# Short, Over and Damaged

Deliveries go wrong in three ways and each has a different right answer.

The common thread is that you record what is true on the dock and fix the paperwork afterwards, never the other way round.

![An open purchase receive, PR-00005, showing the order it was booked against, the warehouse the stock went into, and the quantities recorded on each line.](https://www.sorviai.com/help/purchase-receives/purchase-receive-detail.png)

*The receive is the record of what actually turned up, which is why it is the one to get right.*

## The three cases

- **Short delivery.** Receive what came. The order stays partially received until the rest arrives or you close it short.
- **Over delivery.** Raise the purchase order line first, then receive. This keeps the agreed record honest rather than silently absorbing extra stock.
- **Damaged goods.** Receive separately as damaged so they are not offered for sale, then arrange a vendor credit.

> **Warning:**
>
> **Damaged is not the same as short**
>
> Damaged goods arrived. They are on your premises and somebody has to decide what happens to them. Recording them as short says they never came, which will not match the carrier's record or the vendor's.

## What to do next

| Situation | Receive | Then |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Fewer units than ordered | Receive what arrived | Chase, or close the order short |
| More units than ordered | Raise the line, then receive | Query the extra, or keep and pay |
| Damaged on arrival | Receive as damaged | Raise a vendor credit for the value |
| Wrong item entirely | Do not receive it | Return it and query the order |
| Nothing at all arrived | Do not receive | Chase, then close short or cancel |

## Damaged stock afterwards

Damaged units sit in stock on hand without being available to sell. They stay there until somebody decides: return them to the vendor, write them off with a stock adjustment, or repair and release them. Leaving them indefinitely quietly overstates your stock value.

1. **Received damaged**: On hand, not available
2. **Vendor credit**: Value recovered
3. **Decision**: Return, write off or repair
4. **Stock adjustment**: If written off