Legal Definitions - shipping document

A shipping document refers to any official record or piece of paperwork that accompanies or relates to the transportation of goods in a commercial transaction. These documents are essential for tracking, verifying, and ensuring the proper delivery of items from a seller to a buyer, often across different locations or countries. They provide critical information about the contents, origin, destination, and terms of the shipment.

• Example 1: Domestic Freight Manifest

  Imagine a large food distributor in Texas sending a truckload of various grocery products to several supermarkets across the state. The truck driver carries a detailed freight manifest, which lists every pallet, its contents (e.g., "10 cases of canned tomatoes," "5 cases of pasta"), the quantity, and the specific supermarket destination for each item.

  This freight manifest is a shipping document because it provides a comprehensive record of all the goods being transported commercially, allowing the distributor, the driver, and the receiving supermarkets to track and verify the entire shipment.

• Example 2: International Customs Declaration

  Consider a small business in France that manufactures unique artisanal soaps and ships an order to a boutique in Japan. For this international shipment, they must complete a customs declaration form. This form specifies the type of goods (artisanal soaps), their value, the country of origin (France), and the country of destination (Japan), along with other necessary details for international trade regulations.

  The customs declaration form acts as a shipping document because it provides essential information about the goods crossing international borders, enabling customs authorities to process the shipment, assess duties, and ensure compliance with import/export laws.

• Example 3: Detailed Packing List

  A technology company in California ships a bulk order of computer monitors, keyboards, and mice to a new corporate client in New York. Attached to one of the main boxes, or included inside, is a packing list. This document itemizes each specific product, its model number, quantity, and sometimes even its serial number, indicating exactly what is contained within that particular shipment.

  This packing list serves as a shipping document by providing a precise inventory of the goods being transported. It allows the receiving client to easily verify that all ordered items have been included and received correctly, matching the contents against their purchase order.