How do I make a packing list for the stock I take to a bazaar or exhibition?
Put your business as the shipper and your event booth as the consignee, then list each product with its quantity and the box it is packed in. Print two copies: one travels with the boxes and one stays with you. When the event ends, make a second list of what came back, and the difference shows line by line.
Why a packing list rather than a scrap of paper?
At a bazaar stock moves several times: storeroom to car, car to booth, and back again. Relatives or a temporary helper may do some of the setting up. A printed list answers two questions that come up at every event: where is that perfume, and how many did we bring? And because the Packing-list generator leaves prices out of the document, you can leave it on the booth table without visitors seeing your costs.
Example: a perfume seller at a weekend bazaar
The stock went out in two boxes: 120 bottles of perfume and 30 boxes of bakhoor, plus two wooden display shelf sets. We entered it like this:
- Perfume 50 ml, 120 pcs, box 1.
- Scented bakhoor, 30 pcs, box 2.
- Wooden display shelf set, 2 set, box 2.
The summary gave 3 item lines, Total (pcs) 150 and Total (set) 2, plus an overall figure of 152 with no unit. You can ignore that one: it adds bottles to shelf sets.
Step by step
- Use the event name and date as the shipment reference, such as BZR-DXB-0926; the field takes up to 30 characters.
- Shipper: your business name and mobile. Consignee: 'Our booth, Dubai weekend bazaar' and the number of whoever receives the boxes on site.
- Under Package details, enter 2 as the number of packages and 'Plastic crate' as the type, for example.
- Add each item with a sensible unit and its box number.
- Create the PDF, print two copies, and sign the 'Checked by' line once the car is loaded.
After the event: the return list
Nothing is saved once you close the page, so keep the first PDF. When you load up to leave, create a new list with the same items and what actually came back. In our example 48 bottles of perfume, 12 boxes of bakhoor and both shelf sets returned, and the second list gave Total (pcs) 60 and Total (set) 2. Put the two lists side by side: perfume went out at 120 and came back at 48, bakhoor went out at 30 and came back at 12. The gap on each line is what sold, was given away or got damaged, and you can check it against your card terminal's sales.
The costs of taking part, from booth rent to transport and printing, belong in the Expense summary generator tool, where you can total them by category and see what the event really cost.
Common questions
Do the shipper and consignee have to be different businesses?
No. Both blocks only require a name, and both can be your own business at two different addresses.
Can the tool work out the difference between the two lists?
No, each list stands alone. Compare the lines yourself; keeping the items in the same order on both lists makes it quick.