Description: Requirements for the description of goods for your shipments.
In addition to providing the necessary sender and recipient data for each shipment, couriers require customers to provide an accurate description of the contents.
What is the content/goods description and why is it required?
Since any shipment may need to be inspected at checkpoints, for safety and security, the goods must have an accurate and consistent description.
❗️ Insufficient or inaccurate descriptions can lead to delays at customs, shipment holds, or returns, and therefore to customer dissatisfaction ❗️
Content description requirements
👉 Content descriptions must be in English and should be as detailed as possible:
- Provide clear, specific information in plain language (not vague).
- State what the goods are, what they are used for, and what they are made of.
🚫 Insufficient/vague example:“Accessory” ✅ Clear examples:“Skateboard wooden decks”, “Women cotton underwear”, “Hexagonal aluminum bicycle nuts”
How to add content descriptions?
You can add descriptions in two ways:
1. Via your CMS (automated)
Use product Tags to define descriptions, HS codes, or non-returnable status. 👉 Guide: how to add content descriptions, HS codes and tag products as non-returnable
2. Directly in Outvio
- By default → for all orders (recommended if your products are similar).
- Manually → when creating or editing orders directly in Outvio.
Adding it manually
From the Orders tab, click on the shipment → click the pencil icon to edit and add a suitable description.
Adding it by default (via Integrations)
Go to the Integrations section.
Click on the CMS you use and go to Aditional Settings.
- Fill in the field with an appropriate description of your store’s content following the rules mentioned above.
👉 This description will be applied automatically to all shipments from this CMS, saving you time.
ℹ️ Find more information about shipment requirements here.