Sourcing9 min read
HS codes for engineered parts: how to classify without guessing
A practical method for classifying copper, aluminium, steel, electrical and plastic parts, and why the code changes the landed cost.
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Topic hub
Sourcing and landed cost
A piece price is not a delivered cost. These guides cover Incoterms, duty, freight, clearance, currency and the cost model that lets you compare suppliers on the same basis.
Guides in this topic
Sourcing9 min read
Customs clearance documents
The pack a broker needs, the fields that cause holds, and the order to check them before the container leaves the supplier.
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Sourcing9 min read
Landed cost calculator: how to use it and what it misses
A worked comparison of three sourcing options, the inputs that change the answer, and the costs a calculator cannot see.
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Sourcing10 min read
Rules of origin and preferential tariffs
A preferential rate depends on where the goods are from, not where they were shipped. The test is the product specific rule, and the evidence has to survive a verification.
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Sourcing8 min read
Steel price indexing: grades, surcharges and the timing trap
A steel clause has to name the grade, the coating and the period. Get one wrong and the index moves while the argument starts.
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Sourcing9 min read
Volume breaks and MOQ economics
A lower unit price at a higher quantity is not automatically a better deal. Setup, tooling, inventory and the supplier's minimum order quantity decide where the saving stops.
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Sourcing8 min read
Aluminium price indexing: choosing a reference and writing the clause
How to separate the metal price from the conversion price, pick an index and settle the monthly invoice without a dispute.
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Sourcing9 min read
Cost breakdown: material, conversion, tooling, finish, packing, freight
A quote becomes useful when it is broken into lines. Each line has a driver, a piece of evidence and a question that tells you whether the number is real.
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Sourcing9 min read
HS code 3926 for plastic articles
Heading 3926 covers other articles of plastics. For a moulded housing, the first question is whether it is a general article or a part of an electrical apparatus.
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Sourcing9 min read
LCL vs FCL: cost and damage risk
Where the shared container stops being cheaper, what the extra handling does to a pallet of parts, and how to test the break even properly.
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Sourcing9 min read
Supply continuity planning
How to map single points of failure, choose between a second site and buffer stock, and set triggers that turn a plan into action.
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Sourcing8 min read
Bill of lading and airway bill: title, release and the fields that matter
One document can transfer ownership of the cargo. The other cannot. A practical guide to the transport documents behind an import.
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