The last 5% of an order, packaging, shipping, and receipt, is where avoidable problems happen. Here's how to handle it cleanly.

Packaging: Standard orders ship in poly bags or boxes depending on quantity. Each piece should be individually folded or bagged. Larger orders come sorted by size.

Shipping times: Add shipping transit time to production time. 2-day shipping doesn't help if you ordered 10 days before your event and production takes 7 days.

Inspect on receipt: Don't save inspection for the day of the event. Open the package within 24 hours of receipt. Count pieces against your order. Check each piece against the mockup: a sample inspection of 10-15% of the order catches most quality issues.

Document problems immediately: If something's wrong, photograph it before anything is worn or washed. Date-stamp your photos. Contact your supplier within 48 hours. "We opened the box the morning of the event" is not a basis for a reprint claim.

Common legitimate issues: Misprints (ink errors, registration issues), missing pieces, wrong sizes. These are production errors and should be reprinted or refunded.

Common misunderstandings: Color variation from a screen (screens display differently), minor size variation within brand tolerance, expected texture on heathered fabrics: these are not defects.