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How-To Information for Exporters: A Reader's Guide
Beginning exporters are
sometimes surprised at the amount of paperwork required to
conduct international trade. Transactions that in small
communities take only a handshake between people who know each
other become more complicated as the trade environment reaches
global proportions.
Each market has distinct requirements. Each buyer, seller, bank, port, country and governmental program has specific needs that often must be met through documentation.
Exporters who want to hit the ground running need to familiarize themselves with the documents necessary to complete transactions and the abbreviated terms commonly used in trade.
Since the 1930s, the International Chamber of Commerce in Paris has been publishing guidance to assist traders. Exporters in the United States can acquire these publications through ICC Publishing, Inc., 156 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010; tel. (212) 206-1150; fax (212) 633-6025; e-mail http://www.iccwbo.org.
If your buyer overseas needs to borrow money from a bank to buy the goods you sell, ICC's Uniform Customs and Practice for Documentary Credits will govern your transaction. If you need to ship your goods to the buyer, ICC's Incoterms will govern language in the bill of lading that controls shipment of your goods from pickup to delivery.
Not only can the ICC's publications help exporters master the intricacies of modern trade, they can prevent disappointments that result from underpreparation.
Sources of Export Information
ICC Publishing, Inc.
156 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10010
Tel. (212) 206-1150
Fax (212) 633-6025
E-mail http://www.iccwbo.org
Foreign Agricultural Service
AgExport Services Division
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Ag Stop 1052
Washington, DC 20250-1052
Tel. (202) 720-9509
Fax (202 690-0193
E-mail: fasinfo@fas.usda.gov
For more information about getting involved in trade, contact the Foreign Agricultural Service's AgExport Services Division; tel. (202) 720-9509; fax (202) 690-0193; e-mail fasinfo@fas.usda.gov.
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