International Trade Contracts And Incoterms

International shipping is a well-regulated process. Besides keeping export and import legal, these guidelines also streamline your communication with the other party. This is done through Incoterms, which are a must-have in your contracts.

But what does Incoterms mean, and what are the most common Incoterms 2023 businesses use?

What Is Incoterms?

Before we go any further, we must first answer the central question, what is Incoterms? Incoterms are trade terms provided by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC). They reflect pre-defined exchange rules to help you draw up import/export agreements faster.

On top of that, companies worldwide are familiar with these concepts, allowing for seamless communication, regardless of your mother tongue.

When it comes to the Incoterms 2023 format, it consists of three letters. These abbreviations shed light on different areas of international shipping, such as goods delivery, transportation, and cost payment.

How Many Incoterms Are There?

Now that you’re familiar with the Incoterms meaning, let’s delve deeper into these concepts. There are 11 Incoterms seven of which apply to all means of transport, whereas the remaining four are only used in waterway transit.

FCA Incoterms

FCA Incoterms (aka Free Carrier or F.C.A. Incoterms ) is a term that explains how you’ll deliver goods to your buyers. If you agree to this form of delivery, you need to send wares to a destination chosen by the other party.

From there, the buyer picks up the products and continues the transit. Alternatively, you send the items to a carrier, which is a freight forwarder, airline company, or any other person or entity that handles the transport.

The only obligation of the seller is to deliver the cargo to the destination. Everything else, including unloading and transport, is in the buyer’s purview.

Many businesses use the Free Carrier designation for a simple reason. It illustrates that the seller is free from the responsibility of managing transit when they hand the products over to the carrier. Instead, the burden rests on the seller’s shoulders.

DAP Incoterms

DAP Incoterms is short for Delivered at Place. This concept also refers to delivery, wherein the seller needs to load and transport goods to a location previously agreed upon with the buyer.

Under DAP shipping terms, the buyer handles most projects associated with the shipment. Like with F.C.A. Incoterms, the seller is 100% free from this obligation. The buyer is in charge of the transport and unloading phase, whether it takes place on their or the other party’s premises.

However, this doesn’t mean the buyer can put their feet up in this exchange before the seller delivers the cargo. They must still take care of certain administrative operations. In the main, their job is to pay import taxes and duties.

CIP Incoterms

Then we have Carriage and Insurance Paid to (CIP) Incoterms.
Put yourself in the shoes of the seller in this exchange. The buyer orders products, but you won’t send them directly. Instead, there will be an intermediary in the form of a carrier.
Under this arrangement, you need to pay insurance costs and any other expenses you might incur until the carrier picks up the wares. After the transporter receives the products, liability shifts to the buyer.

Incoterms Ex Works

Incoterms Ex Works denotes a buyer-seller relationship in which the buyer takes most of the risk associated with the shipping process. The only job the vendor needs to perform is to make the requested products available. They do so by crating and delivering the wares to their dock or any other facility.
From there, the buyer takes on all the risk. They need to load products onto their containers, transport the items, and unload them. If you ever find yourself in this position, consider hiring a third-party logistics company. Their vast network will help you breeze through the shipping.

DPU Incoterms

There’s a common thread in all rules we’ve covered so far – the buyer has to unload the goods after the seller delivers them. DPU shipping terms are slightly different. Here, the seller must send the products themselves or via a carrier to their destination AND unload them. This is the only arrangement where the seller is responsible for the unloading stage.
As for the buyer, they need to pay import duties and taxes.

DDP Incoterms

A DDP shipping agreement stipulates that the seller takes on all the risks of shipping a product. They load and transport the wares to a destination selected by the buyer. Furthermore, they also pay import and export duties, insurance, transport expenses, and other costs.

CPT Incoterms

Carriage Paid to (CPT) shipping terms reduce the risk you take on as the seller. The onus is on you to deliver the goods, but you’re not the one who insures the products in transit. This role belongs to the buyer.

CIF Incoterms

We’ve listed the seven Incoterms that apply to all modes of transport. Now let’s cover the four that only regulate waterway carrying, the first of which is Cost Insurance and Freight Incoterms.

Cost Insurance and Freight Incoterms

CIF Incoterms require the seller to load and deliver products to a specific port. They cover any insurance and freight costs that may arise along the way. Once the goods reach their destination, the buyer incurs the remaining expenses.

FOB Incoterms

Free on Board (FOB) Incoterms are similar to CIF Incoterms. But with FOB, the buyer is responsible for costs when the wares are dispatched from the seller’s port. In other words, the buyer can’t postpone the liability until the items reach the destination, which is what CIF Incoterms enable.

CFR Incoterms

Cost and Freight (CFR) Incoterms are pretty much the same as CIF. However, the seller doesn’t have to pay for insurance under CFR terms.

FAS

Free Alongside Ship (FAS) only requires the seller to deliver goods at the port (alongside the ship). The buyer is responsible for the loading, transport, unloading, and any associated expenses.

Incoterms Meaning Unravelled

Whether you couldn’t fathom DAP shipping terms or any other Incoterms, the struggle is over. Knowing the ins and outs of each agreement helps you organise smoother shipments. More importantly, it prevents the other party from taking advantage of you by negotiating unfair contracts. Understanding these concepts levels the playing field.