Buying wholesale
What Happens If a Wholesale Order Arrives Damaged?
If a wholesale order arrives damaged, the first step is documenting it at the point of receiving — photos of the damaged cases before you move or unpack them, and a note on the delivery slip if the courier or driver is still present. From there, contacting the supplier promptly with that documentation is what actually resolves a claim; wholesale food suppliers generally handle damage case by case rather than through a published guarantee. At Levant Direct, damage is worked through directly once you flag it, with terms confirmed as part of the conversation rather than a fixed blanket policy.
Documenting damage at receiving
The single most useful thing a buyer can do is photograph the damage before anything else happens — cases still on the pallet or in their original position, any crushed corners, broken glass or leaking product visible in context. If a delivery driver is present, noting the damage on the delivery slip or bill of lading at the time of signing carries more weight than raising it after the driver has left. Glass-packed goods like olives or preserves are the most breakage-prone category in transit, so it's worth a quick visual check on those cases specifically before signing off on a delivery.
Shortage vs damage — different issues, both worth flagging separately
A shortage — fewer cases than ordered — and damage — cases present but compromised — are different problems even though they both surface at the same delivery, and it's worth reporting them as distinct issues rather than folding one into the other. A shortage is usually a counting or picking error resolved by confirming the case count against your order; damage is a product-condition issue resolved by assessing what's actually unusable. Reporting both clearly, with the specific case counts and product lines involved, gets a faster resolution than a general 'something's wrong with this order' message.
Claim windows and timing
The trade norm is to report damage as soon as it's noticed — ideally at receiving, and within a short window afterward if it's only spotted once cases are unpacked. Waiting weeks to raise a damage claim makes it harder for any supplier to verify what happened in transit versus in storage on the buyer's side, so prompt reporting genuinely works in your favour, not just as a formality.
How Levant Direct handles a damaged delivery
We don't have a published, one-size-fits-all damage policy — what happens next is worked out directly once you contact us with photos and the specific cases affected, whether that's canned and preserved goods or another line from your order. Being specific about what's damaged and how much, alongside your original quotation or invoice reference, is what lets us move quickly rather than starting from scratch. Reaching out the same day the delivery arrives, rather than after the goods have already gone into storage or onto a shelf, gives us the clearest picture to work from.
Related questions
Should I refuse a delivery if I see damage on arrival?
Not necessarily — for a partial issue, accepting the delivery while noting the damage on the slip and photographing it is usually more useful than refusing the whole shipment, since undamaged cases can still be used while the damaged portion is resolved separately.
Does damage during delivery count differently than a backorder shortage?
Yes — see how do backorders work with a wholesale supplier? for shortages tied to supply timing, which is a separate situation from product arriving physically damaged.