B2B Carton-Level Tracking That Keeps Every Box Accounted For

B2B carton-level tracking sounds like a luxury until a retailer claims they never received three cartons from a 200-carton PO. Search trends show operators asking why are my cartons going missing or how do I improve carton tracking, usually after a dispute jeopardizes retailer trust.

If you have ever received a deduction for cartons you know were on the pallet, this will hit close to home.

Why carton-level tracking is essential in wholesale

Wholesale accuracy depends on more than pallet-level visibility. Retailers want to know exactly which cartons contain which SKUs, in what quantities, and in what configuration. When cartons cannot be traced individually, brands lose the ability to defend against claims or prove compliance.

Joel Malmquist, VP of Customer Experience at G10, explained the risk. "If you do not do it right, you get those massive chargebacks." Missing cartons quickly become missing dollars.

Where carton tracking usually breaks down

Tracking failures occur when warehouses rely on partial scanning, manual shorthand, or WMS platforms built exclusively for D2C. Without carton-level barcodes, scan validation, and pallet-to-carton mapping, cartons disappear into a black hole the moment they leave receiving.

Connor Perkins, Director of Fulfillment, sees the consequences constantly. "One of the pain points our clients have experienced with previous 3PLs is inventory accuracy. Maybe their previous 3PL was not great at picking the orders accurately. So they were losing money by shipping wrong items or wrong quantities of items." Inaccurate picks lead to inaccurate cartons.

Why D2C-first 3PLs cannot deliver carton-level tracking

D2C workflows track orders, not cartons. They track labels, not case contents. Wholesale requires both. Carton-level tracking demands system logic that maps each carton to a pallet, each SKU to a carton, and each carton to an ASN. D2C-focused systems crumble trying to meet those rules.

Bryan Wright, CTO and COO, put it clearly. "A bad WMS will not track inventory 100 percent. A good WMS tracks inventory through the warehouse at every point you touch it." Carton-level tracking requires that discipline.

How communication delays make carton tracking worse

Carton discrepancies require fast answers. Retailers expect immediate proof of what shipped. Many 3PLs route clients through ticket queues that respond too slowly to resolve disputes.

Joel sees this frequently. "At some 3PLs you get thrown into a ticketed queue, and you get different people replying every time. It can take days, if not weeks, to get a resolution." By then, disputes escalate and penalties stick.

G10 avoids that entirely. "You call one person. That is it. And things get done," Joel said.

What good carton-level tracking actually looks like

A proper system tracks every carton from receiving to outbound. Each carton gets a unique ID. Every movement is scanned. Cartons link to pallets. Pallets link to ASNs. Retailers receive itemized detail without gaps. Nothing disappears, nothing gets misinterpreted, and nothing requires manual reconstruction.

Connor described why setup is the foundation. "When we onboard a client who sells into places like Amazon or Walmart, the process changes depending on where they are selling. We work through all of their routing guide requirements and make sure the warehouse is ready before the first order ever drops." Carton tracking succeeds because onboarding sets clear rules.

Carton tracking under pressure

True carton-level visibility is tested during spikes, rush orders, and late inbounds. These moments create opportunities for cartons to be misplaced if the warehouse lacks strict controls.

Joel shared one example from a late inbound Target project. "Our supervisor, warehouse manager, and several employees worked the entire day into the night, then came back at 5 a.m. to make sure we had the routing completed." Carton-level accuracy held firm.

Another moment came during a viral D2C surge. "The client asked, Can you help us? And we said, Yeah, we gotcha. Then we sent a truck to the carrier at midnight." Even with pressure rising, carton tracking stayed stable.

The bottom line for wholesale brands

B2B carton-level tracking is not optional for modern wholesale operations. It protects margins, prevents retailer disputes, and strengthens inventory accuracy. Brands that rely on pallet-only visibility lose leverage when retailers challenge discrepancies.

If you want carton-level tracking that gives you confidence in every shipment, reach out to G10. You will get clean scan integrity, real-time data, and carton visibility that never leaves you guessing.