Where a term has a specific meaning on our site, the definition says so.
Prices and payment
- Bank charges — Your sending bank or an intermediary bank may charge for an international transfer. Ask your bank about its charges; these are outside the FOB export package and are not added by the calculator.
- CFR (Cost and Freight) — The seller pays the costs and the sea freight to the named destination port, but risk passes to the buyer once the car is on board in China.
- CIF (Cost, Insurance and Freight) — CFR plus cargo insurance taken out by the seller for the buyer; risk still passes when the car is loaded in China. Cargo insurance can be arranged on request.
- Commercial invoice — The seller's formal statement of what was sold, to whom and for how much. Customs uses it as the starting point for valuing the car.
- Deposit and balance — A payment in two parts: a deposit first, then the balance. The terms are set out in the proforma invoice.
- FOB (Free On Board) — The listed price is the FOB price in US dollars. It includes the car, inspection, export documents and customs clearance, domestic transport, port charges and service fee.
- Proforma invoice (PI) — A written quotation in invoice form, issued before you pay. It names the car and VIN, the price, trade term, bank details and payment terms, and fixes the final price.
- Quote validity — How long a quoted price holds. Because freight rates change often, a quote that includes sea freight is valid for a limited period, stated on the quote.
- T/T (telegraphic transfer) — An international bank transfer, the usual way to pay for a car. The bank details are those on the proforma invoice.
Shipping
- Booking — Reserving space for a car or container on a particular sailing. The carrier confirms the booking, and sailings can change.
- Consignee — The person or company named on the bill of lading to receive the car, normally the importer who clears customs. Give us these details exactly as your broker needs them.
- Container (20 ft / 40 ft) — A steel box in which cars are secured with wheel chocks and straps. A 20 ft container usually takes one car; a 40 ft container can take more of your own cars, depending on their size.
- Departure port — The Chinese port where the car is loaded. We ship from Shanghai, Tianjin and Guangzhou, depending on where the car is and which services reach your port.
- ETD / ETA — Estimated time of departure and estimated time of arrival, as published by the carrier. Both can change.
- Notify party — The person or company the carrier informs when the car arrives, often the consignee or the consignee's customs broker.
- Port charges — The car’s FOB departure port is shown on its listing. Domestic transport to that port is already included in the FOB price.
- RoRo (roll-on/roll-off) — The car is driven onto a vehicle carrier at the departure port and driven off at the destination. It must be in running order.
Documents and customs
- Bill of lading (B/L) — Issued by the carrier once the car is loaded: a receipt for the cargo, evidence of the contract of carriage and, as an original, a document of title. The destination port releases the car against it.
- Certificate of origin — A document stating where the goods were made. Some countries require it for every import; others use it to grant lower duty under a trade agreement.
- Customs broker — A licensed agent who clears goods through customs for the importer, filing the declaration and arranging duties and taxes. Customs clearance at the destination is done by you or your customs broker.
- Export customs declaration — The record filed with Chinese customs showing that the car was declared for export and left China through official channels.
- HS code — The Harmonized System number used to classify goods for customs. For a car it depends on details such as engine type and size, and it affects which duty rate applies.
- Packing list — A list of what is shipped: the car, its keys and any accessories. Customs uses it when examining the shipment.
- Telex release — Release of the car without original paper bills of lading: the originals are surrendered at origin, and the carrier tells its destination office to release the car to the consignee.
- Vehicle deregistration certificate — Proof that the car's Chinese registration was cancelled for export. With the registration records, it shows when the car was first registered in China.
Vehicle terms
- 180-day date — The full registration date plus 180 days, shown on our listings; see The 180-day date explained.
- BEV — Battery electric vehicle: a car that runs on its battery alone and charges from a plug.
- EREV — Extended-range electric vehicle, or range extender: electric motors drive the wheels, while a small engine mainly works as a generator.
- HEV — Hybrid electric vehicle: a small battery charged by the engine and by braking, with no charging socket.
- LHD / RHD — Left-hand drive and right-hand drive: the side of the car the steering wheel is on. Cars built for China are left-hand drive.
- Original paint — Factory paint with no repainted panels. On our listings it appears as the "Original paint" label.
- PHEV — Plug-in hybrid electric vehicle: a larger battery charged from a plug, so the car can drive some distance on electricity alone.
- Registration date — The date the car was first registered in China, taken from its registration documents. It is used to work out the car's age and its 180-day date.
- State of health (SOH) — A battery's usable capacity today compared with when it was new, given as a percentage and read with diagnostic equipment.
- VIN — Vehicle identification number: the 17-character code that identifies a car. It must match on the car and on every document.