What Is a Packing Slip? Guide for Small Business + Free Template

12 min read

Whether you’re shipping handmade jewelry or bulk office supplies, a well-crafted packing slip ensures your packages arrive complete and your customers stay satisfied.

But what are packing slips? How do you create one that works for your business? This blog post answers these questions and more, providing you with everything you need to streamline your shipping process.

What Is a Packing Slip?

A packing slip is a document that accompanies shipped merchandise, listing the contents of each package in detail. Think of it as a roadmap for your shipment—it tells both you and your customer exactly what should be inside the box.

Unlike an invoice, which focuses on payment details and pricing, a packing slip concentrates purely on the physical contents of the shipment.

A packing slip typically includes:

Order number for easy reference
Customer information, including shipping address
Product descriptions with SKU numbers when applicable
Quantities of each item shipped
Date of shipment
Special handling instructions if needed.

Most packing slips are printed on standard 8.5″ x 11″ paper and placed inside or attached to the outside of packages. They serve as a communication bridge between your warehouse team, shipping carriers, and customers, ensuring everyone stays on the same page throughout the delivery process.

A well-designed packing slip provides essential information without overwhelming recipients with unnecessary details, such as pricing or payment terms, which belong on invoices.

Purpose of Packing Slips

Why do businesses need packing slips? The answer lies in the multiple benefits these documents provide across your entire operation.

Inventory Management and Accuracy

Packing slips act as your first line of defense against shipping errors. When your team uses a packing slip to verify package contents before sealing boxes, they catch mistakes before customers do. This simple quality control step dramatically reduces costly returns and exchanges.

Your warehouse staff can quickly reference the packing slip to ensure the correct items and quantities make it into each package. No need to wonder whether that blue sweater in size medium actually belongs in Mrs. Johnson’s order—the packing slip provides instant clarity.

Enhanced Customer Experience

Customers appreciate knowing exactly what they’re receiving, especially with large or complex orders. A clear packing slip allows them to verify their delivery immediately upon opening the package. This transparency builds trust and reduces customer service inquiries about missing or incorrect items.

When customers can easily match received items to their expectations, they’re more likely to become repeat buyers. A professional-looking packing slip also reinforces your brand’s attention to detail and commitment to customer satisfaction.

Streamlined Returns Processing

Returns are inevitable in retail, but packing slips make the process smoother for everyone involved. When customers need to return items, they can reference the packing slip to identify specific products and order details. Your customer service team can quickly locate the original order and process returns more efficiently.

This documentation trail also helps you identify patterns in returns, potentially revealing product quality issues or shipping problems that need addressing.

Legal and Financial Protection

Packing slips serve as proof of what was shipped and when. In cases of shipping disputes or insurance claims, these documents provide valuable evidence of package contents and delivery dates. They create a paper trail that protects your business interests while maintaining professional standards.

How to Create a Packing Slip

Creating packing slips doesn’t require advanced design skills or expensive software. Follow these straightforward steps to create packing slips that work for your business.

Step 1: Choose Your Format

Decide whether you’ll create packing slips digitally using software like Microsoft Word, Excel, or Google Docs, or use specialized shipping software. Digital formats offer more flexibility and easier customization, while specialized software often includes automation features.

Consider your order volume when making this choice. High-volume businesses benefit from automated solutions, while smaller operations might prefer simple, customizable templates.

Step 2: Include Essential Information

Start with your business header, including company name, logo, and contact information. This branding reinforces your professional image and provides customers with an easy reference for future orders.

Add dedicated sections for:

Order number and date
Customer name and shipping address
Itemized list of products
Quantity and description fields
Any special notes or instructions.

If you sell products with expiration dates, serial numbers, or other tracking information, add dedicated fields to capture these details on your packing slips.

Step 3: Design for Clarity

Use clean, readable fonts. Organize information in logical sections with clear headings and adequate white space. Remember, warehouse staff often work quickly, so clarity trumps creativity.

Consider using tables to organize product information, as they’re easier to scan than paragraph formats. Bold important elements like order numbers and customer names to help staff locate key details quickly.

Pay attention to printing quality and paper durability, especially if packing slips will be exposed to warehouse conditions or weather during shipping.

Pro tips:

Consider adding your return policy or customer service contact information to the package, alongside packing slips, to help customers with post-delivery questions.
Include space for employee initials or signatures to maintain accountability in your packing process.

Download a Packing Slip Template

Download this free packing slip template designed specifically for small businesses. This template includes all the essential elements discussed above and can be easily customized with your business information.

Download template

How to Use the Packing Slip Template

The process is straightforward:

Download and save the template to your computer
Replace placeholder text with your business name, logo, and contact details
Customize product fields to match your inventory system
Test print several copies to ensure proper formatting
Train your team on proper completion and usage.

Modify colors, fonts, and layout elements to match your brand identity while maintaining the functional structure that makes packing slips effective.

Generate Packing Slips Instantly

Creating packing slips manually for every order becomes time-consuming as your business grows. That’s where Ecwid by Lightspeed transforms your shipping operations from tedious to efficient.

If you use Ecwid by Lightspeed for your online store, you don’t have to create a packing slip from scratch for each order or struggle with templates. You can simply print out the orders!

A printable order is a summary of order details that confirms a successful order placement. You can use them as packing slips to ensure that all ordered products are inside a box before it’s shipped out.

With just one click, you can print an order and get a ready-made packing slip with all the important details.

Ecwid’s default printable order template is designed to work for any business. It includes your company name and address, the buyer’s name and shipping address, the chosen payment and shipping methods, ordered product details, and an itemized order total.

A sample packing slip you can generate in your Ecwid store with just a click

Ecwid’s built-in options let you add a store logo, tax ID, more business details, or a footer message to your printable order. For further customization, you can modify the invoice template to fit your specific needs.

Plus, your team can quickly locate an order by scanning its barcode on a printable order using the Ecwid Mobile app, which helps your team process orders faster.

Learn more about printable orders in the Help Center.

Streamline Shipping with Ecwid

That’s not all! Ecwid offers much more than just printable orders. The platform includes robust shipping tools designed to streamline your entire order preparation process.

To ship an order, you need to buy and print a shipping label. A shipping label works like a stamp in that it shows that you’ve paid the proper amount of postage. It also provides the information for the carrier to perform the delivery—the sender’s and recipient’s addresses, the weight and dimensions of the package, and the requested service.

Ecwid users can buy and print shipping labels right from the Ecwid admin. Rates are lower than retail rates at the post office, and order details are inserted automatically. This way, you save time and money while ensuring accuracy in your shipping process.

Learn more about buying and printing shipping labels from the Ecwid admin.

This integration eliminates the need to manually enter customer information multiple times, reducing errors and speeding up your fulfillment process. Your team can process orders from start to finish without switching between multiple platforms or systems.

Take Your Business to the Next Level

Packing slips might seem like a small detail, but they play a crucial role in customer satisfaction and operational efficiency. From preventing shipping errors to enhancing your professional image, these simple documents deliver significant value for minimal investment.

Take advantage of Ecwid by Lightspeed’s automated solutions to streamline your entire shipping process. Your customers will appreciate the attention to detail, your team will work more efficiently, and your business will benefit from improved accuracy and professionalism.

Explore Ecwid by Lightspeed’s comprehensive ecommerce solutions and discover how the right tools can help your small business compete with larger retailers while maintaining the personal touch that sets you apart.

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Oct 1, 2025

About the author

Anastasia Prokofieva is a content writer at Ecwid. She writes about online marketing and promotion to make entrepreneurs’ daily routine easier and more rewarding. She also has a soft spot for cats, chocolate, and making kombucha at home.