China Export Documents a Buyer Should Actually Read

Sourcing ends when the factory says the goods are ready. The shipment starts when the papers describe those same goods. I read the invoice, the packing list, and the draft declaration together. If the three disagree, the freight forwarder will guess, and the guess becomes your problem at the other end.

Who files what

Under a normal FOB sale, the Chinese exporter of record files the export declaration. That is often the factory or its appointed agent. You do not need a Chinese company of your own for that split, which is why I prefer FOB to EXW for buyers who are not already set up in China. EXW leaves export clearance on your side of the table.

Your country’s import entry is a different filing, done by your broker, against the documents we send. I can prepare a clean set. I do not file your import entry for you.

One description, one quantity, one value

• Product name, quantity, carton count, net weight, and gross weight match across the invoice, the packing list, and the bill of lading.
• The value is the value we can defend. I do not understate it to change a duty.
• The HS description matches what the goods are. Your broker confirms the code in your country. I do not shop for a softer code.
• A certificate of origin, when your broker asks for one under a trade agreement, is an extra document. It does not replace the Chinese export declaration.

Destination rules travel with the product. Toys, lamps, sunglasses sold as protection, and food-contact bottles each have a file in your market. A mark printed in the factory is not that file. Wooden packing and solid-wood stretcher bars need the treatment mark the destination requires. I flag that while the cartons are still open.

If you want me to build the order and the paper set together, start with the product and the destination country. The documents follow the goods. They should not be invented after the truck has left.

Keep reading

• FOB, EXW, and CIF: How I Split Freight on a China Order
• What a Pre-Shipment Inspection Covers on Standard Goods
• Plastic Toys, Wooden Toys, and the Tests That Matter