Take control of your next import purchase

A three-letter trade term can shape the journey from your supplier’s premises to your receiving door. It tells you where the seller delivers the goods, when risk normally transfers and who is responsible for particular transport, clearance and unloading tasks. If the named place or service scope is unclear, your quotation may hide costs or leave a handover gap.

Incoterms 2020 for Importers, from the eBSI Export Academy, turns the rules into purchasing decisions you can use. Follow an import shipment from the first quotation through delivery, customs, receiving and possible claims. Learn what to ask, what to put in writing and how to test whether a quoted price covers the services you expect.

What you will learn

·        Choose among all 11 Incoterms® 2020 rules according to transport mode, handover point and your ability to arrange freight or clearance.

·        Find the moment of delivery and risk transfer, including situations where the seller pays the main carriage but risk passes earlier.

·        Compare EXW with FCA; assess container handover and when a maritime term may leave a gap between terminal delivery and vessel loading.

·        Check the insurance obligation under CIP and CIF, the coverage level and exclusions, and what further cover your cargo may need.

·        See exactly how DAP, DPU and DDP differ on unloading and import formalities.

·        Compare competing supplier quotes with a transparent landed-cost worksheet and question unclear destination charges.

·        Keep the records and notifications needed when goods arrive damaged or a charge is disputed.

Built around importer decisions

Instead of memorising abbreviations alone, you will make choices using practical, fictional shipments. What happens if goods reach a container terminal before they are loaded aboard a vessel? Who should organise cover when risk passes at a carrier handover? What should you check before accepting a delivered price with import clearance included? Each example gives you the facts to analyse the rule and the next question to ask.

Course contents

·        1. Importer responsibilities and foundations: what the rules cover and what the sales contract must still settle.

·        2. Delivery, risk, costs and named places: map the shipment before agreeing a trade term.

·        3. EXW and FCA: collection, loading, export clearance and carrier handover.

·        4. FAS and FOB: alongside and on-board delivery for sea or inland waterway transport.

·        5. CPT, CIP, CFR and CIF: seller-paid carriage, earlier risk transfer and insurance.

·        6. DAP, DPU and DDP: arrival, unloading and the practicality of import clearance.

·        7. Customs, documents and payment: evidence, valuation concepts and separate contract terms.

·        8. Insurance, receiving and claims: act promptly and preserve the right evidence.

·        9. Quotations and landed costs: compare like-for-like costs and test assumptions.

·        10. Integrated importer cases: apply the full purchasing and receiving checklist.

Who this course is for

Importers, SME owners, purchasing and procurement staff, supply-chain and logistics coordinators, and anyone who reviews supplier quotations or shipping instructions. Prior specialist trade training is not required. Experienced importers can use the cases and worksheets to sharpen existing procedures.

What is included

A self-paced, 100-screen online course in 10 modules, with Connor-narrated teaching, 75 original illustrations, 25 explanatory diagrams, practice decisions and feedback, a searchable glossary and an editable Word student manual. A separate online assessment draws 20 questions from a 50-question bank. The pass mark is 60% (12 correct answers out of 20). A printable learner assessment form is also available.

Time and format

Plan approximately 2–3 hours for the course and practice, plus 20–30 minutes for the separate assessment. These are planning estimates; neither unit has a built-in time limit. Study at your own pace and revisit the screens and manual as you work through an import purchase.

A clearer purchase order starts before shipment

By the end, you should be better equipped to specify a rule with its precise named place, ask who handles each stage, test the true scope of a quotation and keep the evidence needed if something goes wrong. Enrol in Incoterms 2020 for Importers and put a practical importer checklist to work on your next purchase.

Incoterms® is a registered trademark of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC). This independent eBSI Export Academy course is not published, endorsed or certified by the ICC. The examples are fictional and the figures are teaching assumptions. For a live transaction, consult the official ICC rules and applicable law.