Hey guys,

I have a customer from Canada now is asking to quote him FOB Vancover, he was kind of angry that I was not able to quote him the FOB Vancover price. But I'm currently in China, I mean how to quote a FOB Vancover price. He laughed and asked why can't you just ship to the port of Vancover? I'm confused what he wants now, maybe CIF? 

Just a question to experienced and new buyers, do you study the "Incoterm" before purchasing from overseas in the international business and the first time?

Or someone could explain to me the meaning on that?

Thank you for your comments!

Quoting from [don23]:

Quoting from [faucet_maker]:

Hey guys,

I have a customer from Canada now is asking to quote him FOB Vancover, he was kind of angry that I was not able to quote him the FOB Vancover price. But I'm currently in China, I mean how to quote a FOB Vancover price. He laughed and asked why can't you just ship to the port of Vancover? I'm confused what he wants now, maybe CIF? 

Just a question to experienced and new buyers, do you study the "Incoterm" before purchasing from overseas in the international business and the first time?

Or someone could explain to me the meaning on that?

Thank you for your comments!

 

Hello Faucet Maker,

I have read your article , and reviewed the replies posted.

But I think your buyer is looking for the price in which he want to include

CIF + the local import charges & duties implied by his state(canada).

Maybe he is interested in reselling to elsewhere ,

i.e why  he looks for FOB Vancouver.

Ask him to get this info from Canada foreign trade dep.

or it is upto you if you can can get it done by urself.

Thanks 

Thank you for your comments first of all. I had an email from the customer today, we both misunderstood each other, he were not familiar with the terms FOB/CFR etc, and now correcting what he needed from us.

He had also apologize for his incorrect term used, and placed the sample order which makes me feel good because all my efforts & times are worth dealing with it.

Who knows, sometimes this happens!

Oh, finally he asked for our FOB price to be delivered to Vancouver and a nice customer.

Quoting from [faucet_maker]:

Quoting from [don23]:

Quoting from [faucet_maker]:

Hey guys,

I have a customer from Canada now is asking to quote him FOB Vancover, he was kind of angry that I was not able to quote him the FOB Vancover price. But I'm currently in China, I mean how to quote a FOB Vancover price. He laughed and asked why can't you just ship to the port of Vancover? I'm confused what he wants now, maybe CIF? 

Just a question to experienced and new buyers, do you study the "Incoterm" before purchasing from overseas in the international business and the first time?

Or someone could explain to me the meaning on that?

Thank you for your comments!

 

Thank you for your comments first of all. I had an email from the customer today, we both misunderstood each other, he were not familiar with the terms FOB/CFR etc, and now correcting what he needed from us.

He had also apologize for his incorrect term used, and placed the sample order which makes me feel good because all my efforts & times are worth dealing with it.

Who knows, sometimes this happens!

Oh, finally he asked for our FOB price to be delivered to Vancouver and a nice customer.

Sounds great!

 I learn to be patient and careful in our freign trade business! If you  ignore his misunderstanding at the very beginning, how can you get his sample order?

Congratuations !!!

Quoting from [Trollslayer]:


Having seen his email I would "run a mile". As soon asa some one starts quoting from a religious text it usually means they are a scammer.


So unless you are happy to lose the money I would leave well alone. If they were an experienced importer they would not be making such an error over CIF/FOB let alone getting annoyed about it.


But if you want to quote them quote him CIF price to Vancouver and mention any other costs he will incur if the goods are not picked up on time.


I once had a UK importer that was not informed by a Bulgarian wine grower when the goods had arrived in the UK at Heathrow Airport. After a week the cost of the storage was three times that of the sample.

You are really experienced. Getting things more than seeing.

I also ran accross these problems, because some small buyers are not familiar with international trade, they are small business man, buy from China and sell in their local countries, maybe they have stores or only web stores.

So try our best to support them and stop when you find something is wrong.

Safe business first.

Faucet,

You seem to have both gotten on the same page now, which is good. There is an argument to be made on both sides of the issue......... By some definitions, and would accept this if someone from another country asked me for a quote to HIS port to be FOB........ All you need to do is quote them a price that works for you........

ie if the actual unit cost is $10.00 and shipping and insurance to Vancouver is an extra $3.00... you just quote him $13.00 FOB VANCOUVER......... That is 9kind of) still correct..... Basically you are quoting him the price it would cost YOU to have it as delivered in vancouver, rather than Shenzen or Ningbo........ It's just that quite a lot of newer importers, like this person, don;t really understand the inco's correctly.......

One thing  would STRONGLY suggest to you is to NOT quote a price delivered to his door..... This is because (and I may be incorrect on this and will have to ask Ranger to clarify) that if YOUR company is the one that pays for the customs clearance etc in Canada, I have a feeling that makes YOU the importer..... That means legal liability for the product falls on you rather than him... Not something you want unless you are willing to comply with all Canadian laws!

Quote him the price delivered to the dock, tell him he has toget his own customes clearing agent to work at that point to clear customs etc and do the on-shipping to his warehouse.

Quoting from [KZAR]:

Quoting from [faucet_maker]:

Hey guys,

I have a customer from Canada now is asking to quote him FOB Vancover, he was kind of angry that I was not able to quote him the FOB Vancover price. But I'm currently in China, I mean how to quote a FOB Vancover price. He laughed and asked why can't you just ship to the port of Vancover? I'm confused what he wants now, maybe CIF? 

Just a question to experienced and new buyers, do you study the "Incoterm" before purchasing from overseas in the international business and the first time?

Or someone could explain to me the meaning on that?

Thank you for your comments!

Customer is probably new to exports.It has to be FOB(China port) or CIF Vancouver

this mean seller has to be resposible to all charges from the factory to the port and on board of the ship. once the ship sail from the seller port to vancouver is the buyer responsibilities in term of ocean freight charges and forwarding charges from the seller port also on buyer responsibilities from seller port to vancover port and other charges incurs at the vancouver port. but the risk it there if anything happen to the shipment the buyer will be responsible if they dont ask for CIF.

Replying to [faucet_maker]:  I to have read the responses from everyone.  However I believe that its inexperience on both sides. 

1. Buyer asked for quote that is not possible.
2. Seller says they can't.

Instead of saying you can't, the best response would have been what you could do.  Sometimes its better to educate the inexperience of a buyer than to close yourself off from a potential sale.   Anyone thats been doing this for a length of time knows that FOB means from the shipping port.  Which was your clue to the buyers inexperience. 

I would have simply sent him options you could do.  If this was merely a sample I would have quoted him CFR, CIF and DEQ.  I would have explained in the follow up email after making those quotes that the term FOB means shipment from the loading port and not the unloading port.

I think alot more deals could actually be done if buyers and sellers alike stop assuming that each other knows everything and that they work together to understand each of what the other is actually asking.

Best regards,

Ranger

 

 

They are due with local business. And they are not study any for internaional trade. So, They are only due with FOB. This price should be including CIF with import duty.

 

 

Quoting from [faucet_maker]:

Hey guys,

I have a customer from Canada now is asking to quote him FOB Vancover, he was kind of angry that I was not able to quote him the FOB Vancover price. But I'm currently in China, I mean how to quote a FOB Vancover price. He laughed and asked why can't you just ship to the port of Vancover? I'm confused what he wants now, maybe CIF? 

Just a question to experienced and new buyers, do you study the "Incoterm" before purchasing from overseas in the international business and the first time?

Or someone could explain to me the meaning on that?

Thank you for your comments!

Hot Topics Recommend

It's my Dream

How do I ship products into China? What products are in demand from India? Importing into the US or UK as a nonresident Negotiate after-sales services with supplier Free promotions on the forums! How can I persuade my supplier?

Quoting from [faucet_maker]:

Hey guys,

I have a customer from Canada now is asking to quote him FOB Vancover, he was kind of angry that I was not able to quote him the FOB Vancover price. But I'm currently in China, I mean how to quote a FOB Vancover price. He laughed and asked why can't you just ship to the port of Vancover? I'm confused what he wants now, maybe CIF? 

Just a question to experienced and new buyers, do you study the "Incoterm" before purchasing from overseas in the international business and the first time?

Or someone could explain to me the meaning on that?

Thank you for your comments!

Hot Topics Recommend

It's my Dream

How do I ship products into China? What products are in demand from India? Importing into the US or UK as a nonresident Negotiate after-sales services with supplier Free promotions on the forums! How can I persuade my supplier?

It just simple sir

Send to your quoter CIF

Then everyhing Clear

Quoting from [Trollslayer]:


Having seen his email I would "run a mile". As soon asa some one starts quoting from a religious text it usually means they are a scammer.


So unless you are happy to lose the money I would leave well alone. If they were an experienced importer they would not be making such an error over CIF/FOB let alone getting annoyed about it.


But if you want to quote them quote him CIF price to Vancouver and mention any other costs he will incur if the goods are not picked up on time.


I once had a UK importer that was not informed by a Bulgarian wine grower when the goods had arrived in the UK at Heathrow Airport. After a week the cost of the storage was three times that of the sample.

Obviously, the customer is/was wrong, however, that can happen in any business! whilst I am not religious myself, I wouldn't automatically say it was a scam because he quoted the bible ! - Inform the customer of what your understanding is, in a polite and curtious way.  Keep your cool, and maybe the deal can still go ahead, making sure you complete your due dilligence on the customer and company 

Well, in this case FOB
Vancouver
probably means CIF. It's common to hear people saying FOB instead CIF in my country. So, we deduct it is CIF because it is accompanied by the destination port  (like FOB
Vancouver
).

 

Sincerely,

Andrea

Quoting from [faucet_maker]:

Hey guys,

I have a customer from Canada now is asking to quote him FOB Vancover, he was kind of angry that I was not able to quote him the FOB Vancover price. But I'm currently in China, I mean how to quote a FOB Vancover price. He laughed and asked why can't you just ship to the port of Vancover? I'm confused what he wants now, maybe CIF? 

Just a question to experienced and new buyers, do you study the "Incoterm" before purchasing from overseas in the international business and the first time?

Or someone could explain to me the meaning on that?

Thank you for your comments!

Hot Topics Recommend

It's my Dream

How do I ship products into China? What products are in demand from India? Importing into the US or UK as a nonresident Negotiate after-sales services with supplier Free promotions on the forums! How can I persuade my supplier?