Short answer: label every carton with the SKU and quantity, send a packing list that matches the shipment exactly, book the delivery in advance, and keep one SKU per carton wherever possible. Clean inbound shipments are the single biggest reason a 3PL onboarding goes smoothly.
What information does the warehouse need before your stock arrives?
Send an advance shipping notice with the SKU list, unit quantities, carton count, carton dimensions and weights, and the expected delivery date. Without it, your inventory has to be counted blind, which slows receiving and increases the chance of a discrepancy.
How should cartons be labelled?
- One SKU per carton where you can. Mixed cartons take longer to receive and cost more.
- Label the outside of every carton with the SKU, the description and the unit count.
- Make sure each individual unit has a scannable barcode. Units without barcodes have to be labelled at the warehouse.
- Number the cartons, for example 1 of 24, so a missing box is obvious immediately.
Should you send pallets or loose cartons?
Palletised freight is faster and cheaper to receive. Floor-loaded containers save money on the ocean leg but cost more to unload: at PickPackShip container unloading is $700 and palletizing loose cartons is $15 per pallet, versus $10 to receive a ready-built pallet. If your cartons are uniform, palletise before shipping.
How much inventory should you send first?
Send four to eight weeks of cover for your top sellers rather than your whole catalogue. It keeps storage costs predictable while both sides confirm that receiving counts, order flow and integrations are correct. Storage at PickPackShip is $30 per pallet per month, $4 per box and from $3 per bin, so you can scale up once the process is proven.
What about products the warehouse cannot store?
Check restrictions before you ship. PickPackShip stores dry, non-perishable goods such as apparel, electronics, beauty products and general consumer goods, and does not offer temperature-controlled storage. Hazardous materials, food requiring refrigeration and anything needing special licensing should be confirmed in advance.
What should be ready on the software side?
Connect your store to the warehouse management system before the first shipment lands, agree how SKUs are named in both systems, and decide who buys the postage. You can ship on our carrier accounts with UPS, FedEx, USPS and DHL, or connect your own negotiated rates.
A short pre-shipment checklist
- Advance shipping notice sent and confirmed
- Every unit barcoded, every carton labelled and numbered
- One SKU per carton where possible
- Delivery appointment booked
- Store connected and SKUs matched
- Restricted items cleared in advance
Ready to send your first shipment? Talk to our team in Paterson, New Jersey.
