Shipping and Delivery Checklist

Run AVS on the billing address and use the carrier's address-validation API (UPS, USPS, FedEx) on the ship-to. Flag PO boxes for carriers that won't deliver, APO/FPO for customs, and any address that fails normalization — these are the silent reasons for failed deliveries and address-correction surcharges.

Confirm Shopify Payments / Stripe captured the charge and check the fraud risk score (Shopify, Signifyd, NoFraud, or Kount). Hold any order with a high score, mismatched billing/ship country, or a free-email address on a high-AOV first-time order — chargebacks on shipped goods are unrecoverable.

Check on-hand vs. allocated in the OMS (Cin7, SkuVault, Linnworks). Overselling between Shopify and Amazon FBM is a leading cause of late-shipment-rate hits — if the unit was already allocated to another channel, escalate before promising the customer.

Hold orders containing CBD, supplements, alcohol, lithium batteries, aerosols, or age-restricted items. Each has carrier and state shipping rules — UPS/FedEx hazmat surcharge, signature-required for alcohol DTC states, ground-only for lithium.

Scan the SKU barcode on each unit against the pack slip — visual matching produces wrong-item shipments, which drive Amazon ODR and DTC return rates. For variants (size/color), the picker must scan the variant FNSKU/UPC, not the parent.

FBA-bound units need the FNSKU covering any existing UPC unless commingled. DTC units need the order ID barcode for the pack station scan-verify. Mislabeled units returned from FBA as unfulfillable are a recurring reimbursement-claim category.

Use the smallest carton that protects the product — oversize cartons increase DIM weight and damage rates from contents shifting. Take a photo of the packed parcel before sealing for any high-value or fragile order; this is the evidence file for carrier damage claims.

Weigh the packed parcel and measure L x W x H. UPS/FedEx audit and rebill on dim discrepancies — the surcharge plus correction fee can exceed the original shipping cost. Update the rate shop in ShipStation if the actuals differ from the quoted dim.

Rate-shop across UPS Ground, FedEx Home Delivery, USPS Ground Advantage, and any regional carrier (OnTrac, LSO) for the destination zone. For international, attach the commercial invoice and CN22/CN23, and confirm HS code on each line item.

Confirm cut-off times — UPS daily pickup vs. on-call, FedEx Express vs. Ground, USPS scheduled pickup. Missing the cut-off slips the order one business day, which directly hits Amazon Late Shipment Rate (LSR target ≤4%).

Get the driver to sign the end-of-day manifest with carton count and tracking numbers. This is your only proof for lost-in-transit claims when a tracking number never gets a first scan — without it, the carrier denies the claim.

Trigger the shipment-confirmation flow with carrier name, tracking link, and estimated delivery window. Branded tracking pages (AfterShip, Wonderment, Malomo) reduce the WISMO ticket volume that otherwise hits Gorgias.

Pull the daily exception report from AfterShip or the carrier API. Watch for stalled scans (no movement in 48+ hours), address-correction holds, and customs holds on international. Proactive customer outreach beats a 1-star review for a delayed package.

UPS allows claims within 60 days, FedEx within 9 months, USPS within 60 days for Priority. Attach the signed driver manifest, the packed-parcel photo, the commercial invoice, and the tracking history. Reship to the customer on day one of the claim — don't make them wait for the carrier process.

Pull proof of delivery (signature, geo-coordinates, or photo POD from UPS/FedEx). Save the POD against the order — it's your evidence on "delivered but not received" disputes, which are a top chargeback category for high-AOV orders.

Send via Yotpo, Okendo, or Junip on the DTC site, or use Amazon's "Request a Review" button (off-platform review solicitation for Amazon orders violates Seller Code of Conduct). Time the request 7-10 days post-delivery so the customer has used the product.

Issue an RMA via Loop Returns or AfterShip Returns. For exceptions where the package was damaged in transit, reship immediately and pursue the carrier claim separately — the customer should never wait on the carrier process. Tag the return reason for the monthly returns-rate review.

Mark the order closed in NetSuite / Cin7, confirm payout matches gross sales minus marketplace fees and refunds, and log the contribution margin against the SKU. Discrepancies between Shopify payouts and the bank deposit are the early signal of processor adjustments or chargebacks.