Why you should photograph or film your packing process

Most packing disputes come down to one sentence. The customer says one thing, you remember another, and nobody has anything to look at. A short photo or video habit fixes that.

What disputes look like

Small sellers run into a few repeated situations.

• A customer says the product was broken when it arrived.
• A customer says an item was missing from the parcel.
• A customer says they received the wrong colour or size.
• A courier says the parcel was handed over in good condition.

In each case, your memory of one packing session out of hundreds is not strong evidence. A clear photo or clip is.

What to capture

You do not need a studio. Use your phone, and keep it simple.

• The product itself, showing the colour, size or variant that matches the order.
• All items that belong in the parcel laid out together, so the count is visible.
• The order slip or order number next to the items.
• The sealed parcel with the shipping label visible.

For a video, a single continuous clip of about half a minute works. Show the order slip, the items, the packing, the sealing and the label, without cuts.

Make it routine

A habit only works if it is easy.

• Mount your phone on a simple stand, or lean it on a stack of boxes, so both hands are free.
• Use a plain, well-lit surface so details are visible.
• Name each file with the order number, so you can find it in seconds. Our post on how to name product image files properly has useful naming ideas that carry over.
• Back the folder up weekly so you do not lose it with an old phone.

If you pack many orders at once, take photos in the same order you pack. Then each batch is easy to match later.

Use it calmly

If a customer reports a problem, open the photo or video before replying. Look for anything the packing shows. Then respond with facts rather than defensiveness. For example, you might say you have the packing record and can see the product was in good condition and sealed, and ask the customer to share photos of the parcel and the damage so you can look into it together.

The goal is to resolve the problem, not to win an argument. Sometimes the photos show you missed something, and that is useful too.

Be honest about what it can and cannot do

A packing record does not guarantee that a claim will be approved by a courier or anyone else. Different parties have different rules. What it does give you is clarity for yourself and a stronger position to discuss the issue. Do not tell customers that you will always win a claim.

Protect privacy

Avoid capturing the customer's full address and phone number in any photo you plan to share. Crop or blur them if you are sending a clip to anyone outside your team.

Add it to your cost thinking

A single bad parcel can wipe out several good orders. Reading the cost of a damaged-in-transit parcel will show why the thirty seconds you spend is cheap by comparison. It also pairs well with cancellations, refunds and restocking, where you decide how to respond once you know what happened.