| Onboarding Table of Contents | |
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Part 2: Sending in your first item (This page) |
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On this page
- Receiving education
- A receiving order (ASN) must be created in your account
- Products arrive as described (accurate dimensions, weights, etc.)
- Products show up at warehouse when they are supposed to
- Inventory management education
- Shipping education
- Order management education
Receiving education
All products sent to Shipwire must follow these three guidelines:
| 1. A receiving order (ASN) must be created in your account | ✔ |
| 2. Products arrive as described (accurate dimensions, weights, etc.) | ✔ |
| 3. Products show up at warehouse when they are supposed to | ✔ |
1. A receiving order (ASN) must be created in your account
Before a shipment is sent to a Shipwire warehouse for receiving, you must create a receiving order for it, which comes with its own unique ASN# and is used to identify your inventory when it arrives.
- Read more: Product definition specifications
2. Product arrive as described (accurate dimensions, weights, etc.)
Packaging, labeling, and accurately defining and describing your products is an important part of sending your products to Shipwire.
Weights and measures
Before you send your products to Shipwire, you must make sure that measurements and weight entered in your Shipwire account accurately match the measurements of your product.
Warehouse space is planned based on the incoming Receiving Order and the product definition. One example of what happens if products are not defined properly is that additional space has to be created, or the planned location of the inventory has to be changed, requiring additional time and causing you to be charged for nonstandard receiving.
Labeling
Shipwire provides specific guidelines on how your goods should be labeled when sent to our warehouses. Following these guidelines will ensure you get the most value out of the Shipwire service and will prevent unnecessary errors, delays, and/or damaged products. If your supplier is shipping products directly to a Shipwire warehouse for you, they must follow the same guidelines. For an easy overview of guidelines, read the article below.
- Read more: Labeling guidelines
3. Product show up at warehouse when they are supposed to
For inventory to be processed on time without any holds, you must make sure it arrives at the appropriate time and date, the ASN must be Pending, and the tracking information (if applicable), must be included. Make sure that:
| 1. Receiving order (ASN) is Pending | ✔ |
| 2. Tracking information is provided | ✔ |
| 3. Shipment arrives at pre-scheduled time and date | ✔ |
The ASN’s status must be Pending Delivery when the shipment arrives at the Shipwire warehouse. It must also come with accurate tracking information. Tracking information will be required whether you are shipping a single package or a whole container, and can be added to your ASN after you obtain it.
- Read more: Tracking information
When you create your ASN, set the estimated arrival date at the warehouse. If there are delays, you can change this date—it should be updated and kept accurate. It is very important that the shipment arrives at a Shipwire warehouse at its scheduled time and date. It helps us allocate space and time and ensures that your inventory is received quickly. For example, if your shipment arrives via a carrier at an unscheduled time during peak hours, it may be refused unloading until all other scheduled shipments are received. In that case, your carrier may charge you for holding a product until it is able to be processed by the warehouse.
Avoiding nonstandard receiving fees
Generally, anything which does not follow Shipwire standard receiving guidelines is considered nonstandard receiving. Receiving that takes longer than an hour is also considered nonstandard receiving. The receiving guidelines are made so that if followed, these fees can be avoided.
Here is an (incomplete) list of examples that do not follow Shipwire guidelines and would be considered nonstandard:
- Products are incorrectly labeled
- A shipment of mixed t-shirts arrives in a single case, missing poly bags and/or labels
- Product names (SKUs) received do not match those defined in Shipwire account
- Products contained in shipment do not match ASN, and/or packing list
- Contents of shipment (such as the exact number of items in case) is not known, is incorrect, or does not match ASN
- Shipment arrives with no tracking information
- Shipment arrives unexpectedly without an ASN
- Shipment has unpaid fees due such as customs/duties
- Labels are missing or do not match Shipwire labeling guidelines
- Pre-packaged and Ready-to-Ship products are not ready to be shipped
- Products arrive damaged
Inventory management education
The following are some common questions about how Shipwire manages inventory:
What are cycle counts and how often are they performed?
A Cycle Count is a progressive inventory counting project. Cycle Counts are performed every time an inventory variance is discovered, upon merchant request, and/or once a year during a scheduled count.
Does Shipwire count my product during the receiving stage?
No. To help you save on receiving costs, Shipwire adheres to the industry standard best practice of counting the contents of the first container and, if accurate, assuming the remaining containers have counts as indicated.
What is inventory variance and how is it handled?
When we discover a product’s actual inventory count differs from the count expected by the inventory management system, this is classified as inventory variance and the system is updated with the actual count.
How do I protect against inventory shrinkage?
Successful merchants do not assume 100% inventory accuracy, and always plan and leave room in their budget for variance. Shipwire follows strict workflow procedures which eliminate inventory variance causing errors. Shipwire provides inventory insurance coverage, which is the best and only way to mitigate against issues with inventory. Inventory insurance is strongly recommended.
Shipping education
How does Shipwire help reduce my shipping costs?
- Multiple warehouses: by shipping from fulfillment centers closer to your customers, shipping costs are lower.
- Packaging optimization: by rating an order’s contents into all available box sizes, Shipwire considers many packaging options.
- Rate shopping: each order is rate shopped across multiple carriers from every warehouse that can ship an order complete and via each available box size. The result is every order is optimized for transit time and cost.
Same Day Shipping Guarantee
The Shipwire Same Day Shipping Guarantee means that any order that drops to the warehouse by 5:30 AM Local Warehouse Time (LWT) qualifies for a same day shipping guarantee (credit for handling). Any shippable order that does not ship same day, will ship the next business day. Although not guaranteed, most of the orders that are transmitted to the warehouse in the morning (LWT) still ship same day. You can read more on the Same Day Shipping Guarantee page.
What carriers are available via Shipwire?
Shipwire has partnered with all of the global carriers, as well as many regional carriers, and is constantly adding more. You can see service levels for a limited number of our carriers:
Order management education
Order management in your Shipwire account is done through your Shipwire account interface.
- Check and manage inventory levels
- Review and manage orders before they ship
- Check on the status of orders and packages in transit
- Report a problem with a specific order
You can find out more about your account interface on the Account overview page, as well as by logging in to your Shipwire account.
Next: Part 3: Review Checklist and Going Live