UK seller delivered too many goods: what now?
Count the goods against your order and any agreed quantity allowance. Keep the excess separate, notify the UK seller in writing that you reject it, and ask for collection arrangements without agreeing to buy it. Check the contract before accepting extra charges. For help reconciling a China-sourced delivery, contact Cambridge China Bridge.
Check the count against the agreed order
Compare the purchase order, seller’s confirmation and approved changes with the delivery note and actual goods. Count by product, colour and size, using the agreed unit: individual items, complete sets or saleable packs. Check whether apparently extra cartons contain replacements, samples or part of another order. Use our packing list guide to reconcile carton contents.
Photograph labels and contents, record the count and delivery date, and ask a colleague to check any discrepancy. Keep the suspected excess separate and tell warehouse staff to hold it from sale or use. Check any agreed quantity allowance before describing goods as excess.
Decide what you are rejecting
For a business sale governed by the Sale of Goods Act 1979, the default rule allows you to accept the contracted quantity and reject the excess. This is subject to trade usage, any special agreement and the parties’ course of dealing. If you accept the entire overdelivery, the Act requires payment for it at the contract rate.
Make your decision explicit: identify the ordered goods you intend to keep and the excess you reject. Get advice before rejecting the whole consignment, particularly where the excess is small or the contract is disputed. For separate quality problems, use our faulty goods guide.
Send a clear written rejection
Write promptly to the UK seller named on your purchase documents. Include the order reference, delivery date, ordered quantity, received quantity and rejected excess for each product. Attach your count record and photographs. Ask for acknowledgement and a collection proposal, and keep the correspondence together.
Suggested wording: ‘Our count shows an excess against the agreed order, as detailed in the attached record. We reject those excess goods and do not agree to purchase them. They are segregated at the delivery address. Please arrange collection and confirm the carrier, collection window and costs you will cover. Please correct any invoice charging for the rejected excess.’
Agree collection without accepting a purchase
Unless otherwise agreed, where you have the right to reject delivered goods and refuse to accept them, the Act says you need not return them yourself: notifying the seller of your refusal is sufficient. Check the contract before booking transport or agreeing to return charges.
Ask the seller to confirm collection arrangements and responsibility for packing, handling and transport costs in writing. Offer practical access arrangements, keep the goods protected and verify the collecting carrier. Record what leaves and obtain a collection receipt. If collection stalls, follow up and seek advice before disposing of, selling or using the excess.
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Reconcile the invoice and prevent a repeat
Tell finance which quantities and charges are disputed. Request a corrected invoice or credit note as appropriate, and reconcile it with the collection record. Keep the ordered goods and their payment arrangements separately identified. For a wider payment dispute, use our guide to withholding payment from a UK sourcing seller.
For the next order, use our production overrun approval guide to agree quantity limits and who may approve extras before dispatch. Cambridge China Bridge has its own staff in China; ask us to include the approved quantity schedule in the factory checking brief.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to pay for extra goods delivered?
The statutory default for a business sale allows rejection of the excess, subject to trade usage, special agreement and previous dealings. Accepting the whole overdelivery requires payment at the contract rate.
Can I keep my order and reject the extras?
Yes, that is the statutory default, subject to the applicable agreement and dealings. Identify the quantities you keep and reject, notify the seller clearly and segregate the excess.
Do I have to send rejected excess goods back?
Unless otherwise agreed, valid rejection requires notification rather than returning the goods yourself. Ask the seller to arrange collection and confirm the practical arrangements and costs in writing.
What if the seller does not collect the extras?
Keep the goods separate and protected, follow up in writing and offer collection access. Seek advice before selling, using or disposing of them. Retain the rejection notice and collection correspondence.