Receiving Apparel From Overseas Factories

Single-SKU cartons, one style, one color, one size, receive quickly and accurately. Mixed cartons take longer, because every unit must be sorted and counted. If your factory can pack by SKU, ask for it.

Send your factory a short packing spec with every purchase order. It saves time and money on every inbound.

• Every unit in its own poly bag, with a barcode label showing the SKU, size and color.
• One SKU per carton where possible. If not, a contents label on the carton.
• Carton labels on two sides, showing style, color, size, quantity and carton number.
• A packing list that matches the cartons, carton by carton.
• Consistent carton quantities, so counts can be checked quickly.
• Size and color on the bag label, not just on the hangtag inside.

For barcodes, see apparel barcodes, UPCs and GS1. For a full prep checklist, see how to prep apparel inventory for a 3PL.

An advance shipping notice, or ASN, tells the warehouse what is coming before it arrives: SKUs, quantities, carton counts and expected date. It is the record receiving is checked against.

Send the ASN as soon as your freight forwarder confirms the shipment. Update it if the factory changes anything. An ASN that lists what was ordered rather than what actually shipped creates false discrepancies and slows down receiving.

Shipments that arrive labeled, scheduled and matched to an ASN are received and slotted within one business day. Unlabeled freight takes longer and costs more to receive. More on ASNs: what is an advance shipping notice.

1. A dock appointment is booked and your ASN is in the system.
2. Cartons or pallets are unloaded, sorted and staged in a receiving zone.
3. Each shipment is inspected for damage and matched against the ASN.
4. SKUs are scanned and labeled using barcode guns or manual input, and each SKU is photographed.
5. Discrepancies are logged in your portal and you are notified.
6. Stock is slotted by size, color and style, and becomes available to sell.

All of that happens within one business day for labeled, scheduled inbound. Your account manager is on site in Anaheim if a shipment arrives with a problem, like water damage or the wrong style in a carton.

Because every SKU is photographed at receipt, you have visual evidence to take back to a supplier or into a freight claim. Nothing is quietly absorbed into the count.

Ocean freight is slow and unpredictable. Build buffer into any date that depends on it.

• Plan for stock to be received at least a week before a drop or a restock goes live.
• For holiday stock, aim to have inventory received well before the first promotion.
• Do not announce a launch date until inventory is received and available.
• Tell your account manager when a large inbound is coming so receiving labor is planned.

See apparel imports through LA and Long Beach for the port side of the trip.

Not all apparel comes off a ship. Many Southern California brands produce, print or finish garments locally, then deliver them by van or truck. The same rules apply.

• Book a dock appointment, even for a small local delivery.
• Send an ASN, even if it is short.
• Bag and barcode each unit before it leaves the producer.
• Label each carton with what is inside.

Local deliveries are often a quick way to get a restock or a drop on sale. Do not let a missing label slow them down.

Ask for receiving to be spelled out as its own line in your quote. See apparel fulfillment pricing.

Give this to whoever on your team manages production and freight.

1. Send the factory a packing spec with every purchase order.
2. Confirm the packing list when goods are ready to ship.
3. Send the ASN to the warehouse as soon as freight is booked.
4. Share the forwarder's contact so the dock appointment can be set.
5. Update the ASN if anything changes in transit.
6. Review the receiving report and photos when the shipment is complete.
7. Raise any shortage or damage with the factory or carrier the same week.

Every one of these is fixed at the factory or in your paperwork, before the freight leaves.

For a drop, a preorder release or a restock, the date the stock becomes available is the date you can go live. Work backward from it.

1. Pick the launch date.
2. Allow time for receiving and a buffer: at least a week before launch is a safe target.
3. Allow for freight from the port to our dock.
4. Allow for the ocean or air leg, plus port delays.
5. That gives you the date the factory must ship.

If any step slips, move the launch date. Launching before stock is received leads to oversells and cancellations. See apparel drop fulfillment.

Inbound shipments sometimes include items that are not for sale: production samples, defective pieces, or damaged units. Tell us how to handle each before they arrive.

• Samples can be received to their own SKU and held for you or for content shoots.
• Defective pieces can be set aside, photographed and listed for your factory claim.
• Damaged units are inspected, photographed and held until you decide.

Keeping these out of available inventory protects your customers from receiving a second.

The first shipment to a new warehouse sets the pattern for every one after it. During onboarding we go through it with you.

• Your SKU list is mapped so every size and color has a barcode and a location.
• Your factory packing spec is reviewed, and we suggest changes that will speed up receiving.
• The first ASN is checked before the freight arrives.
• After receiving, you get the report and photos, and we walk through any discrepancies together.

Most clients go live within five to ten business days, depending on complexity. See apparel 3PL onboarding.

After each inbound, your portal shows what was received against what the ASN said. Read it the same week.

• Totals by SKU, so you can confirm every size and color arrived.
• Shortages and overages, flagged against the ASN.
• Photos of each SKU, and of any damage.
• Notes on anything held, such as unlabeled units waiting for identification.

If something looks wrong, call your account manager. They are on site and can check the cartons while the shipment is still fresh.

A unit counted wrong at the dock shows up weeks later as an oversell, a cancelled order, or a size that looks in stock and is not. Fixing it then takes a cycle count and an apology to a customer.

Checking every shipment against the ASN, photographing every SKU and flagging every discrepancy costs a little time on arrival day. It saves a lot more across the life of that stock. See apparel inventory accuracy.