Cargo missing in transit: what should you do?
Request a formal written trace, save tracking and handover evidence, and notify your seller and cargo insurer promptly. Keep the investigation separate from any replacement purchase, with written approval of costs and a plan if the original cargo reappears. Ask Cambridge China Bridge to help assemble the factory dispatch records.
Request a formal trace
Ask the forwarder to open a formal trace with the carrier and give you a case reference, named contact and agreed next update. Include the booking reference, transport document, container or parcel identifiers, carton marks and missing quantity. Ask whether the cargo is unlocated, held, misrouted or recorded as delivered. A tracking gap alone does not establish permanent loss.
Request the last confirmed physical location, the evidence supporting it and the next intended handover. Ask which depots, terminals, warehouses and subcontractors are being checked. If delivery is claimed, request the delivery address, recipient details and underlying delivery record. Ask for written findings and, if the search fails, written confirmation of the outcome.
Preserve the handover trail
Save tracking exports and dated screenshots before the displayed history changes. Keep original emails, booking instructions, invoices, packing lists, transport documents, dispatch photographs and customs release records. Build a chronology showing each reported movement, its source and any unexplained gap. Label assumptions separately from confirmed events.
Ask the factory for its collection receipt, loading records, carton marks, weights and seal photographs. Ask the forwarder to preserve collection signatures, warehouse receipt and dispatch records, transfer scans and delivery evidence. Compare identifiers and quantities across each handover using the container handoff guide. A booking confirmation is not evidence that cargo was physically collected.
Notify the parties without waiting for the trace
Notify your contractual seller, the forwarder and your cargo insurer or broker in writing. Describe the goods as reported missing while the trace remains open. Ask each recipient to confirm receipt, the applicable notification and claim deadlines, required documents and who should submit the claim. Check the actual transport terms and policy rather than assuming a common deadline.
Ask the party that booked carriage to confirm who will lodge any carrier claim. Keep notification, tracing and compensation correspondence together, but do not assume a trace request also registers a claim. Send supplementary evidence as it becomes available and read the cargo insurance guide before accepting a settlement or signing a release.
Confirm the customs position separately
Ask your customs agent to establish whether the goods were released into free circulation and preserve the declaration and release evidence. No duty is due where you can show that goods were short-shipped or lost in transit before that release. The short-shipment duty and VAT guide covers the repayment route; do not treat a carrier's missing-cargo message as sufficient proof.
Keep the original shipment file separate from the replacement shipment file. Ask your customs agent to confirm the replacement valuation before dispatch. HMRC gives the price you would have paid the supplier as a possible basis for valuing free goods under its fallback method. Use the free samples and replacement declarations guide to prepare the supporting paperwork.
Control the replacement and eventual recovery
Before authorising production or dispatch, agree in writing whether the replacement is paid stock or a seller-funded remedy. Record the approved quantity, specification, inspection arrangements, freight choice, payer and cancellation terms. Name the person authorised to release the order. Keep expected insurance recovery separate from the replacement budget until the insurer confirms its position.
Agree what happens if the original cargo is found: whether the replacement can be stopped, where recovered goods should go and who pays additional transport or storage. Coordinate with the insurer before accepting recovered goods or agreeing their disposal. Ask Cambridge China Bridge's staff in China to collect factory dispatch evidence and check any replacement against the approved specification. Close the case only after location, claims, stock and payments are reconciled.
Frequently asked questions
Does missing tracking mean my cargo is lost?
No. Request a formal trace and the last confirmed physical handover. Ask whether the cargo is held, misrouted or recorded as delivered before treating it as permanently lost.
Should I wait for the trace before notifying insurance?
Notify your insurer or broker promptly while the trace continues. Ask for the policy's notification and claim deadlines and keep written acknowledgement. Do not assume the forwarder has notified them.
Should I order replacement goods immediately?
First approve the quantity, specification, costs and payer in writing. Agree cancellation and recovery arrangements if the original cargo reappears. Do not budget on an unconfirmed insurance payment.
What if the carrier says my missing cargo was delivered?
Request the delivery address, recipient details and delivery record. Compare them with your booking instructions and warehouse receipt records. Keep disputed delivery evidence in the trace and claim file.