If one supplier is late, start with the stock you need to sell and the goods actually received in China. A split shipment may protect priority stock, but it creates another packing, transport and receiving task. This plan sets out the information and approvals to compare both options before dispatch. It describes a proposed workflow for an enquiry, rather than a completed customer delivery.
Start with the date stock must be sellable
A carrier delivery date and a product launch date are different milestones. Write down when the destination warehouse needs the cartons, when it can count and reconcile the goods, and when the stock must be available for sale. Include a receiving appointment or labelling requirement if your warehouse has one.
Work back through destination receiving, the quoted transport and clearance scope, dispatch, packing, the agreed checks and supplier arrival at the consolidation warehouse. Ask the responsible party to confirm each dependency. A supplier's planned dispatch date is not an arrival record, and a forecast transport window is not a booking confirmation.
Build one list of purchased, dispatched and received goods
In this scenario the customer selects, orders and pays for goods on 1688. Our discussion starts with bringing those purchases together for onward transport. Any additional receiving, product checking, repacking or supplier coordination work needs a clear scope and an agreed party to perform it.
List each supplier order, product variant, quantity, domestic tracking reference and expected arrival. Then record what the warehouse has actually received, including carton identifiers and any quantity or visible packaging discrepancy. Keep goods awaiting checks separate from goods approved for release. If inspection is requested, agree the sample or coverage, pass criteria, report and buyer approval before relying on it.
Compare the complete consolidation with a priority batch
Choose the option against the same receiving requirement and latest useful stock date. The buyer should identify priority SKUs and the minimum usable quantity; sending an incomplete product set may leave the receiver unable to use it. Do not assume that every ready carton belongs in the first batch.
| Option | Check before choosing | What the buyer approves |
|---|---|---|
| Wait for all suppliers | A credible arrival update for missing goods; time for checks, packing and the onward service; the effect on the stock date. | The revised dispatch plan and what happens if the remaining goods miss the agreed review point. |
| Release a ready priority batch | A usable SKU set; release status; separate packing, transport and destination receiving requirements for each batch. | The contents, revised charges and timing assumptions for both the first shipment and the balance. |
| Hold affected goods | An unresolved discrepancy, missing approval or missing paperwork, and which goods can be considered separately. | The hold scope, person resolving it and evidence needed for a new release decision. |
Requote the packed shipment before authorising release
Splitting changes the number and contents of shipping cartons. Confirm protection and labelling for each batch, then obtain actual packed dimensions and gross weight. Compare actual weight, volumetric weight and the carrier's chargeable-weight rule separately. An earlier estimate for a combined order does not automatically price two shipments.
Request a written quote showing the route, service, counting milestones, inclusions and exclusions for each batch. Check any separate receiving or clearance charges with the responsible provider. Record the buyer's choice, the approved goods list and the party authorised to release it. Reopen the plan if supplier readiness, packed measurements, the quote or the receiving appointment changes.
Close the plan at receiving and stock reconciliation
For an actual order, keep the release record, carrier acceptance and delivery evidence with each batch. At destination, ask the receiver to confirm cartons received, quantities reconciled and any damage or shortage. If the target is sellable stock, record that status separately from a delivery scan.
The intended outcome is a replenishment decision the buyer can approve and follow through to a confirmed stock position. No shipment has been performed under this scenario, so it carries no achieved delivery date, savings figure or on-time result.
Put this plan into an order brief
Send the stock requirement
Share your product links, variants, quantities, priority SKUs, destination and the date stock needs to be sellable.
Share the supplier and warehouse position
Separate expected dispatch from actual receipt. Include domestic tracking references and any receiving, checking, packing or release work you want quoted.
Approve a batch plan
Compare the confirmed scope, packing, chargeable weight, costs and timing for waiting or splitting. Name the decision owner and the next review trigger.
About this planning scenario
This is an editorial planning scenario reviewed on 24 October 2026. It has no named customer, completed shipment or measured result. The proposed receiving, checking and release steps must be agreed for the actual order; they do not state that those steps were performed on a past shipment.