Warehouse Goods-In Preparation Checklist for UK Importers

Half the problems in a UK warehouse start before the goods arrive. Wrong paperwork, no packing list, unannounced container, undefined pallet spec — small oversights that add cost, delay and irritation on both sides. This checklist walks through what a well-prepared inbound delivery looks like, so your goods land, get received and get available for dispatch without drama.

Print it, share it with your supplier, share it with your freight forwarder, use it every time.

Before the shipment leaves origin

1. Confirm the destination warehouse address

Sounds obvious. Missed daily. Full address, contact name, phone number and any site-specific instructions (yard access, delivery hours).

2. Confirm the delivery type

Full container (20ft, 40ft, high-cube)
Part-container / LCL
Palletised delivery on a curtainsider or box trailer
Loose delivery on a small van
Air freight (Heathrow-collected)

The warehouse needs to prepare a different slot for each.

3. Confirm the loading style

Palletised at origin (pallet count, pallet type, height, weight)
Floor-loaded stackable cartons
Loose hand-ball cargo

This drives the devanning time estimate and the team booked.

4. Send the packing list

Full packing list with SKU, description, carton count, units per carton and total units. Ideally in Excel/CSV. No packing list = guesswork = disputes later.

5. Send the commercial invoice

For customs clearance and reference. Include HS codes if you have them.

6. Send the BOL / AWB

Container number, seal number, vessel/flight, ETA, port/airport of arrival.

7. Agree the palletisation spec

If cargo needs to be palletised on arrival:

Pallet type (UK 1200×1000, Euro 1200×800)
Max height and weight
Wrap pattern
Labelling per pallet
Single-SKU vs mixed-SKU

Silence on the spec = pallets built to a generic spec that might not match your downstream requirement.

8. Agree the labelling spec

If units need labelling on arrival (FBA FNSKU, retailer barcodes, batch codes, country-of-origin), send the artwork or the label spec now.

9. Confirm any special handling

Fragile, temperature-sensitive, high-value, hazardous, batch-coded, restricted. Flag it before it lands.

Before the shipment arrives at the warehouse

10. Book a slot

The warehouse should confirm a goods-in slot in advance. Turning up unannounced with a container will cost time and money.

11. Confirm the paperwork one more time

24-48 hours before arrival, the warehouse should have:

Packing list
Commercial invoice
BOL / AWB / container reference
Palletisation and labelling spec
Any RMA numbers (for returns)
Any special-handling flags

12. Confirm customs status

For imports, is the container customs-cleared before it moves? Who is doing the clearance? What's the customs entry reference?

13. Arrange port haulage (if the warehouse isn't doing it)

VBS booking, haulier, ETA at warehouse. If the warehouse is arranging haulage, you can skip this.

On arrival

14. Container / vehicle check

Warehouse checks:

Seal number vs paperwork
External container / vehicle condition
Any damage or tampering photographed before opening

15. Cargo unload

Cargo unloaded, counted, palletised where required. Damages and shortages photographed as found and quarantined.

16. Reconciliation against packing list

Full reconciliation. Discrepancies reported the same day so you can raise a claim with the shipper while the evidence is fresh.

17. Booking into WMS

Every pallet given a pallet ID and booked into stock by SKU and quantity. Stock visible in your reports.

After receipt

18. Devanning / receiving report

Written report covering:

Pallet and carton counts
Photos (container, seal, damages)
Discrepancies
Location of quarantined stock
Storage confirmation

19. Stock available for dispatch

Confirmation from the warehouse of the date and time stock is available for pick-and-pack, marketplace, retailer or B2B dispatch.

20. Post-receipt review

If it's your first shipment with a new warehouse, run a short review call:

What worked
What was awkward
Any spec changes for next time

The second shipment is always better than the first if you feed back.

Small habits that pay off

Standardise your packing list template. Same columns, same units, every shipment.
Send documents as PDFs and editable files. PDFs for reference, CSV/Excel for warehouse to work from.
Use the same SKU codes end-to-end. Supplier, packing list, WMS, your ecommerce store, all one code. Renaming SKUs mid-supply-chain is a common source of pain.
Photograph pallets before they leave the origin factory if you can. Backs up any damage claims later.
Agree a naming convention for container references. Small thing, saves hours across a year.

Getting a UK goods-in operation set up

If you're an importer looking for a UK fulfilment centre that handles goods-in properly — from port haulage to devanning to sorting to storage — request a tailored quote and we'll walk through your specific setup, or WhatsApp the team.