- Start with shipment channel: postal, courier, express, freight, or marketplace label.
- Check whether the parcel is a sale, sample, return, repair, gift, or document shipment.
- Collect platform/catalog fields before drafting any document.
- Use commercial invoice workflow for carrier and freight shipments when requested.
- Use CN22 or CN23 workflow only when the shipment is postal and the operator rules point to a postal declaration.
- Add a packing list when package count, weights, dimensions, or multi-carton contents need to be shown.
- Review certificate or license needs for regulated product categories before shipping.
- Verify before filing or shipping because destination and carrier requirements can change by product facts and value.
Guide
What Documents Do You Need for International Shipping Ecommerce?
Decision checklist for ecommerce shipping documents: commercial invoice, CN22, CN23, packing list, certificate, license, and catalog fields needed before drafting.
Answer Summary
Preparation checklist
International ecommerce documents depend on channel: postal, courier, express, freight, or marketplace label.
Commercial invoice, CN22, CN23, packing list, certificates, and licenses serve different purposes.
The right document set may be required differently by shipment value, carrier, destination, and product facts.
Required fields or decision table
Fields to prepare before the document draft
| Field or decision | What to prepare |
|---|---|
| Commercial invoice | Often used for courier, express, freight, marketplace, and many non-document cross-border shipments. |
| CN22 | May apply to eligible lower-detail postal parcels when operator and destination thresholds allow. |
| CN23 | May apply to higher-value, heavier, multi-item, or more detailed postal parcels. |
| Packing list | May be requested when package count, carton contents, weights, or receiving checks matter. |
| Certificate or license | May be required for regulated products, restricted goods, origin claims, food-contact items, batteries, cosmetics, or destination controls. |
| Platform/catalog fields | SKU, description, HS code candidate, country of origin, quantity, value, currency, weight, dimensions, and shipment channel. |
Step-by-step preparation
How to prepare the draft
Ecommerce example
How this looks in a seller workflow
A marketplace seller ships one low-value T-shirt through a postal operator, a mixed carton of mugs by courier, and a pallet of electronics by freight. The postal parcel may need CN22 or CN23 depending on threshold. The courier carton likely needs commercial invoice data and may also use a packing list. The freight shipment may require commercial invoice, packing list, and product-specific documents if batteries or regulated electronics are included. The seller should prepare catalog fields before choosing documents.
Verification checklist
Review the record before it enters a shipment or filing workflow
Before a document draft is used, compare it against the order record, product catalog, carrier label, and any destination-specific instructions. The preparation checklist should confirm parties, shipment channel, item descriptions, value, currency, quantity, weight, origin, HS code candidate, and any package or reference fields.
What is required depends on shipment value, carrier, destination, and product facts, so a field that is optional in one postal or carrier workflow may be required in another. When a draft supports a repeated SKU, save the checked inputs with the product record so future shipments start from reviewed data.
Use the draft as a review artifact: it should make weak descriptions, missing origin, inconsistent values, and unsupported HS code candidates easy to spot before the parcel is handed to a postal operator, carrier, marketplace label flow, or freight team.
Common mistakes
What to avoid
- Choosing documents by product title only instead of shipment channel and destination.
- Using CN22 or CN23 for courier shipments without checking carrier workflow.
- Preparing an invoice before HS code candidate and origin fields are reviewed.
- Forgetting packing list data for multi-carton shipments.
- Ignoring certificates or licenses for regulated goods.
- Using platform order data without checking description quality and customs fields.
Editorial
Editorial review note
Written by the TariffCatalog Editorial Team for ecommerce document preparation workflows. The page is designed as a preparation checklist, not a filing outcome.
Maintained by Ryan Cole, with review focused on ecommerce catalog, document, and source-check workflow clarity.
Document requirements may be required differently by carrier, destination, shipment value, and product facts. Use the methodology, sources, and corrections pages to understand how the page is maintained.
Official source note
References to verify
Use official sources, carrier guidance, postal operator rules, and destination requirements to verify before filing or shipping.
USITC HTS
Use this official source when checking final classification, duty treatment, or customs requirements.
CBPUse this official source when checking final classification, duty treatment, or customs requirements.
EU TARICUse this official source when checking final classification, duty treatment, or customs requirements.
UK Trade TariffUse this official source when checking final classification, duty treatment, or customs requirements.
FAQ
Common questions
Does every ecommerce shipment need the same documents?
No. Required documents depend on shipment channel, value, carrier, destination, and product facts. A postal parcel, courier parcel, and freight shipment can need different document sets.
When do I need a commercial invoice?
A commercial invoice is commonly used for non-document shipments handled by courier, express, freight, marketplace labels, and many brokered workflows. Exact requirements depend on carrier and destination.
When do CN22 or CN23 apply?
CN22 and CN23 apply to postal customs declaration workflows. CN22 may apply to eligible lower-detail postal parcels; CN23 may apply when more detail is required by value, weight, item count, or destination.
When do I need a packing list?
A packing list may be requested for multi-carton shipments, warehouse receiving, freight, inspections, or when package-level contents and weights need to be shown separately from invoice value.
What catalog fields should I prepare first?
Prepare SKU, item description, HS code candidate, country of origin, quantity, unit value, currency, weight, dimensions, package count, and shipment channel before drafting documents.
When might a certificate or license be needed?
Certificates or licenses may be required for regulated or restricted products such as batteries, cosmetics, food-contact items, plant or animal-origin goods, medical items, and origin claims. Verify destination rules.
Can a marketplace label replace all documents?
Not always. A marketplace label may transmit electronic customs data, but the seller may still need a document draft, commercial invoice, or supporting records depending on destination and carrier.
What should I verify before shipping?
Verify shipment channel, document type, item descriptions, HS code candidates, origin, value, weight, certificates, and carrier or destination requirements before filing or shipping.
Disclaimer
TariffCatalog provides informational tools and preparation workflows only. Verify final classification, rates, document requirements, and filing treatment with official sources or licensed professionals.