Glossary

The words of the trade.

Name: Lexical
Address: 571 Chouzhou North Road, Futian Street, Yiwu, Zhejiang, 322023, CN
Telephone: +86 177 5805 4396

The terms a quotation, a booking and a customs entry use, in plain words, each with the page on this site that says more.

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20GP and 40GP: Twenty-foot and forty-foot general-purpose containers, the standard dry boxes. We quote the forty-foot high cube; the forty-foot standard and the twenty-foot are quoted on request.
40HQforty-foot high cube: A forty-foot container a foot taller than the standard one: about 68 CBM of usable space, roughly nine more than a standard forty for the same freight. Appliances are light and bulky, so a load runs out of room long before it runs out of weight, which is why it is the box we quote. How we work

Bill of lading: The carrier's document, issued once the container is on board. It is what releases your container at your port, and we release it against the balance.

CBMcubic metre: The volume a carton takes up, and the unit a container is planned in. Every published line shows its carton's CBM, so you can plan a load before you ask for a price. The catalogue
CE marking: The manufacturer's declaration that a product meets the EU requirements that apply to it. For a household appliance no outside body issues it. The CE Declaration of Conformity
Certificate of origin: States the country the goods were made in, for your customs office. Prepared on request, including Form A and FTA forms where a route qualifies.
CFRCost and Freight: On board at the port of loading, with the sea freight paid to your port. Insurance is still yours, and the risk still passes at the loading port. FOB or CIF from Ningbo
CIFCost, Insurance and Freight: As CFR, with a minimum insurance policy in your name: the minimum level the term requires, not full cover. FOB or CIF from Ningbo
Commercial invoice: Issued when the goods ship, line by line, with HS codes where they are agreed in advance. It is what your customs office assesses duty on.

DAPDelivered at Place: At your named address, not unloaded. We carry it all the way; import duty, VAT and customs clearance remain yours.
DDPDelivered Duty Paid: At your named address, with the duty paid. Quoted case by case: it depends entirely on your destination's tariff treatment.
Declaration of ConformityEU DoC: The document in which the manufacturer declares that a CE-marked product conforms, naming the directives and harmonised standards applied. Lexical issues one per model. The CE Declaration of Conformity
Deposit and balance: The deposit confirms the order and reserves the goods. The balance, settled before the container arrives, releases the bill of lading. How we work

EXWEx Works: At our door in Yiwu. You arrange everything from collection onward, including export clearance: the cheapest line on a quotation and the most work for you.

FCAFree Carrier: To your nominated carrier, cleared for export. We load and clear; your forwarder takes it from the named place. Usually the cleanest term when you already have a forwarder in China.
FCLfull container load: A container loaded with your order alone. The cheapest way to buy per unit, and how most of our regular partners order.
FOBFree On Board: On board the vessel at the port of loading. The most common term for our shipments: we deliver to the port, clear for export and load; the sea freight, insurance and import are yours. FOB or CIF from Ningbo

HS code: The number that classifies a product for customs under the Harmonized System: six digits shared worldwide, more added by each country for its tariff. What an HS code is

Incoterms: The International Chamber of Commerce's trade terms, in their 2020 edition: where the seller hands the goods over, who pays which costs, and where the risk passes. All seven, on the shipping page

LCLless than container load: When an order does not fill a box: your representative in China — an agency company, a buying office or a forwarder with a depot in Yiwu — receives it from us and consolidates it with other cargo.

MOQminimum order quantity: The smallest order a supplier accepts. There is none on a first order with us: the minimum is a value rather than a piece count, quoted to you personally. From the second order on, the minimum per line is set on your proforma invoice.

ODMoriginal design manufacturer: A maker that designs a product as well as building it, for another company to sell under its own brand. What we offer is OEM and private label: OEM and private label
OEMoriginal equipment manufacturer: In the appliance trade, a product made by one company to be sold under another's brand. OEM and private label

Packing list: Every carton by SKU, quantity, weight and dimensions: the carton count, the carton spec, gross and net weight, and the total CBM.
Plug type: The plug and socket pattern a market uses, lettered A to O by the IEC. Voltage and plug type by country
Private label: Your brand on a product a supplier makes: your logo, your labels and manual, your colour and your packaging. OEM and private label
Proforma invoice: The quotation in formal form: the price per unit, the minimum quantity per line, what is in stock and the incoterm quoted. You sign it and pay against it; it is not a tax document.

Rating label: The label on the appliance: the brand's name and mark, the product name and code, the rated voltage and frequency, the wattage and the CE mark.

Test reports: The safety and EMC reports behind a Declaration of Conformity, per model.
Transit time: How long the goods spend at sea or on the rail, from Ningbo or the Yiwu railhead to your port. The figures on this site are indicative; the one for your order is confirmed on the quotation. Transit times

Voltage and frequency: The mains supply a market runs: 100 to 127 volts or 220 to 240 volts, at 50 or 60 hertz. An appliance is built for its market's supply. Voltage and plug type by country

Still a question

If a term on your quotation is not here, ask the desk with your enquiry and it is explained in writing.