Including an invoice for your shipments helps to ensure a smooth transit to your recipient and in some cases is a requirement for certain shipments crossing international customs checkpoints.

Different types of invoices may be accepted depending on the shipment however, retail value must be declared in all cases. We recommend attaching your invoices to the outside of your shipment, where it can be easily accessed in the case of a customs compliance check.

Authentic Sales Invoices

Most online transactions are recorded for both the buyer and the seller on an authentic sales invoice. These types of invoices can typically be printed directly from your online selling platform. They easily provide the information necessary for verifying the value of your shipments for border customs purposes such as the following:

  • Shipping address
  • Billing address
  • Item(s) sold
  • Amount paid (must be in retail value)
  • Method of Payment (i.e. credit card, cash, cheque, etc.)

We encourage you to provide an authentic sales invoice for your shipments through a verified third party such as PayPal, eBay, Shopify or Etsy whenever possible. If you are unable to reproduce an authentic sales invoice from a verified third party, screenshots are also acceptable.

Commercial Invoices

If there is no authentic sales invoice accompanying the sale of your items, there are a few instances where you may be permitted to provide a suitable commercial invoice for your shipments instead. We strongly suggest getting in touch with us before providing a commercial invoice for your shipments.

A commercial invoice is one that you may generate yourself however, it must include all of the following details.

  • Shipping address
  • Billing address
  • Item(s) sold
  • Amount paid (must be in retail value)
  • Method of Payment (i.e. credit card, cash, cheque, etc.)
  • Include either the item’s specific listing or website

Many e-commerce platforms, including Shopify, eBay, and Etsy, offer invoices that are easy to print. You can simply print the order page, which contains all the necessary details for your invoice. For Shopify specific instruction, click here.

Amazon FBA Invoices

Commercial invoices are mandatory for Amazon FBA shipments. More details on all additional requirements for these shipments can be found here.