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Shipping

Pick several orders in one walk with a pick list, make a packing slip for each box or pallet and carry the rest to the next shipment, and approve goods coming back with a return authorization.

3 documents

How shipping paperwork works here

Three documents cover goods going out and coming back. A pick list tells the person in the stock room what to take from the shelves, a packing slip travels with the goods, and a return authorization approves goods the customer sends back. None of them shows prices: the person picking, packing or opening the box is often not the person who pays. Prices belong on the invoice.

Document Who uses it When What it holds
Pick list You or the picker, in the stock room Before packing, for one or several orders Each item once with its Total, sorted by Location, a Picked column, and Pick to per order
Packing slip Sender and recipient With each box or delivery Order / PO number, Ship date, item codes, Ordered, Shipped before, This shipment, Remaining
Return authorization You and the customer When goods are coming back RMA number, Shipped, Previously returned, Returnable, Return now, Reason, Requested
Invoice Seller and customer When you bill What is owed, with prices and tax

Step by step

  1. Pick the goods. When several orders are waiting, put them on one pick list: type each order with + Add order, or choose Add from packing slips to take the quantities under This shipment from slips saved on this device. The same item ordered three times is listed once with its total, in walking order by shelf location. Print it, pick, and type what you found under Picked; a line marked Short tells you before packing that an order cannot ship in full.
  2. Pack each order with a packing slip. Fill in Ship from, Ship to and the lines, import them with the CSV item import, or start the slip from a purchase order. Put only what is in this box under This shipment; Remaining is calculated from Ordered, Shipped before and This shipment.
  3. Add the carrier details if you have them. Carrier and Tracking number are under More options and are printed as typed. Print the slip or download the PDF and put it in the box. The recipient can sign the Received by and Date lines.
  4. Ship the rest. When the next part is ready, open the slip and choose Create next shipment. Last time’s quantities move into Shipped before, and the previous slip stays as it was sent. The Partial shipments guide follows an order shipped in three parts, with the backorder written on each slip.
  5. When goods come back. If you agree to take goods back, open the packing slip or invoice they were shipped on and choose Create return authorization. Shipped, Previously returned and Returnable are filled in, and a return above what can still come back is flagged. Add a Reason per line, write the Return instructions, and send the form with its RMA number so you recognize the parcel when it arrives.

If you type more under This shipment than is left, the line is marked as over-shipped, and Download PDF and Print stay off until you tick I confirm the over-shipment.

Which document to use

  • Pick list when you collect goods for one or more orders and want one walk through the shelves. It stays in the stock room; the customer never sees it.
  • Packing slip for every box or delivery that leaves, one slip per box, so each can be checked on its own.
  • Return authorization only for goods coming back. It records quantities, reasons and what the customer asks for. It has no amounts and does not decide whether a refund or credit is due; your terms and local rules do.

Common mistakes

  • Mixing units on one order. A pick list never adds pieces and boxes together; it keeps two lines and warns you. Fix the unit on the order if it was a typing error.
  • Packing before checking short picks. If the pick list shows Short, ship what you have and leave the rest as remaining on the packing slip instead of lowering Ordered.
  • Lowering Ordered to what you shipped. The customer then sees nothing outstanding and may think the order is complete.
  • Leaving out the order number. Later boxes cannot be matched to the first, and later returns cannot be counted against the same order.
  • Typing a return from scratch. Start it from the packing slip or invoice, so earlier returns are subtracted. They are subtracted only when they were made from the same kind of document, so make every return for an order from its packing slips, or every one from its invoice, not a mix.
  • Using a packing slip for customs. Ask your carrier what an export needs.

Your data

Pick lists, packing slips and return authorizations are built in your browser and nothing you type is uploaded. Tick Keep my documents on this device or download a backup file if you want to carry quantities forward: the next shipment needs the earlier slip, a pick list can only read saved slips, and a return authorization counts only the earlier returns saved on this device. If a printout comes out cut off, see Fix print cut-off.