Inventory how-to

What to do when a supplier misses a delivery date

First check how many days of stock you have left and compare that to the new promised date.

Short answer: First check how many days of stock you have left and compare that to the new promised date. If you will run out before stock arrives, act immediately on the affected SKUs: expedite, substitute, or hold back demand. Then fix the lead time you used for that supplier so future orders account for the delay.

Work out your exposure first

Pull current stock on hand for every SKU in the late order. Divide by daily sales to get days of stock left. Compare that number to how many days late the delivery now is. If days of stock left is lower than the delay, you have a stockout coming and need to act now, not when the order actually arrives.

Decide on a short-term fix

Options are usually: ask the supplier to air freight or split-ship the most critical SKUs, find a backup supplier for those specific variants, or accept the gap and adjust pricing or visibility on the product while stock is low. None of these are free, so rank SKUs by how much revenue or how many orders they touch before you spend money fixing them.

Update the record so it does not repeat

Once the immediate problem is handled, update the lead time you have on file for that supplier to reflect reality, not the promise. If a supplier promised 14 days and actually took 21 days twice in a row, treat their lead time as 21 days going forward, or add extra safety days on top. This changes your reorder point and pushes future order-by dates earlier, giving you more buffer against the same supplier being late again.

Decide if the supplier relationship needs to change

If missed dates are a one-off, a short note on file is enough. If it is a pattern, consider splitting orders across two suppliers for the same SKU, or moving volume to a more reliable one. Track missed dates somewhere even if it is a simple spreadsheet, so you have evidence rather than a feeling when you negotiate terms or make the decision to switch.

Step by step

  1. Check stock on hand and days of stock left for every SKU on the late order
  2. Compare days of stock left to the new delivery estimate to see if a stockout is likely
  3. If a stockout is likely, contact the supplier about partial or expedited shipping for your top SKUs
  4. Line up a backup source or substitute for SKUs you cannot get in time
  5. Update the supplier's lead time on file to match actual delivery performance, not their quote
  6. Add extra safety days for that supplier if delays have happened more than once
  7. Log the missed date so you have a record for future supplier decisions

Worked example

Say you sell 6 units a day of a candle and had 40 on hand when you placed a reorder with a 14-day lead time. The supplier is now 10 days late, so the order that should have landed on day 14 will land on day 24. At 6 units a day, 40 units covers 40 / 6 = about 6.7 days, so you run out around day 7, more than two weeks before the order now arrives. You need an immediate fix, such as a rush shipment or a backup supplier, and going forward you should treat this supplier's real lead time as 24 days, not 14.

How SteadyShelf helps

SteadyShelf will show you current stock and days of cover per SKU and lets you edit a supplier's lead time and safety days so future order-by dates reflect real delivery performance. It does not contact suppliers about a late shipment, arrange expediting or backup sourcing, or track delivery history automatically, so you still need to log missed dates yourself and decide on a manual fix when one happens.

$29/month flat, unlimited products and suppliers, 30-day free trial. Run the numbers now with the free reorder point calculator.

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FAQ

Should I update the lead time after just one late delivery?

One late delivery can be a fluke, so a small safety day buffer is often enough. If the same supplier is late two or more times, update the lead time itself to match their actual pattern rather than their quoted time.

What if I don't have a backup supplier for an at-risk SKU?

Then your main options are to expedite shipping with the current supplier, slow down demand by raising price or reducing visibility on that product, or accept a stockout and plan the markdown or restock messaging. It is worth sourcing a backup for any SKU that drives meaningful revenue, specifically to avoid this situation next time.

Let SteadyShelf do this math for every SKU

Order-by dates per supplier, seasonal forecasts and draft POs for your Shopify store. $29/month after a 30-day free trial.

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