An order confirmation is a document issued by the seller to the buyer formally accepting a purchase order and confirming the agreed terms of the sale — the goods, quantities, price, delivery terms, and expected delivery date.
The purchase order is the buyer's request; the order confirmation is the seller's acceptance. The commercial agreement between buyer and seller does not exist until the seller issues the order confirmation — and the freight arrangement does not begin until the buyer has the confirmed delivery date and Incoterms from that document.
The Definition of an Order Confirmation
An order confirmation is a document issued by the seller confirming that a specific purchase order has been accepted and that the seller will fulfil it on the stated terms.
The document belongs to the seller. It is not the buyer's request and not the carrier's instruction — it is the seller's written acceptance of the buyer's purchase order, restating the agreed goods, quantities, price, delivery terms, and expected date. In most EU member states, an order confirmation is legally binding once issued — the seller is contractually obliged to fulfil the order on the confirmed terms from the moment the confirmation is sent to the buyer. The confirmed terms on the order confirmation become the agreed terms when the buyer proceeds with the freight arrangement without raising a discrepancy.
The Go Trans logistics glossary covers all shipping document terms used in European cross-border freight — from the commercial documents that establish the sale through to the carrier instructions and delivery confirmation records.
The shipping documents glossary in the Go Trans logistics glossary covers every document in the freight chain, from the purchase order and order confirmation through to the transport order, delivery note, and proof of delivery.
What an Order Confirmation Contains
An order confirmation contains the goods description, the quantity confirmed, the agreed unit price and total value, the expected delivery date, the delivery terms, the order reference number, and the payment terms.
The goods description and confirmed quantity define exactly what the seller will supply. A discrepancy — a different quantity, a substituted product, a modified specification — is identified at this stage before the goods are produced, packed, and ready for collection. Raising it before the order confirmation is accepted costs nothing; raising it after costs time, re-negotiation, and in some cases re-production.
The agreed price stated on the order confirmation is the commercial value that will appear on the invoice after delivery. The expected delivery date tells the buyer when the goods will be available for collection or delivered to the agreed address — this date triggers the freight booking. The delivery terms, expressed as an Incoterms clause such as EXW, DAP, or DDP, determine which party arranges and pays for freight.
The order reference number is the buyer's purchase order number carried onto the seller's confirmation document. This number becomes the order number that appears on every subsequent document in the transaction — the transport order, the delivery note, the commercial invoice, and the proof of delivery — linking every document in the chain to the original purchase.
The payment terms state when and how the buyer pays — 30 days after invoice, advance payment, or letter of credit — and are carried from the order confirmation onto the commercial invoice.
The contents of the order confirmation determine what will be delivered and which party is responsible for arranging the freight — that responsibility is defined by the same document, and it leads directly to the distinction between the 3 commercial documents in every B2B transaction.
Order Confirmation vs Purchase Order vs Invoice
The purchase order, order confirmation, and commercial invoice are 3 documents in the same transaction issued by different parties at different stages — each serving a distinct role the others cannot substitute.
The purchase order is issued by the buyer before the sale is established. It is the buyer's formal request to purchase specific goods at a specific price — it initiates the transaction but confirms nothing, because the seller has not yet accepted.
The order confirmation is issued by the seller after reviewing and accepting the purchase order. The commercial agreement exists at this point. The seller's goods preparation, production scheduling, or stock allocation begins from the moment the order confirmation is sent.
The commercial invoice is issued by the seller after the goods are delivered or ready for dispatch. It is the payment request — stating the confirmed commercial value, applicable VAT, and the payment due date — and it references the same order number as the purchase order and the order confirmation.
| Document | Issued by | Issued when | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| Purchase order | Buyer | Before sale | Request to purchase |
| Order confirmation | Seller | After accepting the PO | Binding acceptance of agreed terms |
| Commercial invoice | Seller | After delivery | Payment request |
The order confirmation is the pivot document in this sequence — it converts the buyer's request into a binding commitment and gives the buyer the confirmed data needed to plan the freight arrangement. The freight arrangement that follows depends directly on what the Incoterms clause and the confirmed date state.
What the Order Confirmation Triggers in Freight
The order confirmation is the document that starts the freight booking — the buyer has the confirmed delivery date, quantities, and Incoterms and instructs the logistics arrangement from those details.
The buyer is responsible for arranging collection and paying for the main freight leg under EXW or FCA Incoterms — the seller arranges and pays for delivery to the buyer's address under DAP or DDP terms. The Incoterms clause on the order confirmation determines which party makes the booking before any carrier is contacted.
The booking details for the freight arrangement come directly from the order confirmation: collection address, delivery address, goods description, weight, and the confirmed date. Those details go to the logistics broker, who issues a transport order to the carrier — the carrier instruction that initiates the collection cycle. The order reference from the purchase order, carried on the order confirmation, becomes the same reference on the transport order and on every document that follows the consignment through to delivery.
Go Trans arranges cross-border road freight across 29 European countries through carrier partners DSV, DHL, DPD, UPS, and FedEx. The confirmed delivery date and Incoterms from the order confirmation are the starting point for every booking — Go Trans coordinates freight services across Europe from the booking details through to the transport order issued to the carrier.
Get a Freight Quote
Every freight booking arranged through Go Trans across 29 European countries starts with the confirmed delivery date and Incoterms from the order confirmation. To arrange a shipment once an order is confirmed, request a shipping quote through Go Trans.