Sending items to our warehouse is required so that you can send bundle campaigns, send swag to events and make gifts available in your store portals. Follow our guidelines below to ensure your items are shipped correctly! 

 

🙌 Review our best practices before shipping your items:

1. Learn our terms!
2. Best practices for creating a ship notice
3. Causes for stocking delays ⚠️

📦 Ship items to our warehouse:

1. Create a ship notice in Reachdesk
2. Ship items to our warehouse
3. Update tracking and the estimated arrival date in your ship notice

👀 Track the status of your shipments to our warehouse:

1. Review and update your ship notice as needed
2. Troubleshoot issues with missing shipments

 

🙌 Review our best practices before shipping your items:

Learn our terms!

• Ship notice (SN) - The ship notice provides the details of an upcoming delivery to our warehouse. Each ship notice is created in Reachdesk and will have a unique ship notice number.
• Shipment - This refers to individual shipments shipped by the courier you or your vendors use. Each shipment typically has a unique tracking link. 
• Order - This refers to the order of products you placed with your vendor. An order will have an invoice associated with it, which can be useful to provide as proof of what has been delivered.
• Stock keeping unit (SKU) - This is a unique identifier for an item you create in Reachdesk.
• Pack - This refers to a collection of the same items packaged in a box. For example, a PACK of stickers (100 units per pack). If an item is a pack, our warehouse will not unpack it. 
• Kit - This refer to a collection of different items packaged in box. For example, a KIT of Stickers (100 units) and New Hire Books (50 units). If an item is a kit, our warehouse will not unpack it. 

 

Best practices for creating a ship notice

❌ DON'Ts	✅ DOs	Impact
DON'T send us an item we cannot store.	Review what items can or can't be shipped to our warehouse here	If our warehouse cannot accept your item, your shipment will be refused.
DON'T send us an item that is not an item in Reachdesk, and is not in a ship notice.	Follow our instructions for creating an item and ship notice here.	If our warehouse receives a shipment we cannot relate to a Reachdesk SKU and ship notice, your ship notice can be delayed.
DON'T give the same ship notice number to different vendors.	Create separate ship notices per vendor.	Vendors can send shipments at different times, which means your ship notice can be delayed.
DON'T create one ship notice if you have multiple shipments arriving at different times.	Create separate ship notices per shipment arriving at different times.	If you have a ship notice with multiple shipments, if there are more than 2 days between shipment arrivals, your ship notice can be delayed.
DON'T forget to add the ship notice number to the shipping label.	Copy the exact shipping label format generated when you create a ship notice.	If the shipping label does not have the ship notice number, our warehouse will not be able to identify your items and your ship notice can be delayed.
DON'T forget about customs for cross-trade zone shipments!	Add customs details to each item and pay for customs taxes.	If you or your vendor do not prepare the shipment with the correct customs documentation and payments, your shipment could be stuck in customs. You are responsible for any customs and duty costs associated. If Reachdesk is billed, that cost will be passed on.
DON'T leave your SN's estimated arrival date outdated.	Keep your SN's estimated arrival date up to date.	After 30 days of the estimated arrival date, we automatically cancel ship notices if we do not receive any shipments.
DON'T add incorrect shipping quantities in your ship notice.	Add exact item quantities per individual item, pack or kit in your ship notice. Attach a packing slip and/or the order invoice to ensure we are receiving the exact quantity you ordered.	If the items we count is not the same as the item quantity in your ship notice, your ship notice can be delayed.
DON'T forget to label and package items that are packs or kits properly.	Identify if items are packs or kits in the item name and description. Make sure they are broken out into separate packaging.	Follow the instructions for sending packs or kits here. If you do not label the item correctly, we can accidentally unpack your packs or kits and stock each item separately. If they are not packaged correctly, you will incur additional cost if our warehouse has to organize them into packs or kits.

 

Causes for stocking delays ⚠️

Items that arrive as non-compliant to our warehouse will result in delays in getting your items stocked and available for sending. Review the examples below:

• Ship notice number is not written clearly on the box or shipping label
• Items that arrive have no Reachdesk SKU
• Items that arrive are not included in a ship notice
• Items are not easy to identify based on the Reachdesk item description
• Items are not distinctly broken out into separate packaging (i.e. multiples of pens, stickers, shirts all mixed together in a box and not bagged/boxed separately)
• Item quantities that arrive are vastly different from what is expected in the ship notice
• Items for a ship notice arrive over weeks instead of days. This may cause additional delays as our team is subject to hold off stocking these items until nearly all items arrive to ensure the validation of all items.

 

📦 How to ship items to our warehouse:

Create a ship notice in Reachdesk

A ship notice represents the shipment of items you want to send to our warehouse. This must be created BEFORE you send any items to our warehouse.

1. If you are an admin or campaign manager, go to Warehousing > Inventory > Ship notices.

2. Click Send to warehouse.

3. Select the warehouse you want to ship items to.

4. Add items to your ship notice. You can either add existing items or click on "Add New Item." If you add a new item, after saving the item, you will return to the ship notice page.

5. Add the quantity of each item you want to ship. Review our best practices for setting the quantity!

6. Add the estimated date of arrival. This the date you expect the shipment to arrive in our warehouse. Review our best practices for updating this date!

7. Save your ship notice.

 

Ship items to our warehouse

Now that you have a ship notice in Reachdesk, let's start shipping your items to our warehouse. We understand that items can be shipped by your vendors directly so please share these guidelines with them if you are not shipping the items yourself.

 

1. Add REACHDESK and the SHIP NOTICE NUMBER to the first line of the shipping label that goes OUTSIDE your package. Go to the ship notice in Reachdesk and ensure your shipping label includes Reachdesk and the Ship notice number as per the example below (Attn: Reachdesk, SN #N33833)

2. Ship to the CORRECT warehouse address. Go to the ship notice page in Reachdesk and ensure you copy the correct warehouse address. Note that we have two different addresses for the US warehouse depending on whether you use USPS or not. Read more about it here.

3. Add the packing slip with the Item SKU and quantity details INSIDE your package. Download our packing slip here.

• Separate each item with the correct SKU number from Reachdesk and the correct shipping quantity. This is important for our warehouse to identify the items that are inside the box that you are shipping. Note that items are subject to being barcoded.
• Most vendors will let you add a note inside the package so please try to add this information in the note text box they provide.

Notes about Special Items:

• Heavyweight shipments - Any boxes arriving that weigh more than 20kg must be clearly labeled as “heavyweight” - we’re looking out for the health and safety of our warehouse staff.
• Palletized shipments - Please notify support@reachdesk.com if:
  • An inbound shipment is going to arrive in pallets within 1 week's notice
  • An inbound shipment is arriving in 20 boxes or more than 2 pallets
  • For inbound shipments larger than 5 pallets, Reachdesk customer service will provide the proper warehouse receiving department’s contact information. Your carrier must set up a delivery appointment before delivering your inventory.
  • Please ensure that your goods are only shipping on standard pallets (sizes below). Otherwise, you may be subject to additional charges.
    • US/Canada - 40” x 48”
    • UK/EU - 1,200mm x 1,000mm
    • Australia - 1,165mm x 1,165mm
  • All shipments into our EU warehouse require an agreed delivery time for the local courier therefore we request that you email support@reachdesk.com with your inbound delivery details (weight and number of shipments) and the courier company and we will organise this for you.

• Perishable items - You are responsible for knowing which items are perishable when you send them to our warehouse because we do not show this detail in the platform. 

 

Update tracking and the estimated arrival date in your ship notice 

To ensure timely delivery and help troubleshoot any shipping issues, it is important to update the tracking estimated arrival date in your ship notice. Follow the instructions below:

1. Copy the tracking details of your shipment.

2. Go back to the ship notice page, and click on Modify ship notice.

3. Update the estimated arrival date if you find that this has changed from your initial estimate.

4. Add the courier and tracking number.

5. Save your ship notice.

 

👀 Track the status of your shipments to our warehouse:

Review and update your ship notice as needed

Refer to the table below to see the different statuses your ship notice can have, what you can update, and when we send emails.

 

Status	Description	What can you update?	Email alert?
Creating	Your ship notice is being created. It usually takes a few seconds (or up to a few minutes) to process.	Nothing, you need to wait until your ship notice is created.	No
In Transit	Your ship notice has been created and it is now "In transit" to our warehouse. You can send items during this status, and make sure you update the estimated date of arrival.	- Items and quantities. - Estimated arrival date. - Tracking details.	Yes
Updating	Reachdesk is updating your ship notice to reflect any changes you have made, or the warehouse has made.	Nothing, you need to wait until your ship notice is updated.	No
Partially Completed	The warehouse has started checking in some items from your ship notice.	Nothing; we've started checking in items in your ship notice so it can't be edited.	Yes
Completed	The warehouse has completed checking in items from your ship notice. The email will inform you of any discrepancies between expected and received items.	Nothing, your ship notice is now complete and can't be edited.	Yes
Cancelled	You either canceled your ship notice or it was automatically cancelled 30 days after your estimated arrival date.	Nothing; the ship notice is now canceled and can't be edited.	Yes

 

Cancellation rules:

• You can cancel a ship notice that is "In Transit".
• We automatically cancel a ship notice that is "In Transit" 30 days after the estimated arrival date if we do not receive any items from that ship notice.
• You will get a notification that your ship notice is delayed 5 days, 10 days, 14 days, and 29 days past the estimated arrival date, with instructions on how to extend the estimated arrival date. You must extend your ship notice's estimated arrival date to prevent automatic cancelation.
• On the 29th day, you will get another notification that your ship notice will be canceled the day after, with instructions on how to extend the estimated arrival date. You must extend your ship notice's estimated arrival date to prevent automatic cancelation.

Note: It is the discretion of Reachdesk of when to reach out if there is an inquiry regarding your ship notice. The team is going to make every quality check possible to have the goods go to stock as expected and will flag via our support team if there is an issue.

 

How can you update your ship notice?

You can cancel or update your ship notice by clicking on the "Cancel" or "Modify ship notice" buttons on the top right of the page.

 

Troubleshoot issues with missing shipments

If you are seeing delayed or missing shipments to our warehouse, please follow the steps below to troubleshoot:

1. Review our warehouse inbound SLAs. Even if the shipment has arrived, we may still be checking in your items. 
2. Check that you have updated the estimated arrival date and tracking details in your ship notice. This will help us know when your shipment is arriving.
3. Review the order invoice or receipt from the vendor that shipped your goods to confirm the correct number of items shipped.

If you are still having issues, contact support@reachdesk.com with the following details:

• Ship notice number
• Tracking details
• Order invoice or receipt from the vendor that shipped your goods

 

Other details

• If you are shipping items from one of our warehouses to another warehouse, please follow the instructions on how to do a warehouse transfer.
• For any costs related to warehouse transfer costs, and special projects our warehouse can do, such as Kitting items, SKU merges and SKU unmerges,  SKU Counts or Checks, Item disposals and Item photos, please refer to our warehouse cost rates here.