Inspect the basin before you sign anything, and write what you see on the delivery receipt — that note is the single piece of evidence that decides a damage claim months later. Ten minutes is enough: open the top, run a hand around the rim, photograph all four sides and the crate, and write any chip or crushed corner onto the driver's paperwork before accepting the pallet. Federal law gives you at least 9 months to file a claim — but no second chance at a clean delivery receipt.
Three numbers worth knowing before the truck arrives
- 1.24%. The average LTL damage rate shippers reported for 2024 — about one shipment in eighty — in the 2025 Shipper Research Study by Drive Research for Flock Freight, a survey of 1,000 transportation decision-makers. It put the average claim at roughly $1,796.
- 9 months. Under 49 U.S.C. § 14706(e)(1), a carrier "may not provide by rule, contract, or otherwise, a period of less than 9 months for filing a claim against it," and no less than 2 years for bringing a civil action.
- 120 days. Once filed, 49 CFR § 370.9(a) requires the carrier to "pay, decline, or make a firm compromise settlement offer in writing" within 120 days — after acknowledging it within 30 days under § 370.5(a).
One shipment in eighty is a small number until it is yours.
Before you sign: the delivery receipt is the evidence
A signature with no exceptions noted says the goods arrived in good order, and everything after that becomes a concealed-damage argument you have to win. Note what you see, specifically, in the driver's presence.
| What you write | What it does | What "clean" costs you instead |
|---|---|---|
| "Crate corner crushed, left front" | Fixes external condition at the moment of transfer | No record that the crate was ever struck |
| "Chip, front rim, approx. 15 mm — photographed" | Ties the defect to delivery, not to the install | Damage dated to your first complaint |
| "Banding cut / strapping loose on arrival" | Shows the load shifted or was re-handled | Transit movement becomes unprovable |
| "Subject to inspection — carton not opened" | Preserves your position if the driver will not wait | A bare signature closes the question |
The ten-minute checklist
- Photograph the crate before you touch it — all four sides, the labels, any tilt-or-shock indicator; from the kerb if it is still on the truck.
- Check the crate for impact: crushed corners, split battens, cut strapping, punctures. External damage is your cue to open it there and then.
- Open the top only. Stone travels upright and braced; a basin lifted out on a driveway is a basin at risk.
- Run a hand around the rim and the outer top edge. Rims and arrises take almost all transit chips, and fingertips find a 2 mm nick a photo will not.
- Look for cracks under raking light. A torch held low across the surface throws a shadow into a hairline that direct light hides.
- Check the drain boss and faucet holes — the thinnest sections, and the first place a dropped crate telegraphs.
- Step back and view the whole basin from about 6 ft. The Natural Stone Institute's Dimension Stone Design Manual (2022) sets this distance for judging stone: "the viewer should be no closer than 6 ft. (2 m)" from the surface, and "natural light is preferred."
- Photograph anything you find with a tape or coin for scale, plus one wide shot showing the defect and the crate together.
- Write it on the receipt, in words, before signing. Keep your copy.
- Email the seller the same day with the photos and the receipt.
Damage, or the stone being stone?
Not every mark is transit damage. Fissures, crystal pockets, colour drift along a basin, a vein that reads differently than the photograph — these are characteristics of the material:
"Each block is different; each slab is different."
— Natural Stone Institute, Dimension Stone Design Manual (2022), §1.2
The same manual adds that "'uniformity of material,' when applied to natural stone, is a term of relative value." Transit damage looks different: a fresh, bright fracture face, almost always on an edge or corner, with no continuity with the veining around it. A chip exposes raw crystal; a fissure follows the stone. If you cannot tell, photograph it and ask — our stone basin guide shows these materials in normal light, and patina, not damage covers how they change over time.
Minor repair is also normal practice rather than a confession. The manual's field-repair section says plainly: "Repair or patching is sometimes necessary due to damage of material either on-site or in transit," adding that "repairs should not detract from the desired appearance or strength of the completed installation." A clean fill on a back edge is not a reason to refuse a basin; a crack through the bowl is.
What actually counts as a claim
Writing "damaged" on the delivery receipt protects your position — but it is not a claim. 49 CFR § 370.3(c) is explicit that "bad order reports, appraisal reports of damage, notations of shortage or damage" do not, standing alone, meet the filing requirements.
A valid filing under § 370.3(b) is a written communication that identifies the shipment, asserts liability, and makes claim "for the payment of a specified or determinable amount of money." In practice: reference, what is wrong, photographs, a figure — one email.
If you bought from us, you do not file that yourself. Send us the photographs and the annotated receipt and we handle the carrier side; what we cover is set out on our returns and guarantee page. Our DDP shipping explainer walks through the route from workshop to door, and why a basin takes 4–6 weeks covers what happens before it ships.
Two basins, and how they travel
Both leave the workshop braced upright in a padded timber crate, because the rim is what gets hit. The photographs below were taken on the crate the basin ships on.
More: travertine basins, Carrara basins, basins carved to your dimensions.
What we do before it leaves us
Every basin is photographed finished, on the crate, before the lid goes on — the same angles you will see on arrival. That set travels with the dispatch note, so delivery day is a photograph against a photograph. Specifying for a client? Reading a stone basin shop drawing covers the tolerances; dimensions go through our custom order page.
Frequently asked questions
Should I refuse delivery if the crate is damaged?
Usually no. Accept it, but note the damage on the delivery receipt in specific words before signing, and photograph everything. Refusing sends the basin back into the network to be handled several more times and delays resolution by weeks. The exception is a crate visibly crushed through to the stone — then refusal, noted on the receipt, keeps it simple.
How long do I have to report damage to a stone sink?
Under 49 U.S.C. § 14706(e)(1) a carrier cannot impose a window shorter than 9 months to file a claim, or 2 years to sue. Your seller's terms may ask for notice much sooner, so report the same day regardless.
Is writing "damaged" on the delivery receipt the same as filing a claim?
No. 49 CFR § 370.3(c) states that notations of shortage or damage do not, standing alone, constitute a claim. A valid filing under § 370.3(b) must identify the shipment, assert liability, and claim a specified or determinable amount of money, in writing. The receipt note protects your evidence; the written claim starts the carrier's 30-day acknowledgment and 120-day decision clocks under §§ 370.5 and 370.9.
How do I tell a transit chip from a natural flaw in the stone?
A transit chip has a bright, fresh fracture face, sits on an edge or corner, and ignores the veining around it. A natural fissure or crystal pocket follows the stone's structure and shares its colour. View the piece from about 6 ft. in natural light — the distance the Natural Stone Institute's Dimension Stone Design Manual (2022) specifies — before judging anything at close range.
