Shipping & Delivery

Incoterms 2020

We quote four terms. All four follow Incoterms 2020 as published by the International Chamber of Commerce. The named place matters as much as the term itself, and it is written into the order confirmation.

EXW

Ex Works, our factory in Heyuan. Lowest cost to you, lowest responsibility for us. You collect, or arrange a forwarder to collect.

FOB

Free On Board, named port. We handle export clearance and loading. Risk passes once the goods are on board the vessel.

CIF

Cost, Insurance and Freight, named port. We arrange and pay sea freight and minimum cover. Risk still passes on board — not on arrival.

DDP

Delivered Duty Paid, your door. We arrange export clearance, carriage, insurance and import duty. Risk passes on arrival.

Buyers who want cover until the goods are actually in the warehouse should look at DDP. Under CIF the goods are already the buyer’s risk while still at sea.

How the goods travel

We do not fix a transit time on this page, because a quoted number that does not match the actual sailing is worse than none. Ask your contact for a transit estimate for your port or destination and we will give you a current one, or name the forwarder we would use so you can check it yourself.

• Sea — the default for repeat volume. LCL for smaller consignments, FCL for palletised loads. Slowest and cheapest per unit.
• Air — for urgent replenishment or higher-value goods. Costs several times sea freight.
• Express courier — for samples, proofs and urgent replacement rolls. Not economical on production quantities.

Production time and transit time are different

Production normally takes 10 to 18 working days after artwork approval. Transit is on top of that and depends on the mode, the port and the sailing schedule. When you are planning a launch or a retail window, allow for both plus customs clearance at your end.

How labels are packed for export

Pallet type, maximum stack height and carton marks follow your instruction where you have given one, and our export standard where you have not. Tell us your warehouse constraints before we pack, not after.

Documents that travel with the goods

Certificates of origin and other destination-specific paperwork depend on what the importing country actually asks for and are arranged case by case. Tell us the destination and your importer’s requirements early, because they can add days.

• Commercial invoice and packing list, as standard on every shipment.
• FSC chain-of-custody documentation, where the order carries an FSC claim.
• Any further certificate your destination requires, arranged per order.

Customs, duty and import clearance

If you would rather not deal with import paperwork at all, DDP is the term for that, and we will price the duty into the quotation.

If something goes wrong in transit

Under EXW, FOB and CIF the risk is yours from the point named in the term, so transit damage is normally a claim against the carrier rather than against us. We will give you the packing list, carton marks and photographs you need to make it, and we will deal with the forwarder on your behalf where that helps. Under DDP the risk is ours until the goods are at your door.