A delivery note tells you what was shipped. A packing list tells you where it is. On a 14-carton delivery that difference is the difference between a twenty-minute check and an afternoon of opening boxes to find out which one holds the missing sizes.
What a packing list contains
Per carton, it lists the items inside with size, color, quantity and usually the EAN, plus the carton number, its weight and its dimensions. The totals at the bottom should reconcile with the delivery note. Anything that does not reconcile is worth a call before you sign anything.
| Field | What it is for |
|---|---|
| Carton number | Matches the physical label on the box |
| Item, size, color | Identifies the exact variant inside |
| Quantity | What to count against |
| EAN | Lets you scan rather than read |
| Weight and size | Checking against the carrier's charge |
Why fashion cannot do without one
A single style in 4 colors and 6 sizes is 24 variants, and a season order spreads those across cartons in no obvious order. Two boxes can carry the same style in different sizes, or one box can carry six styles. Without a carton-level list, finding the two missing size 52 units means opening everything and counting twice.
How it is used at goods-in
Open the carton, find its number on the list, scan or count what is inside, and mark the line as checked. Discrepancies get recorded against that carton, which is what makes a claim credible: "carton 7 short two units of style 126031 in green, size 52" is a claim a supplier acts on. "The delivery was short" is one they argue about.
Cartons that arrive damaged or resealed are worth photographing before counting, because a carrier claim needs evidence gathered at delivery, not remembered later.
How Agilo handles it
Agilo reads the packing list along with the order and the delivery note for the same shipment, including scanned PDFs, and reconciles all of them into a single load. Received quantities are recorded per variant, so a shortage stays attached to the exact size and color it belongs to. When the load is closed, only what actually arrived moves into inventory, and the gap against the order is still on the record when the invoice turns up.