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Receiving Best Practices

At Shipwire, we provide efficient and transparent fulfillment services so that your operations run smoothly. The result, we believe, is a mutually beneficial partnership that will last for years to come. As such, we have developed receiving best practices that get your product to the available for sale stage quickly, reliably and in a very efficient manner.

By following these Receiving Best Practices, you can eliminate receiving delays at the warehouse. When a receiving adheres to these best practices, we refer to it as  Qualified and are able to provide expedited service levels. Conversely when a receiving is Unqualified, we must follow non-standard operating procedures to insure your inventory is successfully processed. Our goal is to get every product available for sale with no errors and in the least amount of time. By doing your part to insure your receivings are Qualfied, you can reduce the time it takes for us to process your inbound receiving.

Upon setting up your Shipwire account, you’ll be asked to enter product descriptions. For each product, you’ll be providing information such as name, SKU, dimensions and weight. By providing accurate descriptions of your products, you’re assuring that the Shipwire optimization algorithms and processes make every interaction with your product an efficient one. From there you’ll create an Advanced Shipping Notice (ASN) to inform us what products you’ll be sending to one of our warehouses and when it will get there so we’re ready for it. The entire receiving process flows from this Advanced Shipping Notice.

Qualified vs. Unqualified  Receivings

For a receiving to be “Qualified” it must:

  1. Arrive with Tracking and Active ASN [ info ]
  2. Arrive Properly Labeled & Packaged [ info ]
  3. Arrive with the Products Listed on the ASN [ info ]
  4. Arrive Free and Clear with Correct Importer of Record & Tax ID Information [ info ]
  5. Arrive at the Pre-Scheduled Appointment Date/Time [ info ]

Service Level Agreements

Our goal as your business partner is to bring the efficiencies of large scale logistics operations to businesses both big and small. To achieve this goal, we have designed processes that work smoothly and quickly when reasonable standards are followed. So too, we treat every product as if it were our own. That way you can be assured that we give every product and order the attention it deserves. Because of our focus on quality, we provide expedited service levels for Qualified receivings via standard operating procedures and qualitative service levels for Unqualified receivings.

The result is a standardized service that can process Unqualified receivings without impacting the quick processing times that Qualified receivings demand. In combination, we’re able to deliver outsourced fulfillment services that operate at exceptionally high performance levels and can handle the occasional problematic receiving.

Receiving Timeline Fees
Qualified 2-5 days $0
Unqualified 2-10 days $35 per ASN plus 25 ¢ item.

Below you will find everything you’ll need to insure your receivings qualify for Qualified Receiving Service Levels. We recognize there are times when there are parts of this process that are outside of your control (e.g. supplier labeling) and we provide Special Projects to help address getting your products available for sale. In some situations, a special project may be required at your expense to process a receiving (e.g. products arrive with no distinguishing labels or bar codes). If you require labeling, product kitting or other projects please realize it will take the warehouse team a little time to conduct the project during which time your products will not be available for shipping.  For more information, contact Shipwire Customer Care.

1. Tracking Requirements

For the tracking requirements to be satisfied for a received shipment, the following must be included with the Pending ASN:

Carrier Tracking Information
  1. Trackable Carrier Service is used.
  2. Carrier Tracking Number provided within 3 days or earlier of arrival.
  3. Carrier Contact Information
Pending ASN
For a receiving to be qualified, the ASN must be “Pending” at the time of arrival. For an ASN to sustain pending status, it must:
  1. Be Associated with a funded Account (current account, not past due)
  2. Be Associated with an Account funded sufficiently to satisfy any required security deposits.
  3. Not require an accepted Terms of Service addendum on file.
  4. Not have an Expected Arrival Date seven (7) business days past due.
    • Merchants can un-cancel an ASN and update it with a revised Expected Arrival Date.

2. Labeling and Packaging Requirements

For the labeling and packaging requirements to be satisfied for a received shipment, the shipment must be received with:

Labeling
  1. Each individual item must be identifiable as a SKU by label or bar code.
    • For Bar Coded Items, the bar code should include the  SKU ID with no additional characters.
    • Labels should be placed on the packaging of the item, not the actual item itself.
  2. Each bulk SKU (master carton or carton) must be identifiable by label or bar code and contain:
    • SKU for the Master Carton or Carton
    • “Shipwire Distribution”
    • ASN#
    • Address of the Destination Warehouse
  3. The SKU on the label must match the Product SKU as defined in the Shipwire System.
  4. Labels should be placed in an obvious and consistent easy to find place on the outer packaging. Labels should use a good adhesive so they don’t come off easily.

When you create your ASN, we will provide you an ASN Label for your master cartons. For more information see our  label and supplier instructions FAQ.

Packaging
  1. The packing list should list how many boxes, cartons and containers are arriving with the contents of each.
  2. The packing list should match the contents of the ASN.
  3. A Master Carton should not arrive with mixed skus inside. If mixing is necessary, one Master Carton should not have a mixture of more than 10 skus because it will delay the receiving time and possibly incur hourly receiving costs depending on complexity. Additionally, any carton of 2 or more mixed skus should follow best practice #1 in the “Packaging” guideline and include a specific packing list for that specific master carton.

3. Products Listed on the ASN

For the product listing requirements to be satisfied for a received shipment, the shipment must:

  1. Contain the products listed on the ASN.
  2. Contain Acceptable Products: For a complete list of excluded products please see our  Acceptable Use Policy.
  3. Contain quantities of each SKU equivalent to the quantities on the ASN (10% variance allowed).
  4. Contain products that are clean, organized, boxed and/or stacked.
  5. Contain unmixed inventory (only one SKU per box).
  6. Have matching Dimensions and Weights with the SKU values in the Shipwire System.
  7. Be received from the same carrier at the same time (otherwise multiple ASNs are required)

4. Importer of Record & Tax ID

If you are importing inventory into the U.S., Canada or the U.K. you will need to clear customs and pay taxes and duties on your inventory.  The received shipment must arrive free and clear of customs, duties and taxes.  For the documentation requirements to be satisfied for a received shipment, the following must be associated with the ASN:

Importer of Record (only required for importing)
  1. Shipwire is not listed as the Merchant of Record or Importer of Record or Owner of Record.
  2. Merchant is listed.
Tax ID (AKA Employer Identification Number)
  1. For importing into the US, a United States Federal Tax ID is required by Customs.
    • A merchant can obtain a Tax ID by Incorporating or
    • Register for a Tax ID online,  by calling 215-516-6999 or sending in a completed Form SS to the  Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

Please make sure you have a tax ID for the local jurisdiction that you are importing into. Shipwire can help you establish a Tax ID. Here are some guides to help you. If you have questions please contact sales or support.

Importers, your inventory must arrive at the warehouse free of customs, tax and duties charges. If Shipwire is asked to pay for any CTD fees at the point of receiving, these charges plus Shipwire fees will be passed through and paid by you before your inventory is ready for shipment. Shipwire reserves the right to reject shipments that request CTD payments of Shipwire.

For more information please see  Sending Us Merchandise.

5. Appointment Date/Time

For ASNs containing  8 or more pallets (512 cubic feet), the receiving must be scheduled in advance:

Call (888) 744-7947  ext. 2 with the following information:
  1. ASN#
  2. Name of Destination Warehouse (City)
  3. Carrier Name
  4. Carrier Contact Information (name, phone number)
  5. Number of Palettes or Floor Loaded indication
Shipwire will schedule the delivery window and call back the carrier with the delivery date/time. Our standard service level agreement for delivery appointments is 1-2 business days after receiving a scheduling request. For ASNs with less than 8 pallets no appointment is required.

More Information

Below is a review of common questions and points of distinction to help you qualify your inbound receivings and avoid hassles and delays. Please do review our terms and Acceptable Use Policy in full as this the list below is not a 100% complete list of the impact of receiving.

Shipping Service Levels

For a list of shipping service levels after receiving is complete please see Shipping from Shipwire

Our holiday and warehouse schedule can help you plan for holiday shipping.

Please also review outbound freight shipment and “>International shipping (crossing a border with a parcel).

Receiving, Payment and Billing

Payments and Billing. Understand the impact of sending merchandise.

Shipwire charges storage fees for products when they arrive at the warehouse. Once the inventory arrives at the dock and receiving is initiated storage fees will begin. If your receiving is unqualified or there is a special project attached to a receiving that delays a receiving you are still responsible for storage fees while the the products are being configured for storage.

Receiving Fees, Deposits and Lots

People often ask us why we don’t charge a receiving fee; does that mean that there is no cost to receive with Shipwire? No, there is a cost to receive your products. Our receiving costs are included with our plan and per item ship fees. We do this in-lieu of confusing and costly receiving fees, and to assist our merchants with minimizing their upfront cash outlay.

In the event you send Shipwire a high quantity of items, ship in bulk, dispose of obsolete inventory, or cancel service and ship your product back to yourself, please note:

  • Shipwire may require a security deposit for accounts with a high quantity of items. The number of items is determined at the time of receiving, and while a box can be broken down for individual shipping, it cannot be rebuilt for bulk shipping later. Sending product to Shipwire in Lots, and breaking it down as needed, can significantly reduce the number of items in your account. Here is an article to help you prepare for shipping in bulk at the time of receiving. This also applies to shipping in bulk back to yourself, or disposing of obsolete inventory in bulk.
  • Beginning when you first reach an aggregate of more than 500 items being stored by Shipwire, a receiving deposit will be required to fund your account.

If you have any questions about receiving, please contact us. We want you to feel comfortable that your inventory is setup price optimally. This means that you need to do all your planning and packaging before sending merchandise.

For additional information about deposits and fees please see our Terms of Service and payments and billing.

Moving Inventory

From time to time you may find it necessary to move a portion of your inventory from one Shipwire warehouse to another. Moving Inventory from one warehouse is done by shipping inventory out of one warehouse and scheduling an ASN for the inbound inventory into the new warehouse. When you ship your product your account will be charged the per Item fee for each item shipped. Shipwire recommends that you review proper receiving of inventory as a “lot” or “bulk receiving” to keep outbound shipping fees to a minimum. Kitting and bulk inventory management.

B2B, Bulk Inventory Receiving, Master Cartons and “Lots”

When you are storing inventory in the warehouse, store it in the largest configuration (“lot”) possible and only have Shipwire break down the inventory when you are ready to ship it.

EXAMPLE:

  • You are sending 5000 board games to Shipwire in Los Angeles. You expect to sell all the items through your web store to individual buyers. You can work with your supplier and have them sent as individual items or in boxes of 50.
  • If you told Shipwire to receive the board games as individual items (1 SKU for 1 Board game in your account), Shipwire would ask for a deposit for 5000 items being received and you would only be able to ship individual items out.
  • If you sent us 100 boxes of 50, Shipwire would not require a deposit as we are only receiving 100 items (in this case a box of 50 board games is 1 item). You would describe to products in your account: 1 box of 50; 1 individual board game. Reciving this way has many benefits:
    • If you sold an individual item, Shipwire can receive a box of 50 into 50 individual products so you can send to individual buyers
    • If you found a US distributor that needed 200 board games you would send them 4 items (4 boxes of 50) rather than 200 individual shipments.
    • If there was an error in the product and you needed to ship the board games back to the manufacturer, it would be 100 items shipped rather than 5000.
  • Planning to store in lots can save you a lot of money and increase your business flexibility.

For more information on lots, receiving and master cartons:

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