Each incoming shipment is carefully validated by identification of the product (publisher, author, title and code), quantity and identity. PSSC’s receiving departments are segmented into small and large receiving areas to facilitate the various nature of our client’s inbound product. All incoming product is counted and compared to documents sent with the shipments.
Publishers are notified if there are any differences in counts. Product is subjected to a sample inspection that is done within the tolerances agreed to by the client, weighed and entered into PSSC’s inventory system. All new receipts are counted, weighed, and inspected within 24 hours of delivery. A receiving report is emailed to publisher which documents weight, count, shipper and any damages. As soon as the inventory is entered into our system the product is available for shipping.
PSSC requires all incoming products to be bar-coded, preferably using the ISBN-13 standard set forth by the Book Industry Study Group. Publishers not using ISBNs must still use a barcode of 15 characters or less to identify their product.
PSSC’s complete incoming inventory requirements can be found in the following document (Link incoming inventory specifications).
• All products must have the ISBN or SKU barcode, if not using an ISBN, the product SKU should be 15 characters or less.
• All cartons must be labeled in human readable and barcode scannable data as listed in the incoming inventory specifications document.
• Cartons of 275lb Test or stronger should be used.
• Weight of cartons should not exceed 35lbs.
Each carton must be clearly labeled on at least two contiguous sides with:
• Publisher name
• Title
• ISBN/Product ID (in both print and barcode, the barcode must not include hyphens, the ISBN 01 or check digit)
• Quantity in carton (in both print and barcode)
• Gross Weight (in both print and barcode)
Yes, barcode format Code 128 must be used.
You can email a PDF proof of the carton label and/or barcode to your customer service representative to test the barcode to make sure it will accurately scan on our equipment.
At PSSC we have a paperless order management system for the handling of your inventory and orders. Barcodes are essential for our hand-held devices to accurately scan and process your inventory and shipment orders. Typically, books use the ISBN barcode on the back cover and/or dust jacket.
For books, the ISBN is a unique identifier which allows consumers, retailers, and wholesalers to discover publications which they may be interested in purchasing. Bowker maintains ISBN assignments in the US, for more information go to: https://www.isbn.org/
PSSC can accept international shipments or containers. Because containers are often packed to maximize the container space, PSSC may need to repalletize the shipment which would incur additional charges.
PSSC has over 200,000 square feet of storage and we use proprietary distribution software to manage all aspects of material storage and flow. PSSC maintains both bin and bulk storage and all inventory locations are given unique barcoded identities in order to track the location of inventory in our systems.
Inventory is controlled by the use of barcode scanning and processes that link all movements of inventory (receipts, returns, shipments) in our systems. The use of barcodes linked back to orders and other information in the data base helps eliminate the most common form of “shrinkage” and of misidentification of products and the ensuing drift in data base records from physical reality. All inventory must have a scannable barcode. Orders are picked by trained personnel and checked for integrity of order by a team member using quality control programs in our system.
All client inventory must be insured. Publishers can choose to self-insure or use PSSC’s umbrella policy at nominal rates. Our facilities maintain multi-level sprinkler systems inspected by both local fire officials and an independent specialist on an annual basis. All locations have limited access points and are securely locked during off hours. PSSC does not maintain security personnel on site but does maintain security cameras and monitored alarm systems for both unauthorized access and fire.
PSSC’s clients are provided with a unique login to their PSSC dashboard. The dashboard is available 24/7 and provides a host of information including inventory positions, order data, shipment tracking ID, returns, receipts, and a variety of business analytic tools.
Inventory is controlled using barcodes and processes that link all movements of inventory (receipts, returns, shipments) in our systems by barcode scanning. The use of barcodes linked back to orders and other information in the data base helps eliminate the most common form of “shrinkage” and of misidentification of products and the ensuing drift in data base records from physical reality. All inventory must have a scannable barcode. Orders are picked by trained personnel and checked for integrity of order by a team member using quality control programs in our system.
All client inventory must be insured. Property deposited with PSSC can be enrolled in an all-risk insurance plan provided by PSSC under which properties are insured to the extent of the coverage, subject to a deductible prorated among the participating depositors in the warehouse in the event of any actual loss or damage. Alternatively, publishers can choose to self-insure. If you self-insure, you must provide PSSC with a Certificate of Insurance and a Subrogation Waiver from your insurance carrier against fire, casualty or other such risks. If a depositor has insurance but their insurer does not provide or refuses to provide a waiver of subrogation the property shall be enrolled in PSSC’s plan until the waiver is supplied. Proof of insurance must be supplied yearly by the depositors that have their own insurance otherwise the property will be added to the PSSC plan.
Upon receipt of shipping orders from the publisher, PSSC picks, checks, packages, affixes postage and ships all customer orders so that with normal courier, postal or freight handling the shipment is delivered in acceptable condition. PSSC strives to turn around parcel orders 24 hours after receipt. A significant quantity of orders ship on the same day of receipt. PSSC furnishes, at no extra cost to the publisher, appropriate packing materials unless the publisher has special requirements. Publishers pay postage and freight expenses. (An estimated two months postage deposit is suggested for this account. The more rapidly a Publisher responds to a postage usage report, the smaller the workable net advance deposit.)
Foreign shipments are packed and shipped in accordance with courier or freight specifications. PSSC prepares extra export documents when necessary.
Yes, PSSC can ship to both domestic and international destinations.
PSSC can ship any number of books, from as small as one copy to thousands of books in an order.
PSSC can ship your inventory to Amazon. Our CoreLogic system is designed to print the appropriate carton labels to allow Amazon to scan the cartons for processing when they arrive at the Amazon warehouse. If necessary, PSSC can supply Advance Shipping Notifications to Amazon via EDI.
PSSC strives to turn around small parcel orders within 24 hours of receipt. A significant quantity of orders ship on the same day of receipt. Our standard KPI’s for small parcel order shipments is within 24-48 hours (M-F) and 3-5 days for LTL truck shipments.
PSSC is fully equipped to process customer returns of merchandise.
• All books are inspected and graded using each publishers unique grading standards.
• Barcoding, shrink wrap, re-jacketing, and price sticker removal services may be utilized in the returns process when necessary.
• After the inspection process the books are then returned to stock, destroyed (recycle), returned to publisher, or returned to the originating customer in compliance with each publishers unique returns policy.
• All books are scanned for inventory accuracy and a return acknowledgment report is generated.
• All returned books are also reflected in PSSC’s inventory control.
PSSC - Trusted by publishers since 1974
