Trade Guides

Fertilizer is a high-volume, price-sensitive import, and a bad cargo can cost a season. Before you commit to a fertilizer supplier, check the product, the documents, the company and the rules in your own market. 1. Define the specification precisely 2. Check the documents 3. Do due diligence on the supplier Our guide on how

International commodity prices move every day, and an offer that was competitive last month may not be today. Understanding what drives prices helps buyers judge offers, time purchases and negotiate contract terms. These are the main factors behind bulk commodity pricing. Supply Demand Freight and logistics For bulk cargo, freight can be a large part

FOB and CIF are the two delivery terms most often used in bulk commodity trade by sea. Both come from the Incoterms® rules published by the International Chamber of Commerce, and both are easy to confuse: under each of them, risk passes from seller to buyer at the port of loading. The difference is who

Landed cost is the total cost of getting an imported commodity to your warehouse or plant. It is the number that tells you whether an offer is really competitive, because two offers with the same price per tonne can land at very different costs once freight, duties and local charges are added. The main cost

International commodity trade runs on documents. They prove what was shipped, where it came from and what quality it is, and banks pay letters of credit against them. The exact set depends on the product, the payment method and the destination country, but most bulk shipments use the documents below. Commercial documents Transport documents Quality

Commodity trade attracts fraud as well as genuine business. Fake offers for sugar, diesel, fertilizer and coal are common, and they often ask buyers to pay fees or send bank documents before any cargo exists. A few systematic checks protect you before you commit money. 1. Confirm the company exists 2. Check the product and

A complete enquiry gets a faster and more accurate answer. Commodity prices depend on grade, volume, packaging, origin, destination and delivery terms, so a request that says only “price for urea” cannot be priced. This is what to include when you ask for a bulk commodity quotation. What to include What happens next For several