets our minimum of ____ days<\/li>\n
- Serial numbers recorded for serialised items<\/li>\n
- Temperature checked and recorded for chilled or frozen goods<\/li>\n
- Rejected units tagged and moved to quarantine with reason<\/li>\n
- Over-delivered units held, buyer told<\/li>\n
- Receipt entered in the system with accepted quantities, lots and location<\/li>\n
- Photos and paperwork attached to the receipt<\/li>\n
- Claim raised for shortages, damage, wrong items or short-dated stock, with follow-up date<\/li>\n
- Labels printed where needed; goods put away<\/li>\n
- Received by: ________ Counted by: ________ Recorded by: ________<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n
Worked example: handling discrepancies on one delivery<\/h2>\n\nExample: a shop selling skincare online and from a small store.<\/strong> This business is hypothetical. It orders four lines from one supplier on a purchase order worth 1,720.00. Amounts are in the shop’s own currency and shown before tax to keep the arithmetic clear. The shop’s rule is that skincare must have at least six months of shelf life left on arrival.<\/p>\nThe delivery note claims everything arrived, plus ten extra lip balms. The supplier’s invoice is for 1,732.00, the full order plus those ten extra units. Here is what the dock team found.<\/p>\n
\n
What a goods receiving procedure covers, from dock to shelf<\/h2>\n
Receiving is the point where a supplier’s promise becomes your stock and your debt. Every mistake made here travels forward: a miscount becomes a stock discrepancy, an unchecked price becomes an overpaid bill, and unnoticed damage becomes a customer complaint weeks later.<\/p>\n
A sound procedure has five stages, and the order matters:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Check:<\/strong> the delivery is expected, the paperwork matches an approved purchase order, and the outer packaging is intact before anyone signs.<\/li>\n
- Count:<\/strong> every line, in the unit you buy in, against the order rather than against the delivery note.<\/li>\n
- Inspect:<\/strong> condition, specification, labelling, lot numbers, expiry dates and serial numbers.<\/li>\n
- Record:<\/strong> the accepted quantity, lots and location go into your system the same day.<\/li>\n
- Claim:<\/strong> anything short, damaged, wrong or out of specification goes back to the supplier or carrier with evidence.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
The value of a claim is simple to work out. Use the price on the purchase order, not the price on the supplier’s invoice:<\/p>\n
Claim value = (ordered or invoiced quantity \u2212 accepted quantity) \u00d7 purchase order unit price + tax and freight charged on those units<\/code><\/p>\nIf the supplier has also charged a different unit price from the one agreed, that is a separate price claim: invoiced quantity \u00d7 (invoiced price \u2212 agreed price).<\/p>\n
Goods receiving SOP: the step-by-step procedure<\/h2>\n
Copy this procedure into your operations manual and adjust the names, times and limits to your business. Each step says who does it and what evidence it leaves behind.<\/p>\n
Every delivery runs through the same six stages, in this order, before stock is available to sell.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n - \n
- Confirm the delivery is expected.<\/strong> The receiver finds the approved purchase order before the vehicle is unloaded. No order, no receipt: unexpected goods go to a marked hold area and the buyer is told the same day.<\/li>\n
- Check the outside before you sign.<\/strong> Count the cartons or pallets against the carrier’s note. Look for crushed corners, wet patches, broken seals and retaped boxes. Photograph anything wrong with the label visible.<\/li>\n
- Sign for what you can see, not what you were told.<\/strong> Write the outer count and any visible damage on the carrier’s paperwork before signing, for example “3 cartons crushed, contents not yet checked”. A clean signature makes later carrier claims much harder.<\/li>\n
- Count blind, line by line.<\/strong> Give the counter a list of item names without quantities and have them write down what they find. Count in the purchasing unit (cases, packs or each) and open any carton that looks light or rattles.<\/li>\n
- Inspect quality and identity.<\/strong> Check the item code, size, colour or strength, the barcode, the condition of the inner packs, and lot numbers, expiry dates and serial numbers for tracked items. Compare expiry dates with your minimum remaining shelf life.<\/li>\n
- Separate what you will not accept.<\/strong> Damaged, wrong or short-dated units go into a quarantine area with a tag showing the supplier, order number, date and reason. They never go to the sales shelf, even “for now”.<\/li>\n
- Compare and decide.<\/strong> The receiver sets the counted quantity beside the ordered quantity and the delivery note quantity, then applies the decision rules below. Anything outside the rules goes to the buyer.<\/li>\n
- Record the receipt the same day.<\/strong> Enter the accepted quantity on each line, with lots, expiry dates or serial numbers, the date and the location. Attach the photos and the signed carrier note.<\/li>\n
- Raise claims within the supplier’s and carrier’s notice windows.<\/strong> The buyer sends one claim per delivery listing every discrepancy, its value and the evidence. Diary a follow-up date.<\/li>\n
- Label and put away.<\/strong> Print labels if the goods need them, then move the stock to its bin. Stock is not available for sale until it is on the shelf and in the system.<\/li>\n
- Match the bill.<\/strong> Accounts compares the supplier’s invoice with the receipt and the claims before approving anything for payment.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
\nExpert tip:<\/strong> keep the person who counts separate from the person who records the receipt in the system, at least for high-value lines. Two people seeing the same number is the cheapest control you will ever add.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Copy-ready goods receiving checklist<\/h2>\n
Print this and keep it at the dock, or turn it into a form. One checklist per delivery.<\/p>\n
\nGoods receiving checklist<\/h3>\n
- \n
- Supplier name, delivery date and time, carrier name and vehicle or consignment number<\/li>\n
- Approved purchase order number found and matched<\/li>\n
- Outer cartons or pallets counted: ____ expected \/ ____ received<\/li>\n
- Seals intact (if sealed), no visible damage, or damage photographed and noted on the carrier’s paperwork<\/li>\n
- Carrier’s note signed with the outer count and any remarks<\/li>\n
- Each line counted blind in the purchasing unit<\/li>\n
- Item codes, descriptions and barcodes match the order<\/li>\n
- Lot numbers and expiry dates recorded; remaining shelf life meets our minimum of ____ days<\/li>\n
- Serial numbers recorded for serialised items<\/li>\n
- Temperature checked and recorded for chilled or frozen goods<\/li>\n
- Rejected units tagged and moved to quarantine with reason<\/li>\n
- Over-delivered units held, buyer told<\/li>\n
- Receipt entered in the system with accepted quantities, lots and location<\/li>\n
- Photos and paperwork attached to the receipt<\/li>\n
- Claim raised for shortages, damage, wrong items or short-dated stock, with follow-up date<\/li>\n
- Labels printed where needed; goods put away<\/li>\n
- Received by: ________ Counted by: ________ Recorded by: ________<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n
Worked example: handling discrepancies on one delivery<\/h2>\n
\nExample: a shop selling skincare online and from a small store.<\/strong> This business is hypothetical. It orders four lines from one supplier on a purchase order worth 1,720.00. Amounts are in the shop’s own currency and shown before tax to keep the arithmetic clear. The shop’s rule is that skincare must have at least six months of shelf life left on arrival.<\/p>\n
The delivery note claims everything arrived, plus ten extra lip balms. The supplier’s invoice is for 1,732.00, the full order plus those ten extra units. Here is what the dock team found.<\/p>\n
\n
- Check the outside before you sign.<\/strong> Count the cartons or pallets against the carrier’s note. Look for crushed corners, wet patches, broken seals and retaped boxes. Photograph anything wrong with the label visible.<\/li>\n
- Count:<\/strong> every line, in the unit you buy in, against the order rather than against the delivery note.<\/li>\n