Sales Confirmation Template
The seller's acceptance of an order, confirming goods, price, terms and shipment schedule back to the buyer.
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| Item # | Description | HS Code | Qty | Unit | Unit Price (USD) | Amount (USD) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
We confirm acceptance of your order on the terms set out above. Shipment will be effected from on or about .
About this document
A sales confirmation is the seller accepting an order in writing. It repeats back what has been agreed: goods, price, terms, shipment schedule. In doing so it closes the loop that a purchase order opens. Where the two documents disagree, the disagreement surfaces now, which is the entire point of sending one.
This is where a contract is formed
A purchase order is an offer. The sales confirmation is the acceptance that turns it into a binding agreement. That makes the wording matter: confirming an order while quietly changing the delivery date or the payment terms is not acceptance, it is a counter-offer, and the buyer is then free to walk away. If you need to vary a term, say so plainly rather than burying it.
Restate the terms rather than referring to them
Printing the goods, quantities, prices and delivery terms in full is more useful than writing that the order is confirmed as per your PO. Six months later, when a dispute turns on what was agreed, one document carrying the whole agreement beats a chain of references between three. It also catches transcription errors while they are still cheap.
The shipment schedule is the part that gets tested
State when goods will be despatched and from where. Buyers arranging a letter of credit need a latest shipment date they can put in the credit, and a confirmation that promises delivery without naming a port of loading gives them nothing to work with. Where the schedule depends on something outstanding, such as a deposit, say what the trigger is.
Prefer to fill it in on screen? Use the sales confirmation generator →
Not sure what goes in a box? How to fill out a sales confirmation, field by field →
Keep building your document set
- Commercial InvoiceGoods, values and payment details.
- Packing List — DetailedPackages, weights and dimensions.
- Certificate of OriginThe declared origin of your goods.
- Bill of LadingShipper, consignee and cargo details.
- Shipper's Letter of InstructionInstructions for your freight forwarder.
- Verified Gross Mass DeclarationThe verified weight of a packed container.
Questions
+What is the difference between a sales confirmation and a proforma invoice?
Both are issued by the seller and both restate the deal. A proforma invoice is laid out as an invoice and is what a buyer takes to their bank for a letter of credit. A sales confirmation reads as an acceptance of an order and is more usual where the buyer has already issued a purchase order.
+Does the buyer need to sign it?
Not always, but a countersigned confirmation is much stronger evidence of agreement, and it is normal on larger orders. Where you have varied any term from the purchase order, a signature is worth insisting on, because you are asking them to accept something new.
+What if the confirmation and the purchase order disagree?
Then there is no agreement yet on the point that differs. Raise it immediately rather than shipping and hoping. The cheapest moment to resolve a mismatch is before anything is made.
+Should the sales confirmation quote the purchase order number?
Yes. It is how the buyer matches your confirmation to their order, and it carries through to the invoice and packing list so the whole set reconciles.