Packing Slip Template (2026): Free Generator for Order Fulfillment & Shipping

A packing slip is the sheet that rides inside the box: what's in the shipment, matched against what the customer ordered. If you sell online — Shopify, Etsy, a marketplace, or your own storefront — it's one of the few pieces of paper your customer actually touches. This guide is angled at order fulfillment for e-commerce and direct-to-consumer sellers; if you're looking for the B2B wholesale or courier-signed version of this document, see our delivery note template guide instead — same document family, different audience.

Quick Answer

• A packing slip lists what's physically inside a shipment — item, quantity, order number — so the customer can check the box against their order.
• Unlike an invoice, a packing slip usually leaves prices off, especially for gift orders.
• It's not proof of payment and it's not a legal contract — it's a fulfillment and returns-reference document.
• Include your return/exchange instructions on it — it's the one piece of paper guaranteed to be in the box when the customer opens it.

Packing Slip vs. Delivery Note vs. Invoice

All three documents can travel with a shipment, and the confusion between them is common because the content overlaps heavily. A packing slip is the consumer-facing, itemized "here's what's in the box" sheet used in e-commerce and retail fulfillment — usually no pricing, order-number-first. A delivery note (or dispatch note) is the B2B equivalent, more common in wholesale and courier deliveries, often signed by the receiver as proof of delivery. An invoice is a request for payment — it has pricing and payment terms, and it may or may not travel with the shipment at all, since many sellers email it separately. A single shipment can legitimately include a packing slip and a separate invoice; it almost never needs all three documents at once.

What to Include on a Packing Slip (Field by Field)

1. Order number. The single most important field — it's how the customer (and your support team) matches this box to their order confirmation.
2. Order date and ship date. Two dates, since they're often different by several days.
3. Shipping address. Confirm it's the delivery address, not necessarily the billing address.
4. Itemized list. SKU, product name, quantity ordered, and quantity actually shipped — flag any item that's on backorder rather than silently shipping short.
5. Shipping method and tracking number. Carrier and tracking reference, if not already emailed separately.
6. Price (optional). Many sellers omit pricing entirely on packing slips, especially for orders marked as gifts — this is one of the clearest differences from an invoice.
7. Return or exchange instructions. A short line pointing to your returns policy or portal — the packing slip is the one document guaranteed to reach the customer physically.
8. Packed-by / order reference (optional). Useful internally for warehouse quality control, even if the customer never looks at it.

Packing Slip Template (Copy This)

PACKING SLIP

Order #: [ORDER NUMBER]
Order date: [DATE]        Ship date: [DATE]

Ship to:
[CUSTOMER NAME]
[SHIPPING ADDRESS]

| SKU | Item | Qty Ordered | Qty Shipped |
|-----|------|-------------|-------------|
| [SKU] | [ITEM NAME] | [QTY] | [QTY] |

Shipping method: [CARRIER / SERVICE]
Tracking #: [TRACKING NUMBER]

Questions or returns? [RETURNS POLICY LINK OR INSTRUCTIONS]

Thank you for your order!

Worked Example

A small home-goods shop on Shopify ships a three-item order: a ceramic mug, a set of coasters, and a candle. The candle is temporarily out of stock, so the packing slip ships with the mug and coasters marked as shipped, and the candle line flagged "backordered — shipping separately, no extra charge." No prices are shown, since the customer marked the order as a gift at checkout. A short line at the bottom links to the shop's 30-day return policy. The customer opens the box, checks the slip against what's inside, sees the backorder note before they even have to contact support, and knows exactly what to do if something's wrong.

Generate Packing Slips at Scale with AI

Manually formatting a packing slip for every order doesn't scale past a handful of sales a week. AiDocX's AI delivery note generator produces the same itemized document set up specifically as a packing slip — SKU and quantity columns, order reference, backorder flags — so you're not reformatting a spreadsheet for every shipment. Describe the order and get a clean, print-ready packing slip in seconds, exportable as a PDF for your fulfillment workflow. Start free at app.aidocx.ai.

FAQ

Do I have to include prices on a packing slip?

No — it's a common and accepted practice to omit pricing on packing slips, particularly for gift orders. If you do include pricing, make sure it's consistent with what the customer was actually charged, since a mismatch creates confusion, not fraud risk, but still support tickets.

Is a packing slip the same as a shipping label?

No. A shipping label is affixed to the outside of the box and carries the delivery address and carrier barcode; a packing slip goes inside the box and lists the contents. You need both, and they serve completely different purposes.

What should I do if an item is missing from the shipment?

Flag it directly on the packing slip as backordered or shipped separately rather than leaving the customer to notice the gap themselves — it's the difference between a customer who understands what happened and one who files a support ticket assuming something was stolen or lost.

Do e-commerce sellers have any legal obligations around shipping timelines?

In the US, the FTC's Mail, Internet, or Telephone Order Merchandise Rule (16 CFR Part 435) requires sellers to ship within the time stated at checkout (or 30 days if none was stated) and to notify customers of delays. It applies to the sale itself, not specifically to the packing slip, but it's worth knowing if you're setting fulfillment expectations.

Can a packing slip double as a return form?

Some sellers print a tear-off return section directly on the packing slip. It's a convenient option, but make sure your return policy details (windows, condition requirements, who pays return shipping) are accurate and current wherever you print them.

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Shipping regulations and return policy requirements vary by jurisdiction and platform — confirm your obligations under applicable consumer protection rules before finalizing your fulfillment documents.