Hi Alesix,
I was interested in your posting, but I dont want to break forum rules by making a commercial posting.
Start at the beginning. You can pay for goods at different stages of delivery. If you take them straight from the factory, it is one price, if you take charge at the local port, its another price, and if you take charge at your delivery port, it is a different price. The more work that is done for you, the more you pay. There are many differernt stages you can take. In China for example, the most common is FOB. Here is a list of the common ones that we use:
Group E - Departure:
EXW. Ex Works (named place)
Group F - Main Carriage Unpaid:
FCA. Free Carrier (named place)
FAS. Free Alongside Ship (named loading port)
FOB. Free On Board (named loading port)
Group C - Main Carriage Paid:
CFR. Cost and Freight (named destination port)
CIF. Cost, Insurance and Freight (named destination port)
CPT. Carriage Paid To (named destination port)
CIP. Carriage and Insurance Paid to (named destination port)
Group D - Arrival:
DAF. Delivered At Frontier (named place)
DES. Delivered Ex Ship (named port)
DEQ. Delivered Ex Quay (named port)
DDU. Delivered Duty Unpaid (named destination place)
DDP. Delivered Duty Paid (named destination place)
The definitions are readily available on the internet. I dont think that Im allowed to leave you a link, but if you search for "incoterms", you will be able to find some good definitions.
If you are importing from China, chances are that your delivery will go from Shanghai to Long Beach. Clearing customs is a relatively straight forward process, but it can be subject to delay - and you will have to pay for the storage costs whilst it is waiting to be cleared.
Feel free to contact me directly. I am based in Long Beach and would be happy to meet up if appropriate. contact me on
[email protected]. I have a wealth of information that I could pass on.