Shipping Invoice Template for Online Sellers

When a customer orders from your online store, they expect a clear record of what they bought, what they paid for delivery, and where it is going. A shipping invoice template gives every order that record in the same format: billing and shipping addresses, the items, the delivery method and charge, any tax, the total and a tracking number. It also helps when a parcel goes missing or a customer disputes a charge.

This guide is written for small online sellers on marketplaces, social media or their own site. It covers the fields to include, a sample shipping invoice with the math, how to handle tax on delivery charges, and what changes for international orders.

What a shipping invoice includes

Standard invoice fields

• Your business name, address, email and website, and tax ID if registered
• Invoice number and invoice date (and order number, if your platform uses one)
• Item names, SKUs or variants, quantities, unit prices and line totals
• Subtotal, discounts, tax and total
• Payment status: paid, or due date and how to pay

Shipping-specific fields

• Billing address and shipping address, labelled separately. Our guide to billing address vs shipping address explains why both matter.
• Shipping method: standard, express, next-day, collection point
• Shipping and handling charge as its own line
• Dispatch date and expected delivery window
• Carrier and tracking number
• Number of parcels and, for heavier goods, weight
• Returns information or a link to your returns policy

Shipping invoice sample

A small homeware shop in Texas sells to a customer in Ohio. The seller collects Ohio sales tax as a registered remote seller (illustrative rate 7.25 percent, applied to goods and delivery here for the example; check the actual rules for your locations).

Item	Qty	Unit price	Amount
Linen table runner, sage, 180 cm (SKU LR-180-SG)	2	$34.00	$68.00
Ceramic serving bowl, large (SKU CB-L-WH)	1	$52.00	$52.00
Subtotal			$120.00
Discount: WELCOME10 (10% of items)			-$12.00
Shipping: Ground, 2 parcels, 4.6 lb total			$11.50
Sales tax 7.25% on $119.50			$8.66
Total paid			$128.16

The math: items total $68 + $52 = $120. The 10 percent discount is $12, leaving $108. Add $11.50 shipping for a taxable amount of $119.50. Tax: $119.50 x 0.0725 = $8.66 (rounded). Total: $119.50 + $8.66 = $128.16. Invoice ORD-10482, dispatched 12 Nov 2026, tracking number shown below the addresses.

Whether shipping is taxable really does vary. Many US states tax delivery charges in some situations and not others, so read our state guide on whether shipping is taxable before you set up your template. For how to present postage, packaging and handling fees, see shipping and handling charges on an invoice.

How to create a shipping invoice, step by step

1. Set up your header with business details, logo and tax ID.
2. Use a numbering system that links to the order number, such as ORD-10482.
3. Add both addresses, clearly labelled, and the customer's email.
4. List items with variant details customers recognise (colour, size, SKU).
5. Apply discounts before tax, and show them as a separate line.
6. Add the shipping line with the method and number of parcels.
7. Calculate tax on the right base for your jurisdiction.
8. Add tracking and dispatch date once the parcel is labelled, and send the invoice.

Shipping invoice vs packing slip

Most online sellers use both. The invoice (prices, tax, payment) goes by email; the packing slip (items and quantities, no prices) goes in the box. That matters for gift orders, where the recipient should not see what was paid. Our comparison of a packing slip vs an invoice includes examples of each. If you deliver locally with your own driver and want proof of handover, a delivery receipt signed by the customer covers that.

International orders

When the parcel crosses a border, customs needs details beyond your normal invoice: a precise item description, the value and currency, country of origin, quantity and often an HS code. Many carriers create the declaration from your order data, but the information comes from you. For a deeper explanation, see our guide to the customs invoice and how to fill it. As an example of what customs authorities expect, Canada's CBSA invoice requirements list fields such as country of origin, currency of settlement and net and gross weight.

Also state on the invoice who pays import duties and taxes. If the buyer pays on delivery, say so, since surprise charges are a common reason for refused parcels.

Business buyers and tax IDs

Online sellers increasingly get orders from other businesses, such as offices buying supplies or shops buying stock in small quantities. These buyers often need a proper invoice for their records rather than an order confirmation, and in VAT and GST countries they need your tax number and the tax amount shown separately to reclaim it. Add an optional field for the buyer's company name and tax ID at checkout, and print it on the invoice when it is filled in. Business buyers also tend to ask for a PO number on the invoice, so a free-text reference field is worth having.

Shipping invoice layout tips

A few layout choices make shipping invoices easier to read on a phone, where most customers open them:

• Put the order number, date and total at the top, before the item list.
• Place the two addresses side by side on desktop, stacked on mobile, with clear "Bill to" and "Ship to" labels.
• Use product names customers saw on your site, not internal codes alone.
• Keep the tracking link prominent, near the shipping line.
• Add a short contact line for order questions at the bottom.

Ways to charge for shipping

How you price delivery changes what the shipping line looks like. Common models for small sellers:

Model	How it appears on the invoice	Best for
Flat rate	"Standard shipping (flat rate) $6.95"	Similar-sized products
Weight or zone based	"Ground, 4.6 lb, Zone 5 $11.50"	Heavy or varied items
Free over a threshold	"Shipping: free (order over $75) $0.00"	Raising order value
Actual carrier cost	"Express courier, actual cost $23.40"	Bulky or international orders
Shipping plus handling	Two lines: postage and packing/handling	Fragile or custom-packed goods

Showing "Shipping: $0.00" on free-shipping orders is worth doing. It reminds the customer of the value they received and keeps refunds simple if they return part of the order.

Partial shipments, returns and refunds

When part of an order is out of stock, you have two clean options: invoice the full order at checkout and note the backordered items with expected dates, or invoice only what ships and send a second invoice when the rest goes out. Either works, but say which you do in your shipping policy.

For returns, do not edit the original invoice. Issue a credit note or refund record that references the original invoice number, lists the returned items, and states whether shipping is refunded. Many sellers refund the item price and tax but not the original delivery charge unless the item was faulty; whatever your rule is, put it in your returns policy and apply it consistently.

Sending the shipping invoice

Timing matters. Send the invoice or order confirmation as soon as payment is taken, then a dispatch email with the tracking number when the parcel leaves. If you only send one message, send it at dispatch with the invoice attached and the tracking link in the body. Use a subject line the customer will recognise, such as "Your order ORD-10482 has shipped", and keep a copy of every invoice in case of chargebacks.

Platform invoices vs your own template

Marketplaces and store builders often create an invoice automatically. Check that it includes your tax ID, both addresses and the correct tax treatment of shipping. Our guide to ecommerce invoices on Shopify, WooCommerce and Amazon covers what each platform produces. If you sell through social media or messaging apps, you will need your own template.

Common mistakes

• Only one address shown, so a gift buyer's invoice shows the recipient as the payer.
• Shipping folded into item prices, which makes tax and refunds harder to calculate.
• No tracking number, so the customer contacts you for every "where is my order" question.
• Applying the discount after tax, which overstates the tax charged.
• Prices on the packing slip in a gift parcel.

For orders outside a platform, you can make a shipping invoice in our free invoice generator: add both addresses, a shipping line and tracking notes, then download the PDF to email. No sign-up is needed.