Freight In is the cost to move purchased goods from a supplier to your warehouse or store. In practice, it’s part of what you pay to “get the item ready to sell,” so many businesses add it to the item’s total cost instead of treating it like a sales expense. If shipping is bundled into the invoice price, you might not see a separate line, but the cost is still there.
When to Use Freight In
Use this term when you’re buying inventory or materials and you want to track the true landed cost of those purchases. It’s useful for pricing, margin checks, and comparing suppliers. It’s not a substitute for outbound delivery costs; those happen after the sale and are tracked separately. On the books, it’s often recorded with inventory and later moves to expense when the items are sold.
Example: if you buy 100 boxes of parts and pay a carrier to deliver them to your facility, that delivery charge is Freight In.
How Transportify Helps
Transportify lets businesses book the right vehicle for pickups and deliveries, then monitor the trip with real-time tracking through its web/mobile app. If you’re trying to control Freight In, using an on-demand service with clear vehicle choices can make inbound moves faster and easier to document.
Related Terms
Cost of Goods Sold
Unit costing
Vendor
 | Noel Abelardo Deputy Country Director |
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