A buyer returns “Ahmad’s coffee grinder” — but at receiving, the warehouse scan reads the unit’s barcode as FWU-2026-000000000555-C7, and the system flags it: that FWU belongs to a different order and a different product. This is the permanent-identity system doing its job. Here is what Ahmad sees and does.
Starting point
Every FBF unit carries a permanent FWU barcode bound to it from first storage; when a return is received, the scan validates that the physical unit matches the return’s expected identity. A mismatch — a customer returning a different unit, a swapped product, a duplicate label — is caught at the gate instead of silently entering Ahmad’s stock. The unit is quarantined and a foreign-unit case is opened; it does not become sellable stock and does not complete the return as-is.
Navigation path
Inventory›Inventory Cases›Foreign items
Steps
- Review the case. Open Inventory›Inventory Cases, tab Foreign items. Read what was scanned (
FWU-2026-000000000555-C7), what was expected, and the case status. - Check your side of the story. Was this actually one of Ahmad’s units from another order (customer mixed up two purchases)? Or not his product at all? His answer shapes the resolution.
- Provide information through a ticket. There is no free-text reply box on the case itself — Ahmad opens a support ticket (below) referencing the case, stating what he believes the unit is and what he wants: claim it (it is genuinely his stock), have it returned, or consent to disposal.
- Track the outcome on the case. The status advances as the investigation concludes; the original return, meanwhile, follows its own path since the expected unit never actually arrived.
What you should see
Possible endings, per the foreign-unit statuses: RESOLVED_CLAIMED (the claim is accepted and the unit is recognized as the seller’s), RESOLVED_REJECTED (claim declined), RETURNED_TO_SELLER (physically sent back), or DISPOSED. Which one applies is the investigation’s decision, informed by what Ahmad submits.
A common mistake
Assuming the return “completed” and re-listing the quantity. A foreign-unit catch means the expected unit did not come back — the returned object is quarantined and the case must resolve first. Selling against stock you don’t actually have back is how oversells happen. Wait for the case outcome before touching quantities.
When to contact support
Always, for this scenario — the ticket is the response channel. Support›New Ticket → Returns & Refunds → Returned Item Condition → Wrong item returned by customer. Include: the case reference from Inventory Cases, the scanned FWU FWU-2026-000000000555-C7, the original order number, and photos of what the correct unit should look like. State clearly which outcome you are requesting (claim / return / dispose).