This guide is for ecommerce brands and importers sending inventory to a 3PL for the first time, or fixing a receiving process that keeps running into problems. You will get a step-by-step prep plan, a pallet and carton checklist, and the paperwork a warehouse needs to book your delivery.

Most receiving delays are not the warehouse’s fault. They start before the truck leaves: a mislabeled pallet, a carton with no SKU on the outside, an ASN that does not match what is on the dock. Every hour a pallet waits for a fix is an hour your stock is not available to sell.

Why inbound prep matters

Receiving is the first step of every 3PL relationship, and it sets the quality of your inventory data from then on. If the count and SKU at the dock are right, picking, cycle counts and billing stay clean. If they are wrong, you pay for it later in oversells, adjustments and disputes.

Good prep also keeps costs down. Pallets that need re-stacking, re-wrapping, relabeling or sorting are handled more than once, and extra handling is usually billed as extra labor.

Step-by-step: preparing an inbound shipment

1. Confirm your SKUs are set up. Send the 3PL a product list with SKU, description, case pack, and unit dimensions and weight. Match your SKU names to your store or marketplace so inventory syncs correctly.
2. Book a delivery appointment. Tell the warehouse the date, carrier, pallet count and carton count before the truck is on the road. Walk-ins can wait in line behind booked deliveries.
3. Send an advance ship notice (ASN). This is a list of what is on each pallet. Most teams use a simple spreadsheet or the 3PL’s portal. It lets the dock team check the delivery against a plan instead of counting blind.
4. Build clean pallets. One SKU per pallet where you can. If you must mix, keep each SKU in its own cartons and label every carton.
5. Label every carton and every pallet. Details are in the checklist below.
6. Prepare the paperwork. Packing list, bill of lading and PO number travel with the freight. Put a copy in a sleeve on the pallet too.
7. Track and confirm. Share the carrier and tracking number. After delivery, ask for a receiving report and compare it to your ASN the same day.

Pallet checklist

• Sound pallets. No broken boards or protruding nails. A damaged pallet can be refused or re-palletized at your cost.
• Standard size. The common 48 x 40 inch pallet is easiest to rack and store. Ask your 3PL what height and weight limits it accepts.
• Stable stacking. Heavy cartons on the bottom, square corners, no overhang past the pallet edge.
• Stretch wrap. Wrap the full load, including the base, so cartons cannot shift.
• Imported wood pallets. Wood pallets and crates arriving from overseas must carry an ISPM 15 treatment mark. The USDA APHIS and CBP websites explain the rule. Plastic pallets are a simple way around it.
• Clear pallet label. Put the label on at least two adjacent sides, at a height a scanner can reach.

Carton checklist

• SKU or item number on the outside of every carton, in large print.
• Unit count per carton written on the label. Mixed cartons should be avoided.
• Barcode that matches your system. If cartons carry a UPC or GTIN, make sure it matches the product list you gave the 3PL.
• Lot and expiration date on the outside for any product that has them, so stock can be rotated oldest first.
• Intact cartons. Tape the seams. Do not reuse boxes that are crushed or that carry old shipping labels.
• Weight a person can lift. Very heavy cartons slow receiving and raise injury risk.

Labels: what a warehouse expects to scan

Pallet and carton labels exist so that the warehouse system can identify the load in one scan. A good label shows:

• Your company name and the PO or reference number
• SKU and description
• Carton count or unit count
• A barcode

Many retailers and larger shippers use a GS1 serial shipping container code (SSCC), an 18-digit number that acts as a license plate for a pallet or case. If your freight will later ship on to retail buyers, ask your 3PL early whether SSCC labels at receiving will help. The details of retail labeling are covered on our retail and B2B EDI fulfillment page.

Paperwork a 3PL needs

Common mistakes that delay receiving

• Sending freight with no appointment or no ASN
• Mixing many SKUs on one pallet with no pallet label showing the contents
• Cartons labeled with a supplier’s internal code instead of your SKU
• Counts on the packing list that do not match the cartons
• Overhanging or leaning pallets that cannot be racked safely
• Sending damaged freight without noting it on the delivery receipt

Pallets versus floor-loaded containers

If your inventory arrives in a container rather than on a truck, the prep is different. Floor-loaded cartons are unloaded by hand and then palletized, while palletized freight can be moved off with a forklift. Our guide to shipping a container to a 3PL warehouse covers that process, and the container unloading page explains how we handle it.

How this fits with storage and fulfillment

Once received, pallets go to storage and your cartons or units feed order picking. Our pallet storage and warehousing service holds the pallets at our Vernon, CA warehouse, and our ecommerce fulfillment team ships orders from that stock. Vernon is about 20 miles from the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, which helps importers whose freight arrives by container. You can read more on our Los Angeles 3PL page.

FAQs

How far ahead should I tell a 3PL about an inbound shipment?

As early as you can, and always before the carrier is dispatched. Ask your 3PL for its notice window. Large or mixed deliveries usually need more lead time than a single pallet.

Do I need to put labels on every carton?

Yes, if you want fast and accurate receiving. At minimum, show the SKU and unit count on the outside. Unlabeled cartons often have to be opened and counted, which takes time and may cost extra.

Can I send mixed-SKU pallets?

You can, but one SKU per pallet is faster. If you must mix, keep each SKU in its own labeled cartons and list the contents on the pallet label and the ASN.

What should I do if a delivery arrives damaged?

Note the damage on the delivery receipt before the driver leaves, take photos, and tell your carrier right away. Then ask your 3PL for a receiving report that lists what was damaged.

Planning a first delivery? Share your SKU list and pallet plan with your 3PL before the truck leaves. It is the cheapest way to avoid a delay.