What is a Blind Shipment?
A Blind Shipment is a type of shipment where one or more parties involved (shipper, consignee, or third party) are intentionally kept unaware of the other’s identity or involvement. The goal is to protect business relationships, maintain confidentiality, and prevent direct contact between buyer and seller, often in drop-shipping or third-party logistics scenarios.
In a blind shipment, the freight forwarder or carrier alters the shipping documents (such as the bill of lading or packing list) to hide sensitive information—typically at the request of the seller or intermediary.
Why Use Blind Shipments?
- Maintain supplier confidentiality
- Prevent disintermediation (buyer bypassing the seller)
- Support private-label or white-label business models
- Enable dropshipping without revealing sources
- Facilitate B2B resale relationships
How It Works
There are typically three parties involved:
- Seller (Party A) – ships the product
- Buyer (Party B) – receives the product
- Intermediary (Party C) – arranges the sale but wants to hide either A or B from each other
Depending on which party is kept “blind,” the shipment may be:
- Single-blind: Either the shipper or consignee is unaware of the other
- Double-blind: Both shipper and consignee are unaware of each other; only the intermediary knows all parties
Example in Practice
A U.S. distributor buys electronics from a factory in Taiwan and sells them to a retailer in Canada. To protect its supplier relationship, the distributor requests a blind shipment, ensuring the Canadian buyer sees the distributor’s name—not the Taiwanese factory—on all shipping documents.
