# Short, Over and Damaged

What to record when the delivery does not match the order, which is most of the time.

The receive is where reality meets the order, so it is where the awkward cases surface. All of them have a right answer.

![A purchase receive record showing the purchase order it was raised against, the vendor, the receiving depot and the received lines with their quantities against what was ordered.](https://www.sorviai.com/help/inventory/purchase-receives/receive-detail.png)

*Received against ordered, on one screen. The difference is what every case below turns on.*

## Fewer arrived than ordered

Receive what came. The balance stays on order against the purchase order, which is exactly what you want: the vendor still owes you.

> **Note:**
>
> **A short receive is not a problem to resolve on the receive**
>
> It is a fact to record. Whether the vendor is sending the rest or has cancelled it is a separate decision, taken on the purchase order.

## More arrived than ordered

Receive what came, then query it. Over-delivery is stock you are now holding and may be billed for, so recording it is safer than turning it away on paper while it sits in your yard.

## It arrived damaged

- **Receive it**

  The units physically arrived, so your count should say so.
- **Raise a stock adjustment with reason Damaged goods**

  This takes them back out, with an explanation attached.
- **Raise a vendor credit if you are not paying for them**

  The receive is your evidence.

> **Warning:**
>
> **Do not simply refuse to receive damaged goods**
>
> Not receiving them leaves no record that they ever arrived, and the vendor credit then has nothing behind it. Receive, adjust, credit: three documents that together tell the truth.

## The wrong item arrived

Do not receive it against this order. It was never on it, and receiving it there attaches a quantity to a line the vendor did not deliver. Query it, and receive it properly if you decide to keep it.

## At a glance

| What happened | Receive | Then |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Everything arrived | In full | Nothing |
| Some arrived | What came | Balance stays on order |
| Too much arrived | What came | Query with the vendor |
| Damaged | What came | Adjust out with reason Damaged goods, and raise a vendor credit |
| Wrong item | Nothing | Query before doing anything |