Trade guides
The paperwork an export desk gets asked about, one page at a time.
Written for the person preparing the documents, not for a textbook.
Letter of credit: read one without getting burned
The six clauses that decide whether you get paid, and the two that most often cost an exporter money.
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Bill of lading: the document that is the cargo
What the B/L proves, why a wrong consignee name can freeze a container in port, and how to catch it before the ship sails.
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Bank guarantee: reading the fine print before you rely on it
Advance payment, performance and bid guarantees in export deals: what each protects, and the five lines that decide whether it pays out.
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HS codes: pick one you can defend at the border
How the code is structured, why the first six digits are the world's and the rest are the importer's, and the checklist that keeps a ruling valid.
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Certificate of origin: the paper that proves where your goods are from
What the certificate proves, the difference between the plain kind and the FTA kind, and the fields a customs officer reads first.
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Commercial invoice: the paper customs and your buyer both read
What a commercial invoice must say, where it differs from a proforma invoice, and the mismatches against the LC and the packing list that hold a shipment.
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Air waybill: the cargo's ticket when the goods fly
What an air waybill carries, where it differs from a bill of lading, and the two numbers the whole shipment can be tracked by.
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Incoterms: where the cost and the risk change hands
The eleven rules in two groups, the two points a CIF sale splits apart, and why a container shipped FOB leaves you carrying risk you cannot control.
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Packing list: the page customs and the warehouse open first
What a packing list has to show, the three figures that must agree with the invoice and the bill of lading, and how one wrong carton count holds a container.
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Proforma invoice: the quote your buyer takes to the bank
What a proforma invoice is for, the lines that become the terms of the letter of credit, and the validity date that protects your price.
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