Your first shipment into a new fulfillment center sets the tone for the relationship — a smooth receiving process gets your inventory sellable fast, while a disorganized one can mean delays before a single order ships. A little preparation up front avoids most of the common problems.
Before You Ship Anything
Confirm your product catalog is set up correctly in your 3PL's system before inventory arrives — SKUs, dimensions, and weights should all be accurate. Mismatched or missing SKU data is one of the most common causes of receiving delays.
Packaging and Labeling Requirements
Every 3PL has specific requirements for how cartons should be labeled and how products inside should be identified — barcodes, SKU labels, and carton contents all need to be legible and correctly placed. Ask for your fulfillment center's exact requirements before your supplier packs the shipment, not after it arrives.
- {{ICON_CHECK}} SKU and barcode labels applied correctly before shipment
- {{ICON_CHECK}} Carton labeling matches your 3PL's specific requirements
- {{ICON_CHECK}} Product dimensions and weights confirmed in advance
Advance Shipping Notices
Most fulfillment centers ask for an advance shipping notice (ASN) before inventory arrives — a heads-up on what's coming, in what quantities, and when. Sending this ahead of time lets the warehouse prepare for receiving and check the shipment against what was expected, rather than working it out on arrival.
What Happens at Receiving
When your shipment arrives, it's checked in against your packing list, inspected for damage, and counted before being put into storage. Any discrepancies between what was expected and what arrived should be flagged back to you quickly so they can be resolved with your supplier.
Common First-Shipment Mistakes
The most frequent issues are mismatched SKU counts between the packing list and the actual shipment, missing or incorrect labels, and inventory arriving before the corresponding SKUs are set up in the 3PL's system. All three are avoidable with a short pre-shipment check.
A Pre-Shipment Checklist
Before your inventory ships: confirm SKUs are set up correctly with your 3PL, verify labeling requirements with your supplier, send an advance shipping notice, and double-check quantities against your packing list. This short list catches nearly every common first-shipment issue.
Sending Your First Shipment?
Tell us what's coming and we'll walk you through our receiving requirements.
