Under FOB terms, booking is a legal obligation of the buyer. If your freight forwarder fails to provide the shipping order (S/O) in time, resulting in vehicles exceeding the free storage period at our warehouse or port, the buyer will have to pay the high daily storage fees before shipment.
We will directly check the registration certificate (the big green book) and count the number of changes.
A typical payment structure looks like this: 1. Deposit: 10-30% after you confirm the car and price, often to reserve the vehicle and start the inspection. 2. Balance: paid after you approve the inspection report, but before or at shipment. A common safeguard is paying against a copy of the bill of lading, with telex release of the original B/L after funds arrive. 3. Never send 100% upfront to a new supplier. Use traceable methods (T/T bank transfer to a corporate account matching the company name, or escrow for first orders) and keep every agreement in writing. 4. Timeline: quote within days, inspection 3-7 days, booking and loading 1-2 weeks, ocean transit 3-6 weeks, customs clearance 3-10 days. Red flags: personal bank accounts, pressure to skip inspection, prices far below market.
