The packing slip is a shipping document with basic information about your bought package. It includes names, addresses, number of products, packaging, weights, etc. This paper is included in your order so the shipping process can start.

Your business will use it to prepare your customer’s orders correctly. Once you send the package, the delivery guy gives the packing slip to the customer to check that everything they order is there.

The packing slip is also called a packing list, so you will also see it in international and national shipping.

Ecommerce companies use packing slips to ensure that every order a customer does is 

delivered completely. It also helps – along the shipping label – to identify the products on a shipment. Moreover, it’s beneficial in finding missing items and processing multiple packages.

Now, there are other uses to give to the packing slips that you should consider, such as the following:

• Returning damaged items.
• Making multiple shipments.
• Tracking products with an itemized list.
• Using the packing slip for import customs clearance.
• Controlling stored and deliverable items.
• Serving as a purchase order voucher.

Only one packing slip is necessary to double-check product quantities, descriptions of items shipped, and other special instructions to complete both domestic and international shipments.

When you create an eCommerce store that sells physical products, you will encounter other documents that your customer or the carrier could request.

One of them is the Delivery note. This shipping document is attached to the package and expresses the number of items and descriptions. If you don’t receive a packing slip, you will probably receive one of these.

However, packing slips ensure other information that the delivery note doesn’t.

To print packing slips, you must know how to create one. Below you can see detailed explanations about what to include in your packing slip, the software you can use to create one, and how to draft your first slips without delays.

To create the packing slip, you will need a productivity tool to use cells, formulas, texts and visualize organized data.

Microsoft Excel is the ultimate software to manage information and create from slips to packing lists and even stock control in your business.

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Once you have Microsoft Office, you can use Excel to create your packing slips and other documents necessary for your small business – like the shipping list, manual orders, and invoices.

Here’s how you can do it:

1. Go to Excel and open a new file.

2. Select a range of cells and give them format using the Border function.

3. Start filling necessary information in the right order. Begin with the company name and then the shipping and billing details.

4. Include the slip number, order date, order number, and other information to cross-reference in case needed.

5. Create a list of ordered items with SKU numbers. Here you need to include all the items your customer purchased, the quantity, and a description of them – for example, the number of boxes, if dangerous, etc.

6. Add logos, signature, and contact information.

After that, you can print the document and put the packing slip inside the package.

If you don’t have enough experience creating files in Excel, you can use a packing slip template. This will save you time spent on creating one from scratch and reduce delivery time.

We gathered a few templates that you can use in your business. These are free resources that you can find online!

Sending one document or the other depends on the person receiving the product. If the shipping address is the same as the billing address, your customer should receive both an invoice and a packing slip.

On the other hand, if these directions are different, the one who pays receives the invoice and the one who receives the package gets the packing slip.

In the case of the packing list, this is a document you give to the carrier. When they get inspected by the police or customs, they use this paper to provide notice about what’s inside the package.

So, you, as a business owner, should provide two or three of these documents if you want your products to reach their destination in good condition and without delays.

Using packing slips on your eCommerce website will help you deliver top-quality delivery services and grant your customer an easy way to check if they have received their order correctly.

As a business owner, you will need to ensure your company prints this document and sends both a packing slip and an invoice – if necessary – based on your client's needs.

Manually writing the required information is time-consuming, so you need to automate it with productivity tools like Excel. This way, you can use templates and quickly fill up data like shipping addresses or use multiple packing slips if they are needed.