Pre-shipment inspection (PSI) is the quality control inspection before the goods are shipped. It is performed when the production is finished and the products are packed, or when most of the order has been produced and packed. The goal is to assess the overall quality of the products and catch any quality issues before the shipment.

Typically the PSI is based on the pre-determined acceptance criteria that have been agreed to by the customer.

Before the PSI, it is important to define the Acceptance Quality Level (AQL), i.e. how many samples should be picked and inspected (unless of course the goods need to be 100% inspected) and where is the limit between acceptability and refusal when defective products are found.