Glossary

Plain-English definitions of the trade, shipping, and sourcing terms every importer needs.

Glossary articles are single-term deep dives: one piece of trade vocabulary, explained to the depth you need to negotiate with it rather than merely recognise it. They exist because the short definition is rarely the part that costs money — the cost is in the mechanics, the variants, and who carries the risk when something goes wrong.

Which terms get an article and which get a line

The A–Z glossary on this site defines the whole working vocabulary in a sentence or two each. A term is promoted to its own article when a sentence is genuinely not enough — when it has variants that behave differently, when it decides where risk sits, or when getting it wrong has a direct financial consequence.

  • Classification — what a tariff code is, how a handmade article gets one, and why the code is a commercial decision rather than a clerical one.
  • Documents of title — what a bill of lading actually does, and how the release mechanism changes who controls the cargo.
  • Trade finance — how a letter of credit works, who the parties are, and what the documents have to satisfy before a bank pays.
  • Manufacturing models — OEM, ODM and private label, which are routinely used as synonyms and are not.

How to read these alongside the A–Z

Start at the A–Z when you have hit an unfamiliar acronym in a quotation and need to keep reading. Come to the articles when you are about to agree to something: before you accept a payment instrument, before you sign off a tariff code your broker proposed, before you tell a supplier you want private label when what you actually want is OEM. The A–Z tells you what the words mean; these articles tell you what they commit you to.

Why the vocabulary matters more in handicraft trade

Much of this terminology was written for containerised industrial goods and is then applied to a co-operative shipping two pallets of hand-thrown pottery. The terms still govern, but the assumptions behind them frequently do not hold, and the gap is where disputes start. Each article flags where the standard meaning sits awkwardly on handmade production so you can raise it before it becomes an argument about an invoice.

What these guides will not tell you

A definition is not advice on your transaction. Where a term has a legal meaning that varies by jurisdiction or by the rule set the parties adopt, the articles say so rather than picking one and presenting it as universal. For anything that will end up in a contract, have the wording checked by your broker, your bank or your lawyer.

Every glossary article

OEM vs ODM vs Private Label in Handicraft Sourcing

Explain OEM, ODM, and private label in the context of sourcing handicrafts: what each means, typical minimums, and when to choose each

Bill of Lading Explained for Importers

Explain the bill of lading for importers: what it is, types (straight, order, telex release), and its role as receipt, contract, and title

What is an HS Code? Handicraft Classification

What an HS code is, how handicrafts get classified, why the code drives your duty rate and preference eligibility, and how to find the right one.

What is a Letter of Credit? A Guide for Importers

Explain letters of credit for importers: how they work, parties involved, documents required, and pros and cons versus TT

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