Inspecting a Clothing Lot in Pakistan: What to Check, Count and Photograph
Most disputes in the stocklot trade are decided by what was checked before the goods left the warehouse. A buyer who counts cartons, weighs a sample and photographs the lot has evidence. A buyer who accepts a description and pays has a story. The inspection does not need to be exhaustive. It needs to be repeatable and documented.
Part of the buyer journey: Find & Verify a Supplier Before Money Moves — stage 2 of 8, with the other guides for this stage.
Start with the carton count and the packing list
The first check is arithmetic. Count the cartons, read the packing list and compare the two. A short count is the most common defect in a lot, and it is the easiest to prove if the count is done at the warehouse with the seller present.
Open two or three cartons from different positions in the stack, not the ones on top. A lot that is packed consistently will show the same structure in every carton. A lot that is packed unevenly will show the good cartons at the front and the mixed ones at the back.
Record the count, the carton numbers and the date on a single sheet, and photograph the stack before it is broken. The photograph is the evidence that the lot existed in the quantity described, and it takes a minute.
Sample by size, colour and position
A sample of ten pieces from one carton tells you about that carton. A sample of thirty pieces drawn from three cartons, covering the size range and the colour range, tells you about the lot. The sample should be random within each carton, not selected by the seller.
For each piece, check the seams, the hem, the buttons or zip, the label and the fabric weight. A missed stitch at the seam is a repair cost; a missing button is a discount; a label that does not match the composition is a compliance problem if the goods are being exported.
Weigh ten pieces and divide by ten. The average weight is the number that converts a kilo price into a piece cost, and it is the number that reveals whether a lot described as heavy is actually heavy.
Check the size run against the market
A complete size run is worth more than a broken one, and the difference is not visible from the outside of a carton. Open a carton and count the sizes. A run that is missing the middle sizes will sell poorly in a retail shop and acceptably in a market stall, and the price should reflect that.
The size labels should be checked against the measurements, not only against each other. A garment labelled medium that measures like a small will generate returns in an online channel and complaints in a shop. Measure three pieces from the run and compare with the label.
If the lot is for export, check the size system. A UK medium is not a US medium, and a lot labelled for one market may be unsellable in another without relabelling. The conversion is a cost, and it belongs in the landed cost.
Look for the problems that do not show in a photograph
Photographs show colour and style. They do not show smell, shrinkage, colour fastness or the feel of the fabric. A lot that has been stored in a damp warehouse can carry a smell that survives washing, and a lot that has been stored in sunlight can have a faded edge that the camera hides.
Smell the sample. Rub a dark piece with a white cloth to check for colour transfer. Wet a corner and let it dry to check for shrinkage and water marks. These are two-minute tests that catch the defects a buyer discovers after the goods have been shipped.
Check the storage conditions. A warehouse with a leaking roof, open windows or goods stacked against a damp wall will have damage at the bottom of the stack. Ask to see the bottom layer, and do not accept a sample that was taken from the top.
Photograph for a claim, not for social media
The photographs that matter are the ones that establish the condition at the point of collection: the stack, the open carton, the packing list, the sample pieces, the defect and the scale. Take them in sequence, with the date visible, and keep them with the invoice and the transport receipt.
A claim is built from the difference between the condition at collection and the condition at delivery. If the buyer has no photograph of the collection, the seller can argue that the damage happened in transit. If the buyer has a photograph, the argument moves to the cause rather than the fact.
The same file is useful for the next order. A record of what the last lot contained, how it sold and what defects appeared is the basis for a specification that the supplier can meet. The inspection is not only a defence. It is the beginning of a better order.
When to walk away
Walk away when the seller will not allow a count, when the packing list does not exist, when the sample cannot be drawn from the stack, or when the price is conditional on paying before inspection. Each of those conditions removes the buyer’s ability to verify, and a lot that cannot be verified is a lot that is priced on trust.
Walk away when the defect rate is described but not counted. A seller who says the lot is ninety percent first quality is offering an estimate. A seller who shows the counted seconds is offering a fact. The difference is the margin.
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Buyer questions, answered
How many pieces should I inspect?
At least thirty, drawn from three cartons and covering the size and colour range. The sample should be random within each carton, not selected by the seller.
What defects are easy to miss?
Smell from damp storage, colour transfer, shrinkage and faded edges. They do not show in a photograph, and a two-minute rub and wash test will catch them.
What should I photograph?
The stack, an open carton, the packing list, the sample, any defect and the scale. Keep the images with the invoice and the transport receipt.