What Is a Shipping Invoice? A Complete Guide for Businesses

create shipping invoice

Various documents including purchase receipts, proof of shipment, proof of delivery, and shipping invoices help us keep track of shipped orders and confirm deliveries. Shipping invoices play a crucial role in your business operations by ensuring transparency, accurate payments, and smooth logistics. By Liability Accounts adopting automated solutions or using a reliable shipping invoice template, you can generate compliant, error-free invoices in less time. It is usually in a physical form or a digital copy required to bill the client against the provided services.

Set up formatting

Now that you know what to include in your shipping invoice, you’re probably wondering how to make this important document. You can either create it from scratch on your own using tools such as Microsoft Word or Excel, which can be quite difficult and time-consuming, or use an online invoice generator. Firstly, a shipping invoice can function as a title of ownership because the responsibility for the products shipped is transferred to the carrier while in transit.

Proof of ownership for the listed goods

Easy-to-use digital tools and e-signature software will let you create a professional invoice that enhances your image, strengthens relationships, and keeps your company growing. Explore what more you can do with Adobe Acrobat for business today to keep the customers you worked so hard to find. The right time to dispatch a shipping invoice is always after confirming whether the delivery of the product has been made to the preferred location. You can confirm the delivery by adding the customer's signature (or delivery proof receipt). Here are some actionable tips to make the most of the automated invoicing process and ensure you get paid as quickly as possible. Get ready-to-use invoice templates from Moon Invoice and simplify your invoicing process in a way that you don’t need extra working hours.

The signature indicates that the terms and conditions outlined in the bill of lading have been acknowledged and signify agreement to the terms of carriage.
These details may include international and domestic shipping policies, how to deal with damaged goods, estimated delivery times, and shipment costs.
Both the carrier and shipper sign this invoice when assured of the good’s quality.
The term bill of lading is most often used in reference to international trade.
This invoice helps track shipments, verify contents (like the number of products), and maintain smooth logistics operations.

Special instructions provided by the shipper, carrier, or consignee

To take your invoicing experience to the next level, try the Bookipi invoicing app. With Bookipi Invoice, you can effortlessly create and send invoices to your clients, and get paid through on time through our integrated card payments feature. When collecting payment from another company or an normal balance individual, it’s important that they know exactly who they are paying. Establish a theme for your invoices by adding your brand logo, color schemes, fonts, photos, and other assets that your clients will easily recognize. With Adobe Express it’s easy to establish a brand presence when you make, save, and share your designs in the create-anything app. A Microsoft Word invoice template keeps formatting easy and flexible.

A credit invoice (or credit note) is a way to communicate returns to a client due to things like previous payment overages, rebates, accidental charges, or refunds. A contractor invoice is used by independent contractors who bill clients for the goods or services provided. When filling out this section of your shipping invoice, make sure to double-check everything. Your contact information needs to be correct, as the other parties shipping invoice may need to get in touch with you if there seems to be an issue with your shipment.

Are there options for specifying shipping terms and delivery instructions?

Once the buyer receives the products, ownership of the shipment is transferred to them. This is the most widely used invoice type, especially by small businesses. It includes basic details like the invoice number, business name, client’s name, contact info of both parties, and the payment amount due.

Create and Print Your Commercial Invoice

Bill of lading templates for Excel and Word are simple to edit and print. This article will discuss the various types, uses, and optimal strategies to create shipping invoices. It should help your company simplify the shipping paperwork, minimize the chance of rookie mistakes, and avoid unhappy customers. In the realm of invoices, commercial invoices are completely different animals. Our template was adapted from the International Trade Administration.