When a Restocking Shipment arrives at one of our fulfillment centers, we match it against the corresponding restocking shipment in the Hive App. If we can't match it to any, we categorise it as an unannounced restocking shipment. This can happen when:
- Missing Restocking Shipment label, making it impossible to identify the shipment.
- The Restocking Shipment was not created or was cancelled.
We also receive deliveries where the initial restocking shipment was created, but they contain extra SKUs that aren't listed on it. We categorise these as unannounced SKUs. Both cases are handled the same way.
What happens to the goods
Unannounced goods are held in the inbound area of the fulfillment center. They are physically at the warehouse, but they can't be restocked yet — which means they aren't sellable, and they can't release orders that are waiting on that stock.
The standard 48-hour restocking window starts once the restocking shipment has been identified and the warehouse team can match the goods against a restocking shipment. Until then, the clock hasn't started.
How to resolve Unannounced Restocking Shipments
When we receive an unannounced restocking shipment for your account, it appears on your Restocking page of the Hive App, above the list of all your restockings, showing:
- the fulfillment center and the arrival date
- photos of the delivery paperwork and the SKUs inside the boxes, under Show more info — you can zoom in and download all images at once
From there, you have two options:
Click on Announce this shipment as restocking: This opens the restocking shipment form, already set to the right fulfillment center. Add the SKUs and units that arrived and submit it. The warehouse team will be notified and will proceed to restock the goods within standard processing times — there's no ticket to open and no ID to send us.
⚠️ Please make sure to use the Announce this shipment as restocking button rather than creating a restocking shipment from scratch. That button is what links your new shipment to the goods waiting at the warehouse. If you create one separately, the arrival stays open, and the warehouse team won't know which shipment to receive the goods against.
- Contact support. Use this if you have any questions before we proceed to restock.
You can also get notified when there is an Unannounced arrival, and receive updates if the arrival stays open. To set this up, please go to Settings → Notifications and enable the Unannounced Arrival notification.
If the arrival isn't resolved
Inbound space is shared across all deliveries, so unannounced goods can't be held indefinitely. Each arrival shows the date until which we hold the goods. After that date, our Merchant Care team will take action, either by placing the units in your Sendbacks, or contacting everyone on file at your organization.
Any extra work required to sort deliveries that deviate from the guidelines, such as identifying an unlabeled shipment, counting units, taking additional photos, or separating mixed SKUs, will be charged at the hourly extra task rate stated in your contract.
During this time, the units are held in the inbound area, where they are at a higher risk of being lost or damaged. Please note that in such cases, we cannot offer compensation for any losses or damages.
How to avoid unannounced arrivals
To avoid delays, we strongly recommend creating a Restocking Shipment in the Hive App immediately after placing an order with your supplier and ensuring the supplier attaches the Hive Restocking Shipment label.