Understanding the Free on Board FOB Incoterm Bloom Group S A.

The seller pays the freight and is responsible for damages. Unlike FOB shipping, the supplier is not required to ensure the safe movement from port to ship. Understanding the differences between each is as simple as knowing how much responsibility the buyer and supplier assume under each agreement. Just enter the dimensions and weight of your goods and specify the port of shipment, and you’ll get your FOB price calculation instantly. When you are shipping loose cargo , for example, your goods must go through a Container Freight Station to be consolidated into a container.

At the same fob shipping point, the buyer should be adding to its stock. The buyer assumes all risks and benefits of ownership as of the moment the shipment arrives at the shipping dock. Also, under FOB destination conditions, the seller is liable for the merchandise’s transportation costs. FOB destination point refers to a product sold to a customer after it arrives at the buyer’s destination. In contrast to the FOB shipping point, the seller may bear the risk of loss and responsibility for transportation expenses while the goods are in transit. FOB is only used in non-containerized sea freight or inland waterway transport. As with all Incoterms, FOB does not define the point at which ownership of the goods is transferred.

What Is the Difference Between CIF & FOB?

In such a case, the buyer has to pay the bill on a more expensive invoice as the freight costs are included on the invoice. More to that, the buyer assumes full responsibility and ownership of the goods right from the point of origin. For international trade, contracts establish and outline provisions–such as the FOB designation, payment terms, time and place of delivery–for shipments that are being made out of the country. FOB shipping point transfers the title of the shipment when the goods are placed at the shipping point. This is usually the seller’s loading dock, delivery truck, or postage office. As soon as the seller brings the goods to the point of shipment, the legal title of those goods passes to the buyer and the seller is no longer responsible for the goods during delivery.

• The supplier takes full responsibility for the computers and must either reimburse Company XYZ or reship the computers.
• And that inventory now happens to be an asset for the buyer.
• FOB means Free On Board and is one of the most used Incoterms.
• Under the Free Carrier, or FCA Incoterm, the buyer is responsible for all freigh…
• For example, assume Company XYZ in the United States buys computers from a supplier in China and signs a FOB destination agreement.
• The phrase passing the ship’s rail is no longer in use, having been dropped from the FOB Incoterm in the 2010 revision.

Timothy Li is a consultant, accountant, and finance manager with an MBA from USC and over 15 years of corporate finance experience. Timothy has helped provide CEOs and CFOs with deep-dive analytics, providing beautiful stories behind the numbers, graphs, and financial models.

FOB Costs and Payments

Zach Lazzari is a freelance writer with extensive experience in startups and digital advertising. He has a diverse background with a strong presence in the digital marketing world. Zach has developed and sold multiple successful web properties and manages marketing for multiple clients in the outdoor industry.