Shipping and warehouse damage glossary: freight, returns and dispute terms

This glossary covers 55 terms across the whole path a shipment takes: the dock, the claim, the warehouse, the courier status, the return and the card dispute. Each entry gives a short definition and a link to the guide that covers the term in depth. Definitions are general and U.S.-focused unless stated; carrier tariffs and contracts control a specific shipment. Sources were checked in October 2026.

Jump to a group: delivery documents · kinds of damage · claims and liability · parcel billing and coverage · warehouse errors · courier statuses · returns · disputes · evidence

Delivery documents and dock notations

What is written at handover is what the carrier reads later. The full workflow is in how to document freight damage at warehouse receiving.

Bill of lading (BOL)

A bill of lading is "a document evidencing the receipt of goods for shipment," issued by a business that transports or forwards goods (UCC § 1-201). It names the parties, the freight and the terms of carriage. Go deeper: freight loadout photos.

Delivery receipt

A delivery receipt is the carrier's document the receiver signs at delivery to acknowledge the freight arrived. California's state purchasing manual tells receivers: "Do not sign the receipt before inspecting for damage" (SAM § 3861). Go deeper: receiving freight damage.

Exception

An exception is a specific written note of damage or shortage on the delivery paperwork, such as "2 of 12 cartons crushed at corner." It records the problem at handover; under 49 CFR 370.3(c) it is not the claim. Go deeper: receiving freight damage.

Clean receipt

A clean receipt (or clean bill of lading) is delivery paperwork signed with no exceptions. It is generally treated as evidence the freight arrived in apparent good order, which makes a later damage or shortage claim harder. Go deeper: discrepancy report.

Proof of delivery (POD)

Proof of delivery is a carrier record that a shipment arrived: a signed receipt, delivery scan, photo or e-signature. It proves arrival, not what was inside. Go deeper: three proofs compared.

Subject to count

"Subject to count" is a generic delivery-receipt notation that records no actual shortage. Blue Book Services says a boilerplate notation like this "is not sufficient to prove a shortage"; write the exact number missing instead. Go deeper: discrepancy report.

Said to contain (STC)

"Said to contain" is a bill-of-lading qualifier meaning the carrier did not verify the contents. Under 49 U.S.C. § 80113 and UCC § 7-301, an accurate qualifier like this can relieve the carrier of liability for nonreceipt or misdescription. Go deeper: freight loadout photos.

Shipper load and count (SLC)

"Shipper's load and count" (or "shipper's weight, load and count") is a bill-of-lading notation that the shipper, not the driver, loaded and counted the freight. When true, the carrier is not liable for damage caused by improper loading (49 U.S.C. § 80113(c)). Go deeper: freight loadout photos.

Seal number

A seal number is the number on the security seal applied to a trailer or container door. It is checked against the shipping documents at loading and again at arrival; a mismatch or broken seal is an exception. Go deeper: container inspection.

Kinds of damage and discrepancy

Damage terms describe when a problem could be seen, and that timing decides how fast you must act.

Visible damage

Visible damage is damage to the freight or its packaging that can be seen at delivery. It should be written on the delivery receipt as an exception before signing. Go deeper: receiving freight damage.

Concealed damage

Concealed damage is damage that couldn't be seen when the shipment was delivered and was found only after the packaging was opened. Because the receipt was signed clean, the receiver usually has to report it to the carrier quickly and show it happened in transit. Go deeper: furniture claims.

Over, short and damaged (OSD)

OS&D (over, short and damaged) is receiving's term for the three ways a delivery can differ from its paperwork: more units than listed, fewer, or damaged. An OS&D report records each difference for the claim. Go deeper: discrepancy report.

Damage sheet

A damage sheet (or damage report) is an informal name for the form that records damaged goods at delivery or receiving: shipment references, what was damaged, photos and signatures. Go deeper: discrepancy report.

Bad order

A bad order is a carrier's internal report that freight is damaged or short. Like an inspection report, it does not count as the shipper's claim on its own (49 CFR 370.3(c)). Go deeper: claims by carrier.

Inspection report

An inspection report is the carrier's written record of examining damaged freight after the receiver asks for an inspection. It supports a claim but is not one; TForce Freight's claims page says plainly that "an inspection report is not a claim." Go deeper: receiving freight damage.

Damaged packaging

"Damaged packaging" is a courier or marketplace status or reason meaning the outer packaging arrived damaged. It describes the box, not necessarily the item; the closest standard code is UN/EDIFACT status reason 14, "Damaged" (code list 9013). Go deeper: arrived damaged.

Claims, liability and value

Claim terms define what a carrier owes and what the shipper must send to collect it. Parcel-carrier deadlines are not repeated here; they live in the master table of shipping damage claims by carrier.

Freight claim

A freight claim is a written demand to a carrier that identifies the shipment, asserts the carrier is liable for loss, damage or delay, and asks for a specified or determinable amount of money. Under 49 CFR 370.3, receipt notations and inspection reports do not count as a claim on their own. Go deeper: claims by carrier.

Carmack Amendment

The Carmack Amendment is the U.S. law (49 U.S.C. § 14706) that makes interstate motor carriers liable for "the actual loss or injury to the property" they carry, subject to limits the shipper agrees to. Go deeper: 3PL liability.

Claim filing period

Under § 14706(e), an interstate motor carrier may not allow less than 9 months to file a claim, or less than 2 years from its written disallowance to sue. Go deeper: freight loadout photos.

Claim acknowledgment and disposition

U.S. motor carriers must acknowledge a claim in writing within 30 days of receiving it (49 CFR 370.5) and pay, decline or make a firm compromise offer within 120 days, then update the claimant every 60 days (49 CFR 370.9). Go deeper: claims by carrier.

Concealed-damage notice window

The concealed-damage notice window is the short period to tell an LTL carrier about damage found after delivery. Many tariffs use about five days, for example TForce Freight (5 business days) and Estes (five days of receipt); the carrier's tariff and BOL control. Go deeper: receiving freight damage.

Salvage

Salvage is damaged or refused freight the carrier sells or disposes of, after notifying the owner where practical. The carrier must keep a lot record and credit the proceeds to whoever is entitled to them (49 CFR 370.11). Go deeper: arrived damaged.

Declared value

Declared value is the value a shipper states to a carrier in writing or electronically. In freight it can cap the carrier's liability (§ 14706(c)); in parcel it sets coverage bought above the carrier's default. Go deeper: claims by carrier.

Released value

Released value (released rates) is a lower freight rate offered in exchange for a capped carrier liability. For household-goods moves, the cap follows the Surface Transportation Board's released rates order (49 CFR 375.201). Go deeper: furniture claims.

Household goods vs commercial freight

In U.S. law, "household goods" means a person's dwelling property on a move, and excludes property moving from a factory or store unless the householder bought it, asked for transport and paid the carrier (49 U.S.C. § 13102(10)). A store shipping furniture to a customer is usually commercial freight. Go deeper: furniture claims.

Proof of value

Proof of value is the invoice, order record or receipt that shows what lost or damaged goods were worth. U.S. rules let carriers ask for the bill of lading, freight charges and a claimant-certified invoice (49 CFR 370.7). Go deeper: arrived damaged.

Improper packaging

Improper packaging is a carrier or insurer reason for refusing a claim: the goods weren't packed well enough to survive normal handling. Photos of the packing are the usual answer. Go deeper: packaging denials.

Parcel billing and coverage

These terms look like damage disputes but are about what a carrier charges or owes.

Dimensional weight

Dimensional (dim) weight is a billing weight calculated from box size: length × width × height divided by a carrier divisor. Carriers bill the greater of actual and dimensional weight, so a large light box can cost more than it weighs. Go deeper: dim weight disputes.

Shipping insurance vs carrier liability

Carrier liability is what the carrier owes under its own terms, often a default per-package amount. Shipping insurance is separate cover bought from an insurer or app, with its own claim rules and evidence demands. Go deeper: package protection.

Warehouse and fulfillment errors

These errors happen before the carrier touches the goods, so carrier claims can't fix them.

Mispick

A mispick is a picking error: the wrong SKU, variant or quantity was taken from the shelf for an order. Go deeper: mispick evidence.

Short-ship

A short-ship (short shipment) means the shipper sent fewer units than ordered. Unlike a carrier shortage, the missing goods were never in the box. Go deeper: wrong item sent.

Mis-ship

A mis-ship is an order sent with the wrong product, or to the wrong address. UN/EDIFACT status reason 92 calls it "Incorrect goods delivered" (code list 9013). Go deeper: wrong item sent.

Shrinkage

Shrinkage is inventory that is on the books but not on the shelf, from theft, damage, admin error or unexplained loss. 3PL contracts often set an allowance before the warehouse pays. Go deeper: shrinkage allowances.

Goods issue

In warehouse systems, a goods issue is the posting that removes goods from stock when they leave. SAP defines it as "the physical issue of goods or materials from the warehouse" (SAP Library). Go deeper: warehouse packing proof.

Quarantine

Quarantine is holding damaged or suspect stock apart from sellable inventory until someone decides what happens to it, so the evidence and the stock count both stay intact. Go deeper: quarantine SOP.

Retail compliance chargeback

A retail compliance chargeback is a deduction a retailer takes from a supplier's invoice for breaking routing, labeling or packing rules. It is not a card chargeback. Go deeper: compliance chargebacks.

Courier tracking statuses

Most courier statuses that confuse buyers describe a delay, not a loss.

Goods issue at sender

"Goods issue at sender" is a DPD tracking status meaning the sender has packed the order and the parcel has left its warehouse on the way into DPD's network. Normally the next scan comes from a DPD depot (paketda.de explainer, German). Go deeper: wrong item sent.

Wrong sorting

"Wrong sorting" (missorted) means the parcel was sorted to the wrong route or facility. UN/EDIFACT status reason 53 describes goods "sorted erroneously to an incorrect route" (code list 9013); the parcel is usually re-sorted and delayed. Go deeper: claims by carrier.

Incorrect item variant

"Incorrect item variant" is a return or claim reason meaning the product is right but the size, color, model or configuration is wrong. Go deeper: wrong item sent.

Returns and return fraud

Return terms describe what comes back and whether it matches what went out. The full playbook is the return fraud evidence playbook.

RMA (return merchandise authorization)

An RMA is the number or approval a seller issues before accepting a return, so the return can be matched to its order and inspected on arrival. Go deeper: returns grading.

Wardrobing

Wardrobing is buying an item, using it briefly (often once) and returning it as new for a refund. Go deeper: worn and returned.

Return swap

A return swap (switcharoo) is returning a different item, such as an older, broken, fake or cheaper one, in place of the one that was shipped. Serial numbers recorded at packing are the usual answer. Go deeper: return swap fraud.

Empty-box claim

An empty-box claim is a buyer saying the parcel arrived with nothing inside, or with something other than the order. Go deeper: empty box claims.

Refund-as-a-service

Refund-as-a-service is a paid service that files false "not received" or "empty box" claims on a buyer's behalf. Go deeper: refund fraud services.

Friendly fraud

Friendly fraud (first-party fraud) is a real cardholder disputing a genuine purchase they received, by mistake or on purpose. Go deeper: return fraud playbook.

Payment and marketplace disputes

Each dispute type asks a different question of your evidence. Platform rules are in seller dispute evidence by platform.

Chargeback

A chargeback is a card payment reversed through the card network after the cardholder disputes it with their bank. Go deeper: chargeback evidence.

Representment

Representment is the merchant's response to a chargeback: evidence sent through the acquirer to contest the dispute. Go deeper: disputes by platform.

INR (item not received)

INR is a dispute type where the buyer says the order never arrived. Card networks, payment platforms and marketplaces each have their own version, and proof of delivery is what answers it. Go deeper: three proofs compared.

SNAD (significantly not as described)

SNAD, also INAD (item not as described), is a dispute type where the buyer says what arrived differs materially from the listing: damaged, wrong, missing parts or fake. Go deeper: eBay not-as-described.

Visa 13.1: merchandise not received

Visa dispute condition 13.1, Merchandise/Services Not Received, covers goods the cardholder says never arrived. Visa's Dispute Management Guide for Merchants (October 2026) says the response must show the goods were "delivered, made available, or used as agreed." Go deeper: three proofs compared.

Visa 13.3: not as described or defective

Visa condition 13.3 covers goods the cardholder says were materially different, defective or damaged. The same Visa guide lists "quality assurance or inspection records that show the item was in acceptable condition before shipment" as relevant documentation. Go deeper: chargeback evidence.

Evidence terms

Each record answers a different question. The category is explained in what is proof of packing.

Proof of shipment

Proof of shipment is a record that a parcel was handed to a carrier: an acceptance scan, receipt or manifest. It shows something was sent, not what. Go deeper: three proofs compared.

Proof of packing

Proof of packing is a sealed record, usually photo or video, of what went into a specific order's box or onto a pallet before it shipped, tied to that order's number. It answers "what was sent and in what condition," which tracking and proof of delivery can't. Go deeper: what is proof of packing.

Chain of custody

Chain of custody is the documented, unbroken record of who handled the goods or the evidence, and when. Go deeper: evidence checklist.

File fingerprint (hash)

A file fingerprint, or hash, is a value calculated from a file's contents. Change one frame or pixel and the value changes, which is how an edited file is detected. Go deeper: how verification works.

Three notations people confuse

"Subject to count," "said to contain" and "shipper's load and count" look alike but have very different effects. Only the last two have a defined legal effect, and both favor the carrier.

Two notes put these terms to work: one on the receipt before signing, one to the carrier the day concealed damage is found.

Avoid "subject to count" or "possible damage" on their own: they record nothing specific.

This notice is not your claim. File the written claim with an amount separately (49 CFR 370.3).

How PallasMark fits these terms

PallasMark creates the record most of these terms ask for: what the goods looked like, tied to the order, pallet or shipment, before anyone else touched them. It runs on the phones a team already has.

At the bench, a packer scans the order barcode and the app opens that order, so every photo and video belongs to it. At the dock, warehouse records for receiving, packing and loading hold the shipment or pallet reference plus custom fields such as BOL, PRO or seal number, with a check of whether the record was made inside the facility. Every stored file gets a SHA-256 fingerprint, and a public verification page lets a carrier, insurer or bank check it with no account (how verification works). When a claim or dispute arrives, the evidence PDF gathers stills from the videos, photos, fingerprints and the order details on request, ready for you to attach. See carrier and insurance claims for the full flow.

For deadlines and evidence rules carrier by carrier, start at the hub: shipping damage claims by carrier.