Guide to Free On Board Shipping: Point vs Destination

The buyer only needs to rely on a single company throughout the transportation process, thus, minimizing the back and forth and potential for miscommunication between two shipping companies. To recap, FOB shipping point means that ownership of the goods and the liability in case of damage or loss transfers to the buyer as soon as the seller loads the goods on the ship at the port of origin. The seller is responsible for all risk in case of damage or loss until loading of the goods onto the vessel at the port of shipment.

• Shipping via FOB Incoterms from China is simple, straightforward, and the ideal way to ensure your products leave China safely and arrive at your destination seamlessly.
• FOB states that the Free On Board is one of the most common incoterms, so it’s expected for business owners to have a firm grasp of what FOB is.
• Working with a 3rd party logistics provider like ShipCalm allows businesses to simplify the process of understanding incoterms.
• The cost and risk of the shipment are transferred to the buyer only after the goods are on board safely at a mutually agreed upon shipping port.

That amazing antique couch you saw in Turkey during your visit – you can easily buy it and have it shipped to your home country. Globalization has made it cheaper to acquire goods and products from all over the world. It has made it easier for even people who are not in business to buy things from other countries. How many products of the products you use in your daily life have been made outside your country? Delivery vessel means tank trucks or trailers equipped with a storage tank and used for the transport of gasoline from sources of supply to stationary tanks of gasoline dispensing facilities.

FOB Incoterms: What FOB Means and Pricing

Getting ownership of the shipment as soon as it is loaded on the ship at brings with it costs and risks the buyer would not incur if ownership transferred only after reaching them. As such, FOB shipping means that the supplier retains ownership and responsibility for the goods until they are loaded ‘on board’ a shipping vessel. The seller pays and bears the freight charges and owns the goods while they are in transit. FOB destination cost – Seller is responsible for all fees and transport costs right up to the point that the goods reach the actual destination.

Therefore, the business can save money, in case the goods get damaged or lost in transit. When such cases occur, it is the customer’s responsibility to file a claim. This gives the business protection, in the event of a failed payment after the business has already paid for the transportation. In some cases, the goods also have to be transported to the buyer’s location . As a seller, one way to deal with this is estimating the cost and choosing the freight prepaid route, in which case the cost gets included in the purchase. Furthermore, there are extra costs, such as paying for customs clearance and other inspections or certifications.

Shipping/freight costs

For this reason, buyers tend to prefer CIF while online sellers should lean toward FOB shipping to access better control over their shipment, maintain a higher profit, and save the buyer money on their orders. FOB destination – Means that transfer of ownership and responsibility occurs at the buyer’s loading dock, their post office or their physical location.

Once you are satisfied with the shipping quotation, the next step is to inform your logistics company that you would like to use them to ship your products. Depending on where the cargo is traveling, they will usually send you some documentation, and ask you to sign an agreement stating that you wish for the forwarder to handle your shipment. For example, if the supplier quotes FOB Ningbo, but you would like your freight shipped from Shanghai, then the unit price may differ, and the seller needs the opportunity to adjust their offer.

FOB Terminology – Shipping Point

Upon delivery to the buyer’s noted location, the title is transferred to the buyer, who then owns the goods and is legally responsible for them. FOB shipping point and FOB destination point reference the moment in the transaction where the title of the goods transfers from seller to buyer. This is a very necessary distinction in that it determines https://www.bookstime.com/ succinctly which party is responsible and liable for any lost or damaged goods during the shipping at any given time. The major difference between the two terms is the timing of the transfer. There are many industry terms importers and exporters need to be well-versed in to guarantee their shipping relations are well understood.

FOB shipping point is a further limitation or condition to FOB, as responsibility changes hands at the seller’s shipping dock. In FOB Shipping Point, both seller and buyer record the delivery once the shipment leaves the seller’s warehouse . In FOB Destination, the seller and buyer record the sale only after the shipment reaches the buyer’s dock. For newer importers or importers who have always purchased under Incoterms where the seller organizes the freight costs, the process can seem more complicated, because there is an added step.

What Does FOB Mean in Freight?

The transportation department of a buyer might insist on FOB shipping point terms, so that it can take complete control over the delivery of goods what does fob shipping point mean once they leave a supplier’s shipping dock. The main difference between FOB and CIF lies in the transference of ownership and liability.

Let us understand FOB Shipping Point with the help of an example. Company A puts the goods onto a common carrier on December 30, and the same arrives at the buyer’s location on January 2. On the other side, the buyer must note in its accounting system that it has inventory on its way.

Free Freightos Tools

Realistically, it is quite difficult for the buyer to record a delivery at the shipping point, since this requires proper notification into the buyer’s inventory management system from an outside location. From a practical perspective, recognition of receipt is instead completed at the receiving dock of the buyer. Thus, the sale is recorded when the shipment leaves the seller’s facility, and the receipt is recorded when it arrives at the buyer’s facility. This means there is a difference between the legal terms of the arrangement and the typical accounting for it.

The supplier is only responsible for bringing the electronic devices to the carrier. International commercial laws have been in place for decades and were established to standardize the rules and regulations surrounding the shipment and transportation of goods. Having special contracts in place has been important because international trade can be complicated and because trade laws differ between countries.