Sherie Griffiths

From International Trade Financial Solutions.

CMR – Convention Merchandises Routiers: These are the conditions for the international movement of goods by road.

Collections: Again, held over from Issue 10. A bank collection is the collection of trade debts through the banking system whereby documents relating to the shipment of goods are passed through the banking system and exchanged either for payment or an acknowledgement of acceptance [usually by means of a Bill of Exchange] for payment at a fixed future date. Both buyer and seller must agree to this course of action at the start and, unlike Letters of Credit, there is no undertaking by the bank to pay. It is generally felt that this is a more secure method than open account trading.

Confirmed Letter of Credit: I will cover this when we look at Letters of Credit, later in the series.

Consignee: The party to whom goods are sent.

Consignor: Also known as the shipper; the party despatching the goods.

Consignment (1): The underlying goods sent by the consignor to the consignee.

Consignment (2): Care – if goods are exported subject to consignment, the exporter will only receive payment on completed sales. Any unsold may be returned to the seller, at the seller’s expense. Can be high risk and expensive.

Containerisation: The use of sealed containers into which goods are packed for shipment.

Convertible Currency: A currency that can be freely bought and sold for other currencies at will, e.g. Sterling, US Dollar, Euro, etc. Exporters must ensure that payment for their goods will be in a freely convertible currency. Note, however, that this may not necessarily mean that funds will be immediately available, if the country concerned still uses exchange control.

Correspondent Bank: A bank that operates in its own Country the business of a foreign bank.

CPT Incoterm: Carriage Paid To [named place]. The seller clears the goods for export and pays for delivery to a named place. The goods are deemed to have been delivered, and the responsibility for them passes to the buyer, once they have been taken by the seller’s carrier.

Customs: Generic term for HMRC. Whether you are importing or exporting, you must follow HMRC regulations, which are complex and detailed. If you use a freight forwarder or shipping agent, they can undertake much of the customs procedures on your behalf but, like tax returns, you are still ultimately liable for the accuracy, etc. of all declarations.

Customs Commodity Code: Also known as CN Code. An 8 digit code required for all goods to be exported outside the EU. Imports from outside the EU have a 10 digit code. These must be entered on the relevant documentation and are available from HMRC via their publication known as The Tariff.