Vocabulary · 37 words
TOEIC Vocabulary: Purchasing: ordering, shipping, invoices (37 Words with Examples)
Order confirmations, shipping delays, wrong items and invoices are among the most frequent Part 3 and Part 7 situations.
Free extract from the Noto Tracks TOEIC course
| Word | Part of speech | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| order | noun / verb | a request to buy goods | Your order will ship within two days. |
| invoice | noun | a document asking for payment | The invoice is attached to this e-mail. |
| shipment | noun | goods sent together | The shipment arrived damaged. |
| supplier / vendor | noun | a company that sells goods to another company | We are looking for a new paper supplier. |
| in stock | phrase | available to sell now | The blue model is in stock. |
| out of stock | phrase | not available now | That size is temporarily out of stock. |
| backorder | noun / verb | an order waiting for stock to arrive | The chairs are on backorder until May. |
| quote | noun | a written price offer | Could you send us a quote for 500 units? |
| in bulk | phrase | in large quantities | Buying in bulk lowers the unit price. |
| purchase order | noun phrase | an official document that orders goods | Every purchase order needs a manager's signature. |
| track | verb | to follow the progress of a delivery | You can track your package online. |
| carrier | noun | a company that transports goods | The carrier picks up parcels at 4 p.m. |
| receipt | noun | proof of payment | Keep your receipt for returns. |
| refund | noun / verb | money returned to a customer | We will issue a full refund. |
| warehouse | noun | a large building for storing goods | The goods are stored in our Dayton warehouse. |
| expedite | verb | to make something happen faster | Can you expedite the shipment for an extra fee? |
| merchandise | noun | goods that are bought and sold | Damaged merchandise may be returned within fourteen days for a full exchange. |
| inventory | noun | the stock of goods a business has | We check the inventory every Friday to decide which items to reorder. |
| courier | noun | a company or person that delivers packages | The signed documents will be sent to your office by courier tomorrow morning. |
| parcel | noun | a wrapped package sent by mail | A parcel for the sales department was left at the front desk. |
| freight | noun | goods carried by truck, train, ship, or plane | Freight charges are included in the price for orders over $300. |
| cargo | noun | goods carried on a ship or plane | The ship's cargo of machine parts was unloaded at the port on Tuesday. |
| carton | noun | a cardboard box for packing goods | Each carton holds twenty-four bottles and is sealed before shipping. |
| container | noun | a large metal box for shipping goods | The furniture will arrive in two containers from the factory in Vietnam. |
| postage | noun | the cost of sending something by mail | Postage is free for customers who order directly from our website. |
| dispatch | verb | to send goods to a destination | All orders received before noon are dispatched on the same day. |
| consignment | noun | a batch of goods sent to a buyer | The latest consignment of printer paper arrived two days later than planned. |
| distributor | noun | a company that supplies goods to stores | We are looking for a reliable distributor to handle sales in South America. |
| purchaser | noun | a person or company that buys something | The purchaser must inspect the goods and report any damage within forty-eight hours. |
| overcharge | verb | to ask a customer to pay too much | The supplier apologized for overcharging us and issued a corrected invoice. |
| discrepancy | noun | a difference between things that should match | Please explain the discrepancy between the quantity ordered and the quantity delivered. |
| voucher | noun | a paper that can be used instead of money | As an apology for the late delivery, we have attached a $20 voucher. |
| coupon | noun | a ticket that gives a discount | Enter the coupon code at checkout to receive ten percent off your order. |
| cancellation | noun | the act of canceling an order or booking | Order cancellations must be made before the items leave our warehouse. |
| shortage | noun | a lack of something that is needed | A shortage of computer chips has delayed shipments of our laptops. |
| unload | verb | to remove goods from a vehicle | The workers unloaded the truck and moved the boxes into storage. |
| dock | noun | a platform where trucks or ships are loaded | Deliveries should be made at the loading dock behind the building. |
Collocations: place an order · process an order · request a quote · pay an invoice · ship overnight.
Heard: "I'm afraid we don't have that printer cartridge right now. We'll get more next Tuesday."
Answer: "An item is temporarily unavailable." — don't have right now = temporarily unavailable / out of stock.
Extra words from the TOEIC Service List (TSL 1.2) by Browne, Culligan & Phillips, newgeneralservicelist.com. Meanings and example sentences by Noto. This word list is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.
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