How to choose your Incoterm in 2026
EXW, FOB, CIF, DAP: choosing well means allocating risks and costs in the right place between buyer and seller.
Read the article →Market watch & trade advice
Incoterms, customs, letters of credit, compliance, sourcing: the practical points that secure your imports, explained simply.
Sourcing in Asia: five pitfalls to avoid
Misleading samples, ghost factories, prices without packaging: the classic mistakes and how to neutralise them.
Read the article →Understanding HS codes and customs
Tariff classification determines your duties, your VAT and sometimes your obligations. Better to secure it upstream.
Read the article →Letter of credit: securing your payments
The LC reconciles the supplier's trust and the buyer's protection. How it works and best practices.
Read the article →CE & REACH: verify before importing
Which product obligations apply to your references, and how to build a solid compliance file.
Read the article →Importing materials: the how-to
From feasibility study to customs clearance: the steps of a successful first materials import.
Read the article →How to choose your Incoterm in 2026
The Incoterm defines who bears the costs and risks at each stage of transport. On an import of materials or everyday products, the most frequent choice is between FOB (the seller delivers on board the vessel at the port of shipment), CIF (insurance included to the port of destination) and DAP (delivered at the agreed place). Each shifts the boundary of risk.
Our advice: as long as you do not yet master your transit, favour an Incoterm that leaves the seller responsible up to a point you know you can control, then gradually switch to EXW or FOB once your logistics chain is running smoothly and your volumes are stable. The goal remains to minimise the total landed cost.
Sourcing in Asia: five pitfalls to avoid
The first pitfall is the “trade-show” sample: perfect on display, different in production. The second, the ghost factory: an intermediary presenting itself as a manufacturer. The third, the “bare” price without packaging or accessories. The fourth, the failure to verify the real identity of the company. The fifth, forgetting product compliance (CE / REACH) discovered after shipment.
Each is neutralised by a documentary then physical audit, validated master samples, a complete nomenclature and a compliance check before any order. This is precisely the work we carry out for our clients.
Understanding HS codes and customs
The HS code (Harmonised System) classifies every product at global level. From this classification flow the customs duty rate, the import VAT and, for certain categories, additional documentary requirements. A wrong classification can be costly: underpaid duties, controls, or conversely avoidable overcharges.
We secure the classification of every reference from the sourcing stage, together with the origin and associated documents, so that customs clearance is anticipated rather than endured. This is one of the pillars of our customs compliance.
Letter of credit: securing your payments
The letter of credit (LC) puts the bank at the centre: it undertakes to pay the supplier upon presentation of conforming documents (invoice, bill of lading, certificates). For the buyer, it is the guarantee of paying only against exact documents; for the supplier, that of being paid despite the distance.
Its success depends on the precision of the documents required and their strict conformity. With a partner bank and well-drafted clauses, the LC becomes a trade-finance tool as much as a security instrument. We use it systematically on the first flows with a new supplier.
CE & REACH: verify before importing
The CE marking attests to a product's conformity with the applicable European requirements; REACH governs chemical substances and their registration. Even for everyday products that are “non-regulated” in the sense of our activity, certain obligations may apply and must be identified reference by reference.
Our rule: compile, before import, the corresponding compliance file (declaration of conformity, technical data sheets, substance documentation) and retain it. This is not a formality: it is what makes an import serene and defensible before the market-surveillance authorities.
Importing materials: the how-to
A successful first import follows an order: scoping the need (product, volume, budget, lead time), then sourcing and verifying the manufacturer, sampling, negotiation, ordering with a clear Incoterm, pre-shipment inspection, then transport, customs clearance and delivery.
The two most costly mistakes are skipping the supplier-verification step and discovering compliance on arrival. By entrusting these steps to a trader who masters them, you turn a risky project into a predictable, budgeted operation.