Every shipment’s
papers in one place

Your supplier talks about the purchase order, the forwarder about the bill of lading, the broker about the entry. Name each shipment folder with both your PO and the bill of lading or air waybill number, so whoever calls, you can find it from the number they quote.

Inside, split by who produces the documents. Commercial documents come from the seller, transport documents from the carrier or forwarder, and customs documents from your broker. Your buyer checks the first group, your warehouse the second and your broker the third, and splitting them shows straight away which set is incomplete.

Start with the PO, follow it with what the document is, and finish with its date or transport number: PO-4471_Commercial-Invoice_2026-09-02_rev1.pdf. When every file for a shipment starts with the same PO, sorting by name keeps them together even if they are copied elsewhere.

Treat proforma and commercial invoices as different document types, not versions of one file. A proforma is a quote; the commercial invoice is what customs values the goods on. If a supplier corrects a commercial invoice, add rev1 or rev2, and tell the broker which one is current.

The commercial invoice, the packing list and the bill of lading describe the same goods from three angles, and customs expects them to match: quantities, package counts, weights and descriptions. Mismatches are a common reason for questions from the broker, holds, or corrected entries afterwards.

Once the goods are entered, read the entry summary your broker files. It shows the classification, value and duty rate for each line. Comparing it with the commercial invoice is the simplest way to catch a wrong value or an unexpected classification while there is still time to ask your broker about a correction.

Many small importers rely on email threads, one per shipment, plus whatever their forwarder or broker keeps in its own portal. It is fine until a shipment has three threads, or you change broker and their portal is no longer yours to search.

Some keep a container tracker spreadsheet with ETA and last free day, and attach the duty invoice to the bill in their accounting software. Filex ties those pieces together: upload each document as it arrives, and it is read and filed under the shipment, with the last free day picked up from the arrival notice.

Filex does not file customs entries, classify goods, calculate duty, or connect to your broker, forwarder or carrier. It does not track vessels or containers. Its job is the paperwork you upload: naming it, placing it under the right shipment, and answering questions about its contents.

It is not customs or trade advice. When an entry summary looks wrong, take it to your licensed customs broker. A blurred phone photo of a stamped certificate may not be readable, so ask the issuer for a clean copy when it matters.