# Advance shipping notice

> An advance shipping notice is a message from a supplier saying what they have dispatched and when it should reach you.

- Source: https://storestandards.com/glossary/advance-shipping-notice/
- Also called: ASN
- Updated: 2026-08-14
- Author: Nia Chambers, Product, Store Standards

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It arrives before the van does. That is the entire value.

## What a useful one contains

- The [purchase order](https://storestandards.com/glossary/purchase-order/) it relates to
- What is on the van, line by line, with quantities
- How many cartons or pallets
- The expected date

The line detail is the part that matters. "Your order has shipped" is not an
ASN, it is an email.

## What it changes

You know a 400-unit delivery is coming on Thursday, so somebody is rostered to
count it. Without that, deliveries land whenever they land, and
[receiving](https://storestandards.com/glossary/receiving/) happens whenever there is a gap between
customers.

A good ASN also tells you early that only half the order shipped. You can
chase the rest before it becomes a
[part delivery](https://storestandards.com/glossary/part-delivery/) nobody followed up.

## Where it goes wrong

The ASN is trusted instead of counted. It says sixty jackets, so sixty jackets
are booked in, and the four that were never packed become somebody's problem
in November.

An ASN tells you what to expect. It never tells you what arrived. Count the
boxes against the purchase order, every time.

## Related terms

- [Purchase order](https://storestandards.com/glossary/purchase-order/): A purchase order is the document you send a supplier to order stock. It lists what you want, how many, and what you agreed to pay.
- [Receiving](https://storestandards.com/glossary/receiving/): Receiving is checking a delivery against what you ordered, then telling your system what actually arrived.
- [Lead time](https://storestandards.com/glossary/lead-time/): Lead time is how long it takes for stock to arrive after you place the order, measured from your side of the transaction.