Send the SKU list before the stock moves, pack one SKU per carton, label every carton with the SKU and the count, put a packing list on the pallet, and tell the warehouse what is coming and when. Receiving is billed per pallet, per carton or per hour depending on the 3PL, so the cleaner the inbound, the smaller the receiving line and the sooner the stock is sellable.
A clean inbound is one the receiver can work without asking you anything: the list is in the system before the truck, each carton says what is in it, the pallet comes apart in the order the list is written, and the dock knew the truck was coming.
Send the SKU list before the stock leaves
Everything downstream scans against the SKU list, so it goes to the 3PL before the stock leaves the factory or your old warehouse, as a spreadsheet, not a PDF. One row per sellable variant, every size and color on its own row, with the SKU, the barcode on the unit (a UPC, an EAN or your own code), product name and variant, unit dimensions and weight, units per carton, and component SKUs if it is a kit. For supplements, gummies, beverage and food-grade goods, add lot number and expiry date. Flag hazmat, such as aerosols and alcohol-based products.
Dimensions set the bin and the storage bill, since storage is billed on space, and 3PL storage fees explained shows how cube is measured from carton dimensions. Lot and expiry are what let first-expired-first-out picking run from the first order, which lot tracking and FEFO walks through. And one barcode per sellable variant is the rule: a size run sharing one barcode scans as one item, and the receiver has to separate it by hand.
One SKU per carton, and a label that says so
The carton is the unit of counting. A full carton of one SKU is worked in a rhythm: open, scan, count against the label, shelve. A mixed carton has to be sorted before it can be scanned. One mixed carton costs minutes. A pallet of them costs the afternoon.
- One SKU per carton. If a carton must hold more than one, mark it MIXED and list its contents on the carton and on the packing list.
- The same count in every full carton of a SKU. Mark a partial carton as partial, with its count.
- A label on at least two sides: SKU, product name and variant, barcode and quantity.
- Old labels struck through or removed on reused cartons.
- A weight one person lifts safely. A two-person carton slows the whole line.
- The factory case pack where you can. A carton packed at the factory and never opened is the easiest carton to count.
The packing list: by carton, by pallet, with totals
The packing list is what the receiver counts against and what you sign off against, so it describes the physical shipment, not the purchase order. Email it before the truck is booked and put a printed copy in a pouch on the first pallet.
- A reference: PO number or shipment name, ship date, origin, carrier, and the tracking or freight PRO number.
- Pallet count and carton count.
- For each pallet, its cartons. For each carton, the SKU and quantity. For a mixed carton, every SKU and quantity in it.
- Totals per SKU, the number the dashboard should show when receiving is done.
- Lot and expiry per SKU, with quantity per lot when a SKU arrives in more than one lot.
- What the receiver should know before opening: fragile, glass, temperature limits, hazmat.
How to build the pallet
Build each pallet so it travels square and comes apart in the order the list is written. Use a standard wood pallet: FedEx recommends the 40 inch by 48 inch GMA pallet and advises against corrugated pallets (as of October 2026). Heaviest cartons on the bottom layer, one SKU per layer where you can, so a layer can come off and be counted as a block.
Stack in columns, with every carton inside the pallet edge. The same FedEx page says column stacking increases top-to-bottom compression strength and that overhang can reduce package compression strength by as much as 32 percent. A pyramid stack has no level top and crushes the cartons beneath it. Wrap from the pallet base up so the load is bound to the pallet, not only to itself; FedEx's guidance is 70-gauge stretch wrap, wrapped tightly, with edge boards the full height of the stack. Ask the carrier for its height limit before you build.
Label the pallet as well as the cartons: shipment reference, pallet number out of the total, and the SKUs on it. FedEx's freight packing guide says to place labels on the forklift-accessible sides, to put consignee information on all sides of the shipment, and that non-stackable freight carries a surcharge (as of October 2026). If a pallet cannot be stacked, say so on the bill of lading.
Freight or parcel, and the advance notice to send
Parcel carriers cap each package. FedEx Ground takes packages up to 150 lbs, 108 inches long and 165 inches in length plus girth, and USPS Ground Advantage caps a package at 70 lbs and 130 inches in combined length and girth, both as of October 2026. Parcel suits a handful of cartons. They travel separately, can land on different days and need no appointment, so send the tracking numbers with the packing list and hold the count open until the last carton arrives.
When the cartons would fill a pallet, ship a pallet. Freight moves the whole shipment at once on a bill of lading, with a delivery appointment, so the receiver counts one shipment against one list on one day. The bill of lading carries the warehouse address and dock number, pallet count, total weight, your shipment reference and a contact number, and it matches the packing list. If the stock ships from a factory or a previous warehouse, send them the carton and label rules above and copy the 3PL on their packing list.
Then the notice. Send it before the truck is booked and confirm it the day the shipment leaves: arrival date, carrier, tracking or PRO number, pallet and carton count, the packing list, and any special handling. A dock that receives by appointment gives you a slot; an unannounced truck waits for one. If the date moves, say so.
The mistakes that eat receiving hours
Receiving is paid labor, so each of these lands on the invoice.
| Mistake | What the receiver has to do | Time it takes |
|---|---|---|
| SKU list arrives after the stock | Create items from the product in hand, then email you for barcodes and dimensions | The shipment waits until the list exists |
| Mixed SKUs in a carton, or no carton label | Open, sort and count every carton by hand before anything scans | Minutes per carton instead of seconds |
| Two variants on one barcode, or a barcode that does not scan | Stop the line, separate the variants, print and apply new labels | Relabeling is project labor, billed by the hour |
| No advance notice or no appointment | Find dock space and pull labor off other work, or turn the truck around | The truck waits or comes back another day, with a redelivery charge |
| Lot and expiry missing for dated goods | Read dates off the units and enter them by hand, holding the stock meanwhile | First-expired-first-out picking cannot run until the dates are in |
| Overhang, pyramid stack or loose wrap | Count and photograph damaged cartons, set units aside, start a claim | Hours on damage, then the claim, then the units you cannot sell |
Receiving at YNK: scan-to-stock, billed by the hour
Inventory for our floor goes to 465 Mola Blvd, Dock 10, Elmwood Park, NJ 07407. Receiving hours are Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm ET. Receiving is scan-to-stock: every unit is scanned against your SKU list as it leaves the carton, counted and shelved, so look-alike sizes and shades never share a bin and the count on your dashboard equals the count on the shelf. Lot and expiry are captured at receiving for supplements, gummies, beverage and food-grade goods, and picking runs first-expired-first-out from the first order.
Receiving is billed hourly, with the rate confirmed in your quote, which is why this guide exists: a labeled inbound with a packing list takes fewer hours than a mixed pallet with none. Breaking down an inbound that arrived packed wrong, relabeling or re-bagging runs as special-project labor, an estimated $35 per hour. There is no setup fee. Storage is billed on the cubic feet you use, an estimated $0.65 per cubic foot per month, so the dimensions on your SKU list are the dimensions your storage line is built on. The rate card has every line, and the pricing FAQ covers receiving.
The intake asks for your SKU list with sizes and weights and a rough inbound plan. If you want us to arrange the truck, freight brokerage is available. If you are leaving another 3PL, the sequence in how to switch 3PLs applies: SKUs and rules mapped before the trucks move, so receiving is the only work left when the pallets arrive. That is how Found went from inbound to shipping in one weekend. Receiving and storage describes the floor.
The inbound checklist
- SKU list sent as a spreadsheet before the stock leaves, with barcodes, dimensions, weights, units per carton, kits, lot and expiry, hazmat flags.
- One barcode per sellable variant, scanned on a sample unit to confirm it reads.
- One SKU per carton, the same count per full carton, partials and mixed cartons marked.
- Carton labels on at least two sides with SKU, name and variant, barcode and quantity. Old labels removed.
- Packing list by pallet and carton with totals per SKU, emailed ahead, printed copy on the first pallet.
- Pallets column stacked, no overhang, heavy cartons low, wrapped from the base up, labeled on the forklift sides.
- Bill of lading matching the packing list, with the warehouse address and dock number.
- Advance notice sent before the truck is booked, with arrival date, carrier, counts and special handling.
- Inserts, mailers and branded packaging shipped as their own SKUs, on the list.
- Photos of the pallets at pickup, in case there is a damage claim.
Questions founders ask before the first inbound
Can my manufacturer ship straight to the 3PL?
Yes, and it saves a leg. Send the factory your SKU list and the carton and label rules in this guide, ask it to copy the 3PL on the packing list, and have the 3PL receive against your list, not the factory's.
Do I need a barcode on every unit?
Yes. Scan-to-stock receiving and scan-verified picking both read a barcode on the unit, so every sellable variant needs its own. Units that arrive without barcodes can be labeled at the warehouse as project labor, but the factory is the cheaper place to do it.
What happens when the count does not match the packing list?
The receiver counts what arrived, records the variance by SKU, and you get the report and the received count on the dashboard. The difference is yours to settle with the factory or the carrier, so pallet photos at pickup and a signed count at origin make that claim easier.
Should I send stock before my store is connected?
Yes. Receiving and the store connection run in parallel, and stock is sellable the moment it reaches the shelf. If you are switching 3PLs, your current warehouse keeps shipping until you cut over, so the inbound can land while orders still flow from the old floor.
Related: How to switch 3PLs without missing a day · 3PL storage fees explained · Receiving and storage on our floor