Packing slip

What a packing slip includes

A packing slip is written for the person opening the box, so it uses the customer's language, not the warehouse's.

• Order number and date, and the customer's reference or purchase order number.
• Ship-to address, and bill-to if different.
• Each item with SKU, description and quantity shipped.
• Items still to come, if the order was split or backordered.
• Return instructions, often with a returns reference.

A worked example

A customer orders 4 bath towels and 2 bath mats. Only 1 bath mat is in stock, so the warehouse ships 4 towels and 1 mat. The packing slip lists all three quantities clearly: 4 towels shipped, 1 mat shipped, 1 mat on backorder. The customer knows at once that the missing mat is expected, not lost.

Packing slip vs invoice, pick list and delivery note

An invoice is a request for payment, with prices and tax. A pick list is an internal document for the picker. A packing slip describes the contents of one package. In B2B shipping, a delivery note does a similar job for a delivery, often signed on arrival, and a bill of lading is the carrier's document for the freight.

A common mistake is printing the packing slip from the order instead of from what was actually packed. If a line was short-picked, the slip claims the item is in the box, and the customer reports a missing item that was never sent. Print slips after packing is confirmed.

Shipping documents in NextStock

NextStock verifies packing by scan, so the record of what went into each package reflects what was actually packed, including ship-in-own-container items. For B2B freight it produces delivery notes, load packing lists and bills of lading. See packing and shipping and B2B freight and loads.