Shipping Invoice Template

A shipping invoice template is a general account of items sent from one individual or a company to another. This invoice includes specific information about the shipment such as name of the exporter, company which is providing the shipping services, description of goods being shipped, total number of items shipped, cost of shipment, name of the country which is the manufacturer of the goods, shipment code, signatures of the concerned people and authorities. Any taxes or discounts will also be mentioned on this invoice. Moreover, the shipping invoice acts as a commercial slip which is issued by companies who deal with shipments, and it is always sent with a shipping package of goods, products or items. Nowadays, shipping companies want to deliver their client’s packages to their doorstep. That is the reason why they have a properly prepared shipping invoice format which they use to fill it with crucial information. This information includes details about the shipping package along with the data of customer, package weight, delivery charges, date of delivery, package type, sender information and data about the company that’s shipping the package.

Advantages of Shipping Invoice:

The shipping invoice template plays a crucial role in making international transactions easy and comfortable. The description of this invoice informs you about many aspects of the transaction. For instance, it informs about the total number of items being shipped, information about the seller, buyer’s details, and when goods will be delivered to the buyer. It further explains the price section where the buyer can get information about the total amount of bill which he/she needs to pay, along with tax which implies on the shipping process. The shipping invoice makes sure the description of goods or products being shipped doesn’t fall under any problems while crossing borders. This means it must be accompanied by other crucial documents, like a certificate of origin, customs clearance certificate, bill of lading, and other customs documents. The segment of payment details elaborates on details about the total paid amount and remaining balance amount which will be paid at the time of delivery. If there are other charges which were not part of the invoice, they should be born by the buyer. For instance, shipping extra charges, fines, violation charges due to non-compliance of terms by seller or buyer.

Contents of Shipping Invoice:

A professional shipping invoice format must provide ease of use as well as ample space for content. The user must feel comfortable while making adjustments for a perfect layout for next use. Therefore, you must study the most common kinds of content which every commercial invoice holds. Underneath are given examples of such content for your ease;

1- Title: A big title on an invoice can get the attention of staff towards the real purpose for which it is prepared. Therefore, it should be added to the top header area, either on the top of the right side or left side, wherever it is convenient. A bold and stylish font can be chosen for writing and making the title prominent from other font style.

2- Concerned Party: An invoice must start with the name of the party for whom the invoice is prepared and put into use. If there is a code generated for parties or IDs are issued, then these codes or IDs can be used here to hide the real identity of clients.

3- Address and Contact: There should be some details about the business as well as a personal address and contact of party for future references. For certain circumstances, users can insert an issued ID number or reference number instead.

4- Invoice Number/ Serial Number: In order to keep business records intact and retrievable, each invoice must be allocated a special number known as an invoice number or serial number. It can further be used in quick research.

5- Invoice Body: It is the detailed body segment of any invoice and usually comes in the middle area. A shipping invoice may include table-wise data to highlight the specification of invoice, either in units or in price. It can further attach different invoice numbers to establish previous transaction reference, if required. The user can add words to describe the nature of the transaction or other necessary details which he/she finds necessary. There is a subtotal and total row available at the end to highlight the amount and units, if a table is used. It should be filled with extreme care and due diligence because it is the most important segment of any invoice.

6- Special Note: This is a custom based segment which is used when some authority wishes to add a comment while putting in a signature. It is used for departmental purposes as well as while an audit is going on. The purpose is clear and imminent that somebody, if signing it, can add its remarks where he/she feels inevitable.

7- Signature: The last segment of any invoice can be the signature area, where an authorized official will require signing. An invoice without a signature is considered as null and void. But currently, most online stores and businesses are not following this practice. They are using invoice software where the user completes the invoice and submits it for approval. Once a transaction is approved, it is automatically printed out where no signature is required. The purpose of adding space for signatures means a senior official is looking at transactions and a double check is made for every transaction.

Details of Shipping Invoice Template:

Almost certainly, here the vital reason for generating a shipping invoice template is to identify the seller and buyer along with the package of goods. However, we may categorized this invoice into three main segments which are given as below:

1. A shipping invoice basically specifies the inventory or goods attached with the shipment. By reading this invoice, anyone can understand about the nature of the inventories which are attached.

2. Being proof, this invoice secures the shipping transactions. Its safety guards the interests of all the parties involved in the shipping transaction.

3. In case of any unfortunate event that may happen during shipment, this invoice establishes the bear burden of the loss according to the terms and conditions. Usually, before the start of the shipping process, both the shipping firm and the customer sign this invoice where specific and general terms and conditions are mentioned.

Templates Form Shipping Invoice:

Free Shipping Invoice Template