Describe the delivery problem before fixing it
A wrong delivery may involve the wrong SKU, wrong variant, wrong quantity, damage, or an unexpected substitution. These are different problems. “Supplier error” is too vague for the person who must arrange the correction.
Match the order reference, product code, pack size and actual item. Write a factual discrepancy: “ordered blue 20 mm fittings; delivered black 25 mm fittings.” Record what can be counted and observed, not an assumption about how the supplier made the mistake. Keep packaging and delivery references associated with the goods so someone can identify the shipment without relying on memory.
Choose a physical disposition
Set aside the disputed items in a clearly marked holding area. Decide who is allowed to accept a substitute, request replacement or authorize return. The receiver should not quietly turn a different product into the ordered SKU because the name is similar.
In a fictional example, a shop receives 12 brackets of the wrong size alongside 30 correct ones. The correct 30 can follow the normal receiving process if independently verified. The 12 disputed brackets need their own record and physical separation. The missing ordered brackets remain a purchasing issue. Accepting an alternative later should produce an explicit amendment; it should not rewrite the original observation.
Keep correction and stock movement connected
If the disputed goods have not been entered into usable inventory, avoid making an artificial receipt solely to make a return screen available. Check the workflow supported by your system and retain an exception reference. If they were already received, trace the original transaction before applying the documented return or correction.
InFlow's vendor-return documentation describes linking returned products to a purchase order and removing returned units through an unstock step. That is a product workflow, not a decision about whether a supplier owes a refund. Payment resolution and physical inventory need their own confirmed outcomes. Do not treat a return request as proof that goods have left the building.
Verify the correction and close the exception
A complete exception records the decision, the affected units, where they went, and the reference for any replacement. For goods leaving the premises, capture the actual dispatch handoff. For an accepted substitute, confirm the correct product identity and location before making it available to the picking team.
Look for repeat patterns at the next purchasing review: similar product codes, unclear pack sizes or an order description that invites substitution. Repairing those inputs may be more useful than adding another software field. A small operation can manage occasional exceptions with a numbered log; frequent returns call for clearer permissions and linked transactions. Close this delivery only when someone else can explain what happened to every disputed unit. This guide addresses stock handling, not contractual rights or financial treatment.
Sources used for this page
These records support the facts and comparisons above. Merchant-controlled records are labelled so you can separate product claims from independent evidence.
- inFlow: return products to vendors — Merchant documentation · inflowinventory.com · Merchant-controlled · checked 2026-09-24