If you have been selling online for any length of time you may have gotten a buyer who requests that you leave out any invoices or receipts. On the surface, it is a seemingly innocent request. But, it is curious enough to ask why someone would want that?

There are two main reasons a buyer may ask you not include an invoice with their order. The first is if the item is a gift. Many retail stores offer gift services which include gift wrapping and removal of any price tags. The second reason is drop shipping. This is a service which a buyer has already sold the item to another person at a higher price and you are sending the item directly to their buyer.

A few other reasons someone may refuse a invoice is for environmental reasons, reducing clutter, or anonymity.

What Should You Do When Someone Requests An Order Without An Invoice?

Comply with their request. Sell your inventory for the price you want and do not worry what the buyer is doing with the item. I have never worried about drop shipping. I have had many orders over the years that were clearly drop shipped. At the end of the day, I was happy to make a quick sale.

In most cases with drop shipping there is no need to worry about anything besides the safe shipment of the item. The drop shipper has to handle the customer service portion on their end for the item. The buyer they sent it to will contact them, not you. The drop shipper may contact you but, it is unlikely due to return shipping costs involved to get the item from their buyer and back to you, the original seller.

I have seen some sellers be upset about an item not selling for top dollar. I understand that sentiment, but I also feel that is going down the road of marrying your inventory. Or, your pricing was not good to begin with.

Final Thoughts

There may be some controversy here about how to handle these type of orders. I personally take the approach of complying to make a simple hassle free transaction. If you have ever had orders like these, what did you ultimately decide to do?