diff --git a/content/helpers.go b/content/helpers.go
index 83c31d917..c125e2a2b 100644
--- a/content/helpers.go
+++ b/content/helpers.go
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ package content
 import (
 	"context"
 	"io"
+	"io/ioutil"
 	"sync"
 
 	"github.com/containerd/containerd/errdefs"
@@ -76,14 +77,7 @@ func Copy(ctx context.Context, cw Writer, r io.Reader, size int64, expected dige
 	if ws.Offset > 0 {
 		r, err = seekReader(r, ws.Offset, size)
 		if err != nil {
-			if !isUnseekable(err) {
-				return errors.Wrapf(err, "unable to resume write to %v", ws.Ref)
-			}
-
-			// reader is unseekable, try to move the writer back to the start.
-			if err := cw.Truncate(0); err != nil {
-				return errors.Wrapf(err, "content writer truncate failed")
-			}
+			return errors.Wrapf(err, "unable to resume write to %v", ws.Ref)
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -103,14 +97,9 @@ func Copy(ctx context.Context, cw Writer, r io.Reader, size int64, expected dige
 	return nil
 }
 
-var errUnseekable = errors.New("seek not supported")
-
-func isUnseekable(err error) bool {
-	return errors.Cause(err) == errUnseekable
-}
-
 // seekReader attempts to seek the reader to the given offset, either by
-// resolving `io.Seeker` or by detecting `io.ReaderAt`.
+// resolving `io.Seeker`, by detecting `io.ReaderAt`, or discarding
+// up to the given offset.
 func seekReader(r io.Reader, offset, size int64) (io.Reader, error) {
 	// attempt to resolve r as a seeker and setup the offset.
 	seeker, ok := r.(io.Seeker)
@@ -134,5 +123,17 @@ func seekReader(r io.Reader, offset, size int64) (io.Reader, error) {
 		return sr, nil
 	}
 
-	return r, errors.Wrapf(errUnseekable, "seek to offset %v failed", offset)
+	// well then, let's just discard up to the offset
+	buf := bufPool.Get().(*[]byte)
+	defer bufPool.Put(buf)
+
+	n, err := io.CopyBuffer(ioutil.Discard, io.LimitReader(r, offset), *buf)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, errors.Wrap(err, "failed to discard to offset")
+	}
+	if n != offset {
+		return nil, errors.Errorf("unable to discard to offset")
+	}
+
+	return r, nil
 }
diff --git a/content/helpers_test.go b/content/helpers_test.go
index b9de4dcb2..4daccfd8f 100644
--- a/content/helpers_test.go
+++ b/content/helpers_test.go
@@ -42,9 +42,9 @@ func TestCopy(t *testing.T) {
 		},
 		{
 			name:     "copy with offset from unseekable source",
-			source:   copySource{reader: bytes.NewBufferString("foo"), size: 3},
-			writer:   fakeWriter{status: Status{Offset: 8}},
-			expected: "foo",
+			source:   copySource{reader: bytes.NewBufferString("foobar"), size: 6},
+			writer:   fakeWriter{status: Status{Offset: 3}},
+			expected: "bar",
 		},
 		{
 			name:   "commit already exists",
diff --git a/content/testsuite/testsuite.go b/content/testsuite/testsuite.go
index 8d6f35de5..7292d48ac 100644
--- a/content/testsuite/testsuite.go
+++ b/content/testsuite/testsuite.go
@@ -403,7 +403,6 @@ func checkResume(rf func(context.Context, content.Writer, []byte, int64, int64,
 				if err := rf(ctx, w, b, limit, size, d); err != nil {
 					t.Fatalf("Resume failed: %+v", err)
 				}
-
 				postCommit := time.Now()
 
 				if err := w.Close(); err != nil {