Understand trade terms in document workflow context.

The main commercial document that states seller, buyer, goods, quantity, price, currency, Incoterms, and payment terms.

A packing and logistics document that explains package count, quantities, gross weight, net weight, CBM, and marks.

Bill of Lading. A sea transport document often used for cargo release, bank submission, and shipment evidence.

Air Waybill. An air transport document used as carriage evidence and a shipment tracking reference.

A standard set of trade terms that allocates cost, risk, delivery point, insurance, and clearance responsibilities.

A bank payment arrangement where document wording, shipment dates, copies, signatures, and values are reviewed strictly.

The seller of record for checkout. For Documents Dock global billing, Paddle handles payment, tax, receipts, invoices, and refunds.

A preliminary invoice sent before shipment to confirm price, quantity, currency, and Incoterms, often used to arrange payment or an import permit.

A buyer-issued order that fixes the agreed items, quantities, price, and terms; its number is referenced across the shipment's documents.

A document identifying where goods originate. It may support a preferential tariff claim or satisfy an importing-country evidence requirement.

The party to whom the goods are shipped and released, named on the transport document (B/L or AWB).

The contact the carrier notifies when cargo arrives, often the consignee or its forwarder or customs representative.

Gross weight includes packaging; net weight is the goods only. Both appear on the Packing List and are cross-checked against the B/L or AWB.

Cubic metres: the shipment volume used for freight pricing and to verify the Packing List against transport documents.

An electronic cargo release that lets the consignee collect goods without an original paper B/L after the shipper surrenders it at origin.

An agreement that may lower tariffs when the goods meet its origin rules and the required proof of origin is available.

The Harmonized System code used to classify goods. The United States declares on the 10-digit HTSUS line; additional Chapter 99 duties and partner government agency requirements attach to that line. CBP determines the final classification and duty — the importer of record is held to reasonable care.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the agency responsible for admissibility, classification, valuation, duty collection, and enforcement at the US border.

The owner, purchaser, or licensed customs broker responsible for filing the entry and for the accuracy of the declared information. The IOR carries the reasonable-care obligation.

The Automated Commercial Environment, CBP's single-window system through which entries, entry summaries, and related trade data are transmitted.

The document that reports the entered value, classification, origin, and duties owed for an import, filed in ACE after cargo release.

The Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States, published by the USITC. Goods are declared on a 10-digit HTSUS line.

Importer Security Filing — advance cargo data required for ocean shipments, filed separately from the entry and generally before lading at the foreign port.

A surety bond guaranteeing payment of duties, taxes, and fees. Held as a continuous bond or a single transaction bond; minimum coverage requirements are under revision through late 2026.

The statutory standard requiring importers to use care in classifying goods, determining origin and value, and declaring accurately. Failure can lead to penalties independent of any duty loss.

The customs recordkeeping regulation. Entry-related records must be kept for five years from the date of entry, in original or an approved alternative format, and produced on demand.

The former duty-free treatment for shipments valued at or below $800. Suspended for all countries on August 29, 2025 — low-value shipments now require an entry filed in ACE.