3PL to 3PL Inventory Transfer Checklist: Count, Photo, Reconcile

When to use this checklist

Use it any time inventory changes custody between two warehouses: switching 3PLs, adding a second node, consolidating buildings or pulling stock back in-house. The risk is the same each time. Units go missing or arrive damaged, and three parties, the outgoing 3PL, the carrier and the new 3PL, each have a reasonable story about why it was not them.

Published migration checklists are strong on planning and thin on proof. Racklify's warehouse migration checklist for a 3PL-to-3PL move (published September 23, updated October 2, 2026) covers contract review, cycle counts, a full reconciliation on the transfer date, cutover and post-move reconciliation, but does not mention photos, pallet records or seal numbers. Fulfillment Hub USA's switching 3PL providers checklist (August 2026) asks for status-specific counts, sealed transfer manifests and exception photos. This checklist adds the custody record at each handoff, so the reconciliation has something to reconcile against.

The 3PL to 3PL inventory transfer checklist

The checklist runs in five phases. Do not start a phase until the previous one is signed.

Phase 1: Before the move

Phase 2: Outbound at the outgoing 3PL

Phase 3: In transit

Phase 4: Inbound at the new 3PL

Phase 5: Reconciliation and sign-off

The reconciliation is signed by the brand, the outgoing 3PL and the new 3PL. Each variance is either assigned to one party, claimed against the carrier or formally accepted.

How to fill it in

The record works because the same reference shows up at both ends, so most of the work is discipline about that reference.

• Pallet IDs before photos. Print the label first, then photograph. A pallet photographed without its label is a picture of some pallet.
• Status travels with the stock. A damaged unit that moves without its damage record will arrive as a sellable unit counted short, or as damage blamed on the transfer. The damaged inventory quarantine SOP gives each one a record before it leaves.
• Wrap intact or not. A pallet that arrives short with its wrap intact points back to the outbound build; one that arrives short with torn wrap points to transit. Photograph the wrap at both ends.
• Count at the pallet first, then the unit. Pallet and carton counts go on the delivery receipt before signing. Unit counts go on the manifest at breakdown.

Turning the checklist into evidence

Two references make the transfer traceable: the pallet ID and the seal number.

GS1 US describes the SSCC as a license plate for a logistic unit, such as a case or pallet, that can be linked to the electronic advance ship notice so one scan at receiving pulls up the contents; its introduction to the SSCC recommends a second label on the adjacent side of each pallet. If both 3PLs scan and photograph the same SSCC, the outbound and inbound records line up without anyone matching spreadsheets.

The seal ties the two docks together. A seal number that matches the BOL at both ends, on an intact seal, means the trailer was not opened in between. If the count still differs, the question moves to the outbound build or the inbound count, and the pallet photos answer it.

If the carrier is responsible, the photos become part of a claim. For claims under 49 CFR Part 370, a written claim must identify the shipment, assert liability and state an amount, and section 370.3 says shortage or damage notations standing alone are not enough. The full receiving procedure is in the receiving discrepancy report template.

How PallasMark digitizes the transfer

PallasMark gives each pallet a record under its transfer ID at both docks, on the phones the teams already carry, with no hardware to install at either building.

• Scan the pallet, open its record. The operator scans the pallet label and the record opens under that ID, at that facility, for that client brand. Standalone records need no store connection.
• The manifest in fields. Custom fields hold SKU, lot, quantity, seal number and BOL. On the Scale plan, AI label reading fills supplier, batch or lot, quantity and your custom fields from a photo of the label, for the operator to check before saving.
• Records both sides can trust. Every photo and video gets a SHA-256 fingerprint, each record shows who created it and when, and a location check records whether the capture happened inside the facility area. There is no edit button for recordings.
• Links for the reconciliation. Share the outbound or inbound record for any pallet with the brand or the other 3PL through a link with an expiry, an optional PIN and download settings. They open it without an account, see only that pallet, and can confirm on the verification page that nothing changed. You can revoke the link at any time.
• Loadout on the same app. The outgoing team records the trailer, doors and seal as freight loadout photos; the receiving team uses the same app for the doors-open view.

See PallasMark for 3PL fulfillment and Warehouse proof. The free plan needs no card; see pricing.

Related reading

This checklist is part of the 3PL evidence playbook. For who pays when stock goes missing in a 3PL's custody, read 3PL liability for lost or damaged inventory, and for the clauses that decide it in advance, the 3PL contract evidence clause.