diff --git a/src/main/kotlin/net/shadowfacts/phycon/block/terminal/AbstractTerminalBlockEntity.kt b/src/main/kotlin/net/shadowfacts/phycon/block/terminal/AbstractTerminalBlockEntity.kt
index 870b30e..deee792 100644
--- a/src/main/kotlin/net/shadowfacts/phycon/block/terminal/AbstractTerminalBlockEntity.kt
+++ b/src/main/kotlin/net/shadowfacts/phycon/block/terminal/AbstractTerminalBlockEntity.kt
@@ -109,7 +109,15 @@ abstract class AbstractTerminalBlockEntity(type: BlockEntityType<*>): DeviceBloc
 	}
 
 	override fun doHandleItemStack(packet: ItemStackPacket): ItemStack {
-		val remaining = internalBuffer.insert(packet.stack, TerminalBufferInventory.Mode.FROM_NETWORK)
+		val mode =
+			if (packet.bounceCount > 0) {
+				// if this stack bounced from an inventory, that means we previously tried to send it to the network, so retry
+				TerminalBufferInventory.Mode.TO_NETWORK
+			} else {
+				TerminalBufferInventory.Mode.FROM_NETWORK
+			}
+
+		val remaining = internalBuffer.insert(packet.stack, mode)
 
 		// this happens outside the normal update loop because by receiving the item stack packet
 		// we "know" how much the count in the source inventory has changed