Blind Shipment Definition

A blind shipment is a scenario whereby the freight receiver (consignee) involved in a shipment is not aware of whom the seller or the shipper is. There are cases when the distributor might need to directly get the cargo to the retailer without going through additional distribution channels. To meet this goal, the distributor will request a blind shipment.

A blind shipment is simply a way of hiding if an item or product was transported from third-party vendors. Information about the third-party vendor is usually eliminated from the shipping label. The seller's information is inserted in its place. This makes the client "blind" concerning where the shipment is coming from.

In most cases, blind shipments are requested by distributors who need their suppliers, importers or manufacturers, to drop cargo directly to their clients. A customer who orders a shipment from such a distributor assumes that the product is coming directly from the distributor, versus a third-party shipper or manufacturer.

There are instances when the distributor's information is omitted on the bill of lading. In other cases, the bill of lading will depict the distributor's name as the shipper.