The Emergency Packaging Checklist: What to Do When Your Order Goes Wrong

If you're reading this, you're probably in a bind. A client's event is tomorrow, a shipment arrived damaged, or someone just realized the artwork was wrong. The clock is ticking. I've been there—more times than I care to admit. In my role coordinating packaging solutions for a B2B company, I've handled 200+ rush orders in 8 years, including same-day turnarounds for retail and manufacturing clients.

This checklist isn't about preventing problems (that's a different list). It's for when the problem is already here, and you need to fix it now. We'll walk through exactly what to do, in order. Honestly, the goal isn't to be elegant; it's to get you a usable solution before the deadline hits.

When to Use This Checklist (And When Not To)

This list works for about 80% of last-minute packaging crises. Basically, if your issue is with standard corrugated boxes, paper bags, or basic printed packaging, and you have at least 24 hours before you absolutely need the physical product, these steps will guide you.

I should add a caveat here. If you need a fully custom, die-cut, specialty-finished product in 12 hours, this checklist has limits. For that, you're likely looking at a local, hands-on printer who can physically run the job overnight, and the cost will be significant. That's a different beast. This guide is for leveraging the scale and logistics of major suppliers, like International Paper's network, where the value is in reliable, fast-turnaround production of proven items.

The 6-Step Emergency Packaging Triage

Step 1: Freeze Everything & Get the Full Picture (First 30 Minutes)

Stop all forward motion on the original order. If it's in production, call. If it's shipping, call. Put a hold on it. This feels counterintuitive—shouldn't we go faster?—but you need to understand exactly what you're dealing with before you commit to a new, expensive rush path.

Grab a notepad and answer these questions:

• Hard Deadline: When do the boxes/bags physically need to be at their destination? (Not "when should they ship.")
• Exact Quantity: What's the minimum viable quantity to get through the event/shipment? Can you split the order (some rush, some standard)?
• Root Cause: Is the problem wrong specs, damaged goods, or a missed deadline? This tells you if you need a reprint, a replacement, or a whole new vendor.
• Budget for the Fix: What's the financial impact of missing the deadline? A penalty clause? Lost sales? That number is your new "rush budget."

In March 2024, a client called at 3 PM needing 500 branded cartons for a trade show booth setup 36 hours later. Normal turnaround was 7 days. The upside of having the cartons was a $50,000 potential deal. The risk of using a new, unvetted rush vendor was a total no-show. I kept asking myself: is that potential deal worth a $4,000 rush order and the risk of failure? We had to decide fast.

Step 2: Call Your Primary Supplier First (Not Email)

Pick up the phone. Call your main packaging contact at your primary supplier. Don't just submit a rush order online. Explain the situation clearly: "We have an emergency. Our deadline is [DATE/TIME]. We need [PRODUCT] in [QUANTITY]. What is the absolute fastest, guaranteed way to make this happen with you?"

You want to hear two things: 1) A specific, guaranteed "in-hand" date, and 2) The all-in cost (product + rush fees + expedited shipping).

Here's the surprise: sometimes, they can shift scheduled production. They might have overruns or stock of blank containers that can be printed locally. You never know until you ask. Last quarter alone, our primary vendor (a large-scale producer like International Paper) accommodated 12 of our 47 rush requests by finding capacity we didn't know existed.

(Should mention: Have your exact SKU/item number and original PO number ready. It saves minutes, which matter.)

Step 3: Activate Your Pre-Vetted Backup (Simultaneously)

While you're on hold with your primary, have a colleague call your pre-vetted backup supplier. You do have a backup, right? If not, that's your top priority after this crisis. Use the same script.

The goal here isn't to pit them against each other in a price war. It's to get two concrete, guaranteed options as fast as possible. Time is your scarcest resource now, not money.

Part of me hates paying rush premiums—it feels like gouging. Another part knows the operational chaos a rush order causes in a plant, and honestly, maybe the fee is justified. I compromise by having these tough conversations with our suppliers before a crisis, negotiating rush terms as part of our annual agreements.

Step 4: Make the Decision & Lock It In (The 15-Minute Rule)

You now have (hopefully) two options with prices and dates. Don't agonize for an hour. Set a 15-minute timer.

Decision criteria, in order:

1. Guaranteed "In-Hand" Date: Does it beat your hard deadline with a buffer? (I require at least a 6-hour buffer for local delivery, a day for shipped.) If yes, proceed. If no, eliminate.
2. Certainty: Which supplier sounded more confident and controlled? Was one hesitant? Trust that gut feeling.
3. Total Cost: Only now look at price. The value isn't the speed—it's the certainty. For event materials, knowing your deadline will be met is often worth more than a lower price with an "estimated" delivery.

Call back the chosen supplier. Get a verbal confirmation. Then, immediately send a follow-up email summarizing: "Per our call at [TIME], you have guaranteed that order #[PONUMBER] for [PRODUCT], [QUANTITY] will be delivered to [ADDRESS] by [DATE/TIME] at a total cost of $[AMOUNT]. Please confirm receipt of this email and these terms." This creates a paper trail.

Step 5: Manage Internal & External Communication

This step is what most people skip, and it causes second-order crises.

• Internally: Tell your team (logistics, sales, whoever is waiting) the new plan. Be clear: "The packaging will arrive at 10 AM Friday, guaranteed. The cost is $X higher. We've confirmed it." Stop the panic spiral.
• Externally (The Client/Event Manager): You need to decide: do you tell them? If it's your internal mistake, and the solution is in motion at no cost to them, you might just deliver the solution. If the delay impacts them, you need a calibrated message: "We've encountered an issue with the packaging. Our solution is to rush a new order via guaranteed delivery, arriving at [TIME]. There will be no impact to your timeline. We're covering all associated costs." Control the narrative.

Step 6: The "Worst-Case" Handoff Plan

Even with a guarantee, have a Plan B. What if the truck breaks down? What if the local courier fails?

Your Plan B is simple: Who can you send to pick it up? Identify a person (an employee, a task rabbit, a dedicated courier) who is on standby for the delivery window. Get the supplier's warehouse pickup address and contact. If the delivery tracker shows a delay at 11 AM for a 12 PM deadline, you trigger the pickup: "We're sending someone. Have the order ready at the dock."

Calculating the worst case for that trade show client: a complete failure meant a blank booth and a very angry sales team. The best case was a seamless save. The expected value said to go with the primary supplier's rush option, but the downside felt catastrophic. So, we paid an extra $200 to have a local courier on retainer for the 2-hour delivery window, just in case. It wasn't needed, but it let us sleep the night before.

Common Pitfalls & What to Avoid

Pitfall 1: Chasing the lowest rush price. In a crisis, reliability is your currency. The cheapest rush option often cuts corners or uses less reliable logistics. Our company lost a $15,000 contract in 2023 because we tried to save $800 on a rush freight carrier who missed the delivery window. The "savings" cost us the client.

Pitfall 2: Assuming "overnight shipping" means "overnight production." This is the biggest misconception. The shipping is the last step. You need to confirm the production slot first. Always ask: "When can it go into production?" then "When will it ship?" then "What is the transit time?" Add those three numbers.

Pitfall 3: Not auditing the fix. If you're rushing printed packaging, you must get a digital proof approved immediately. Don't skip it because you're in a hurry. A rushed, wrong reprint is worse than a late, correct one. Use a 15-minute proof review window with all stakeholders on a call.

I have mixed feelings about this whole process. On one hand, it's stressful and expensive. On the other, having a clear checklist like this turns panic into procedure. It turns you from someone hoping for a miracle into someone executing a known recovery plan. And in B2B, that reliability—even in a crisis—is what builds unshakeable client trust.

A Final Note on Total Cost: The total cost of a rush order includes the base price, rush fees, expedited shipping, internal labor hours spent managing it, and the risk cost of failure. The supplier with the lowest quoted price often isn't the one with the lowest total cost. Factor in your peace of mind.

Bookmark this. Hopefully, you won't need it next week. But if you do, you'll know exactly what to do, in what order. Basically, freeze, call, decide, communicate, and have a backup plan. Now go fix it.