Why a Packing Slip Shows No Prices

This is the feature that defines the document, and it’s deliberate. A packing slip lists what is in the box; the invoice handles what it cost, and it travels separately — by email, or to a different address entirely.

Three reasons that separation matters, and every seller runs into at least one of them:

• Gift orders. The buyer doesn’t want the recipient opening the parcel and finding out what it cost.
• Dropshipping and fulfilment. When a supplier ships directly to your customer, a priced document would show your customer what you paid — and your margin.
• Business deliveries. The person receiving goods at a loading bay isn’t the person paying for them, and pricing on the warehouse floor serves nobody.

Some sellers do include prices on slips for straightforward retail orders, and that’s a choice rather than an error — but the default is no prices, and if you’re dropshipping or handling gift orders it isn’t optional.

What Goes on a Packing Slip

• Your business name, address, and contact details — the customer needs to know who to contact without hunting through their email.
• Order number, prominently. It’s the reference for every conversation that follows, so it belongs near the top in a size you can read at a glance.
• Order date and shipping date.
• Ship-to address, and the bill-to address where it differs.
• Item lines — SKU or product code, description, and the three quantity columns below.
• Quantity ordered, quantity shipped, and quantity backordered. See below — this is the part that matters.
• Package count — “Box 1 of 2.” Without it, a customer receiving the first of two parcels reports a short delivery.
• Returns information — how long they have, and how to start a return.
• A short message, if you use one.

The Column Most Templates Leave Out

If you ship two items from a three-item order, a slip listing only what’s in the box tells the customer they’ve been shorted. A slip with three quantity columns — ordered, shipped, backordered — tells them their third item is coming, and turns a complaint into information.

That one column removes a meaningful share of “where’s the rest of my order?” messages, and it costs nothing to include. Every template below that has it is worth choosing over one that doesn’t.

Packing Slip Example

Note what’s absent: any price, anywhere. And note the backorder handled explicitly — the customer knows the bowl is coming, when, and that it costs nothing extra, without having to ask.

Free Packing Slip Templates in MS Word

Each template below is editable in Word. Set up your business details, returns policy, and message once, then change only the order details per shipment.

Simple Packing Slip

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Printable Packing Slip Template

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Packing Slip Template

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Packing Slip – Blue Theme

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Laboratory Packing Slip Template

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Creative Packing List Template

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Packing Slip with Backorder Column

Includes ordered, shipped, and to-follow quantity columns plus a notes area — the version to use when part-shipments are common.

Short Packing Slip

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Product Shipment Slip

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Packing Slip Design

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Basic Packing Slip

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Packing Slip, Delivery Note, Invoice, or Export Packing List?

Four documents that all describe a shipment, and they aren’t interchangeable:

• A packing slip goes in the box and lists the contents. No prices.
• A delivery note is essentially the same document with one addition — the recipient signs it on delivery, and the driver takes a copy back as proof the goods arrived. Common in B2B and trade deliveries.
• An invoice is the bill. It travels separately, shows prices and tax, and is what the customer pays against.
• An export packing list is the formal customs document for international shipments. It breaks the consignment down package by package with marks, dimensions, and gross and net weights, and travels with the commercial invoice and certificate of origin. A packing slip won’t do that job.

The Packing Slip Message

Most sellers use the space at the foot of the slip for a short note, and it’s one of the few pieces of physical contact you have with a customer. A few things that make it land:

• Keep it to two or three lines. A paragraph reads as marketing; a sentence reads as a person.
• Say something specific to what you sell — how the item is made, how to care for it, what to do if it arrives damaged. Generic gratitude is forgettable; useful information isn’t.
• Make the returns route easy to find. Counterintuitively, clear returns information reduces complaints rather than inviting them: customers who know they can fix a problem are less likely to escalate one.
• If you ask for a review, ask quietly and last. A slip whose loudest element is a review request reads as transactional, and it’s the thing customers most often mention when they don’t leave one.
• Don’t print a discount code and nothing else. If you include an offer, put it after the thank-you rather than instead of it.

Practical Notes for Sellers

• Print two copies for international shipments — one inside the box, one in a document pouch on the outside. If the parcel is opened in transit, the contents list is available without unpacking.
• Put the order number where you can read it upside down in a pile of parcels. It’s the reference for packing checks, returns, and every support email.
• Pack against the slip, not from memory. Printing it before you pack and ticking items as they go in catches more picking errors than checking afterwards.
• Mark part-shipments on both slips — the first says what’s to follow, the second says what it completes.
• Keep a copy against the order. When a customer says something is missing, your packed-and-checked slip is what settles it.
• If your platform generates slips — Shopify, eBay, QuickBooks and others all do — use it for volume and keep a Word template for the orders that need something the platform can’t produce: a handwritten note, a custom message, or a manual part-shipment.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a packing slip?

A document included with a shipment listing what’s in the box, so the recipient can check the delivery against their order. It shows quantities and descriptions but not prices.

Does a packing slip show prices?

Normally no. Prices belong on the invoice, which travels separately — because the person opening the box may be a gift recipient, a dropshipping customer, or a warehouse clerk. Some sellers include prices on straightforward retail orders, but the default is not to.

What is the difference between a packing slip and an invoice?

The packing slip says what was sent; the invoice says what it costs and requests payment. One goes in the box, the other goes to whoever is paying.

What is the difference between a packing slip and a delivery note?

They’re near-identical. A delivery note adds a signature line — the recipient signs on delivery and the driver returns a copy as proof the goods arrived. Packing slips are more common in e-commerce, delivery notes in trade and B2B deliveries.

Do I need a packing slip for international shipping?

You’ll need more than one. Include a packing slip in the box for the customer, and use a formal export packing list with weights, dimensions, and package marks for customs, alongside the commercial invoice.

What should I write on a packing slip message?

Two or three lines: thank the customer, say something specific about the product or how to look after it, and make clear how to reach you if something’s wrong. Keep review requests brief and place them last.

Is a packing slip legally required?

Generally not for domestic shipments, though customers and retail platforms often expect one. International consignments are a different matter — customs authorities typically require a packing list alongside the commercial invoice, so check the destination country’s requirements before shipping.

Pete Smith

Pete Smith is a Business Management graduate and a passionate advocate for practical, accessible resources that empower professionals and entrepreneurs to succeed. With a strong foundation in organizational strategy and operational efficiency, Pete combines academic knowledge with real-world insights to simplify complex business processes. He is the creator behind a growing online platform dedicated to offering free, high-quality documents, templates, and actionable tips designed to save time and improve productivity.

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