Why do companies mail me invoices?

[Brian Elfert]

Why do companies insist on mailing me invoices for online purchases? I placed an order with McFeely's that was less than $5 with the $1 shipping. I got an invoice in the mail a few days after I got my order. They aren't the only company to do this.

If I place an online order shouldn't they email me the invoice instead of mailing it? I know some companies have accounts and need invoices, but they can still get emailed invoices.

My employer's financial system requires all paper invoices to be scanned in for electronic storage. The financial folks prefer electronic invoices.

[Mitchell Andrus]

Why do companies insist on mailing me invoices for online purchases? I placed an order with McFeely's that was less than $5 with the $1 shipping. I got an invoice in the mail a few days after I got my order. They aren't the only company to do this.

If I place an online order shouldn't they email me the invoice instead of mailing it? I know some companies have accounts and need invoices, but they can still get emailed invoices.

My employer's financial system requires all paper invoices to be scanned in for electronic storage. The financial folks prefer electronic invoices.

Old way of doing things.... and, if a parent company places an order and has stuff sent to 5 different sub-contractors they need to see what when where and for how much. This kind of confirmation back to HQ helps to keep the guys in the field from buying stuff on their own and shipping it to the brother in law's house. If the boss gets a copy, he's cooked.

Also, some companies have separate receiving and bookkeeping. The packing list might not always get up to the office.

Makes it tough to sneak a gift past the Mrs. sometimes.
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[Curt Harms]

and along the lines of what Mitchell said, it seems tougher to have a fraudulent physical or mailing address than it is to have a false email address. It's not impossible, just harder and easier to detect.

[Horton Brasses]

Not sure what McFeely's policies are specifically, but we are pretty old fashioned around here. If a customer has a separate billing and shipping address we always mail the physical invoice to the billing address. If the shipping and billing are the same we attach the invoice to the package. This is a carryover from the old days without a doubt, but is still the norm for business to business sales.

[Brian Elfert]

I guess it has to do with fraud for businesses that do lots of sales to other companies, but it still seems like a waste to me.

Companies that grew up on the web like Amazon.com don't mail invoices and often don't provide an invoice at all other than electronic.

[Curt Harms]

I guess it has to do with fraud for businesses that do lots of sales to other companies, but it still seems like a waste to me.

Companies that grew up on the web like Amazon.com don't mail invoices and often don't provide an invoice at all other than electronic.

some business tax forms for Pennsylvania are only available online, no paper. If this becomes the norm, We may see wider acceptance of E-forms only in business. If it's good enough for the revenooers............... it'd still be nice to have a usable and SECURE digital signature system in place.

[Dan Karachio]

It's archaic and a waste of time and money. We need to think a little more modern here people. Email the darn thing, they email me the order confirmation, shipping... if it is a law, it is absurd and I'm sure the "Post Office lobby" has something to do with it. How about that people - a gosh darn government agency that promotes itself to stay in business. Not as bad as junk mail, the biggest scam in mail.

[Mitchell Andrus]

It's archaic and a waste of time and money. We need to think a little more modern here people. Email the darn thing, they email me the order confirmation, shipping... if it is a law, it is absurd and I'm sure the "Post Office lobby" has something to do with it. How about that people - a gosh darn government agency that promotes itself to stay in business. Not as bad as junk mail, the biggest scam in mail.

Swing and a miss.

The postmark is what's important in business, not the method of delivery. In court it's accepted as proof of the date of service. Faxes and emails do not yet share that level of evidence. Also, it's a federal crime to open anything not addressed to you save those who have your permission such as a secretary. Faxes and emails have no similar right to privacy.

Besides, not everyone has email - my dad for instance. He's been self-employed since 1954 and hasn't the need for a computer.
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[Brian Elfert]

Besides, not everyone has email - my dad for instance. He's been self-employed since 1954 and hasn't the need for a computer.


If he doesn't have a computer then he won't be ordering anything online.

My original question is why if I place an order online do they then mail me an invoice via the USPS especially when I already paid via credit card.

[Mitchell Andrus]

If he doesn't have a computer then he won't be ordering anything online.

My original question is why if I place an order online do they then mail me an invoice via the USPS especially when I already paid via credit card.

Because it's far simpler to treat every order the same. Open "house" accounts get the same mail you got... plus the EOM statement. At another firm, they may not do it that way.

I have 2 on-line stores. If I wanted to, I could set them up to snail and/or email an invoice to the 'buyer' (person who placed the order), a snail and/or email invoice to the 'bill to' (headquarters bookkeeping) and a snail and/or email notice with tracking # but no prices to the 'ship to' (snow mobile shop in Nome Alaska) so they'll know it's coming to them and when. I can also get an email confirmation from Fed Ex or UPS.

My dad doesn't have a computer, but most firms don't differentiate between on-line, fax and phone.... I don't. When I get an order on the phone, I enter it into my system on-line just like anyone else. His phone order and your on-line order hit the system and were then treated the same. From here on it doesn't matter how the order arrived unless it's been set up to be treated differently.


Have you called McFeely's to ask?
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[Al Wasser]

I don't believe I have ever had a hard copy mailed separately to me. I usually get a email confirmation and then a hard copy in the box with the goods.