All guides
8 guides
The paperwork of every shipment
What goes on each line of the proforma, the commercial invoice, the packing list and the transport documents, with a worked example next to every field.
How to make a proforma invoiceWhat it is, how it differs from a real invoice, which field goes on each line and what it must carry so your customer can raise financing or open a letter of credit with it.8 min read
How to make an export commercial invoiceThe invoice that is booked and on which customs calculates duty. What it adds to the proforma, why it carries no VAT and what proof you have to keep to justify that.7 min read
How to make a packing listThe list of packages with weights, dimensions and marks. What it carries, how it is numbered, why volumetric weight is what you get billed on and which mismatches stop a container at destination.7 min readHow to read a bill of lading (B/L)Receipt, contract and sometimes document of title to the goods. What each box says, what changes between a negotiable original and a telex release, and which mistakes leave a container sitting in port.9 min read
How to create a bill of lading (B/L)You do not fill in a B/L: the carrier issues it from what you send in your shipping instructions. What to send, when, how to review the draft and what to ask for in each case.9 min read
How to fill in a CMR consignment noteThe document of international road transport: what each box is, who signs what, and why the carrier’s reservations in box 18 decide who pays for damage.8 min read
Air Waybill (AWB): what it is and how it worksThe air consignment note: how it differs from a sea bill of lading, why it never works as payment security and how to read its eleven digits.7 min read
How to obtain a certificate of originThe one issued by a chamber of commerce: what it is for, when you will be asked for it, what you have to submit and how it differs from proof of preferential origin.6 min readOther categories
Getting started with exportingThe full sequence of a first sale abroad: what you decide, which Incoterm you pick, what it really costs to put your product there and what to check before loading.5 guidesClassification and customsThe number everything else hangs off, how to prove origin so your customer pays less duty, and what actually happens during a clearance.6 guidesGetting paid without gamblingWhich payment instrument to ask for depending on the risk of each deal, and how letters of credit and documentary collections really work.3 guides
Apply the guide to your own product
Reading how a market gets picked is one thing; seeing it with your own catalogue is another. Exporta.ai does that work with your headings and your destinations.