Blind Shipping – A Detailed and Updated Guide [2025]

In today’s competitive e-commerce world, a business must protect itself. Blind shipping is one of the most powerful tools that a supplier can use to protect their relationship with their customer and also strengthen their brand. Blind shipping allows a brand to ship products directly from the suppliers; however, it also ensures that the identity of the source is not revealed, keeping your supply chain confidential.

If you are new to the word blind shipping or how it works in 2025 then don’t worry because this article has everything that you need to know. So let’s jump right into the article and have a look at it.

What is Blind Shipping?

Blind shipping is basically a type of dropshipping method in which the order is directly shipped from the manufacturer to the customer. In many cases when an order is shipped from a manufacturer to the customer the invoice shows the actual price of the product which is sometimes cheaper for what they are getting from the brand. This is why, with the help of blind shipping, the identity of the supplier is kept anonymous so that the consumer assumes that it directly came from your brand.

This is quite similar to white label services, in which there’s no branding or labeling that can identify the supplier. In the case of blind shipment, the shipment is prepaid, and the request to ship blind is made before the shipment. This means that the supplier’s name and contact information will be removed from the final invoice.

How Does Blind Shipping Work?

Blind shipping is a logistical strategy where the suppliers ship products directly to the customer; however, the identity is not revealed. Below, we have mentioned a detailed step-by-step guide on how blind drop shipping works.

• Order Placement: The first step is the order placement, where the customer places an order through the e-commerce store.
• Forwarding Details: When the order is received, the details are then forwarded to the supplier or the fulfillment partner.
• Label Customization: The shipper then ships all the products to the customer while customizing the label, which has your company’s name and branding. Here, the information about the supplier is permitted or replaced.
• Direct Shipment: When the labelling is completed, the shepherd packages the order and delivers it straight to the customer without knowing that it came from a third party.

Why Do Retailers Use Blind Shipping?

There are a lot of reasons why retailers prefer using blind shipping. Below, we have mentioned some of the major reasons for this.

Keep Suppliers Anonymous

One of the main reasons why retailers like to use blind shipping is that it helps to keep the supplier’s name anonymous. Sometimes, when the customer receives packages, the supplier’s details are included, which can lead to bypassing the retailers and the customers directly ordering from the supplier. This is why buying shipping can be beneficial, as it eliminates the risk by keeping the identity of the supplier anonymous.

Brand Consistency

Brand consistency is also one of the major reasons why retailers like using blind shipping. This allows the retailers to use their branding and packaging even when the goods are shipped from another supplier.  

Reduced Overhead Stock

Blind shipping also supports dropshipping and inventory models that can reduce overhead costs. This means that the businesses can sell products without having an inventory and without holding stocks, which lowers the risk and storage expenses.

Pros and Cons of Blind Shipping

Now that you know everything regarding blind shipping, we have mentioned below some of the major pros and cons related to it.

Pros Of Blind Shipping

The following are some of the major strategic benefits that blind shipping can offer a retailer.

• Supplier Protection: Through this, the identity of the supplier is hidden, preventing customers from bypassing and directly purchasing from the supplier, which is very important for the drop shippers and resellers.
• Brand Control: This strategy offers much better brand control because it appears that the orders are coming directly from your own company instead of a third party. This enhances trust and ensures consistency in the brand.

Cons of Blind Shipping

With benefits, there are some disadvantages that a company might face if they are using client shipping as a strategy for its sales. Below, we have mentioned some of the cons that come with blind shipping.

• Limited Customiztion: Packaging it’s quite basic which means that it can limit the ability to personalize the customer experience.
• Less Visibility: Since you are not handling the product directly you won’t be able to track the quality or the shipment details and hence there is less control over the entire process.
• Difficult in Coordination: Blind shipping requires clear communication, and sometimes it can cause errors in labeling and documentation.

Blind Shipping vs. Dropshipping: Key Differences

A lot of people get confused between blind shipping and dropshipping because they are very closely related in e-commerce.  Dropshipping is a fulfillment method in which the retailer does not hold the inventory. In touch cases, when a customer places an order, the retailer will forward it to a third-party supplier, which will then ship the product directly to the customer. This model is designed to minimize the inventory cost and ensure that there is very little overhead cost.

On the other hand, line shipping is a shipping strategy that works alongside dropshipping. In this case, the supplier’s identity is hidden on the packaging and the shipping document so that the customers do not know that it came from a third party. The major difference between the two is that dropshipping refers to the process of fulfillment, while blind shipping is how the product is labeled and presented during shipping.

Dropshipping focuses on the inventory and logistics so that the products can be safely delivered to the customers. On the other hand, blind shipping focuses on brand protection and customer perception so that the customers cannot bypass the retailer and get the products directly from the supplier.

What is a Double-blind Shipment?

There is another term that is very related to blind shipment, which is called double-blind shipment. In this process, both the buyer and the customer are unaware of the original supplier. This logistic approach is commonly used in dropshipping or 3PLs, in which the identity of both the supplier and the seller is protected.

In this method, when a customer places an order, the supplier delivers the product directly to the customer; however, the information, such as the supplier’s name, address, and brand, is removed from the packaging. At the same time, the customer details are also hidden from the supplier, which is generally replaced by a generic label. This process is used to ensure that there is complete confidentiality on both ends. This also helps the customer believe that they are receiving the order directly from the seller, and the supplier has no way to contact the customer.

Is Blind Shipping Right for My Business?

Now you might be wondering if blind shipping is the right shipping method for your business. If your business relies on 3rd party suppliers and you want to protect your brand and the customer and don’t want them to engage, then this shipping method might be the right option for you. This strategy is ideal for dropshipping, private labeling, or ecommerce stores that do not manage their inventory but also want consistency in their brand.

If you don’t want your customers to identify the supplier or engage with them directly, then opting for blind shipment can be the right idea for your business. However, it is very important that if you are opting for blind shipping, you have a reliable fulfillment partner so that you can reduce errors and ensure that there is a proper setup.

Blind Shipping with NextSmartShip

You need to have a good fulfillment partner when it comes to blind shipping. NextSmartShip is an ideal platform that makes blind shipping much more reliable and simple. They ensure that the products can be directly shipped from their warehouses to the customer without revealing the name of the supplier.

Another great thing about them is that all the passages are customized with the company’s branding so that the customer knows where the product is coming from. They ensure that there is a professional and seamless customer experience and also handle all the logistics for you. Therefore, if you are trying to find a stronger brand and a partner to manage the blind shipping, then NextSmartShip is the ideal option for you.

Conclusion

Blind shipping can be a powerful tool for businesses that are not managing their inventory and are supplying the products from another supplier. This method ensures that the customers are not able to identify the supplier, and they believe that the products are directly coming from the brand. This logistics strategy has its benefits and disadvantages, and we hope this article was beneficial for you so that you know if this shipping method is the right option for you. Also, make sure to check out NextSmartShip for their amazing services.