A working cross-border logistics glossary
Vocabulary problems become question problems. Here are the terms grouped by the situation you meet them in — charging, declaration, clearance, and channels — with a table and notes on which ones get confused.
Learn the four words that change an invoice
Most misunderstandings in cross-border shipping come from four terms: chargeable weight, volumetric weight, declared value, and the difference between the export main carriage and the last mile. Get those straight and you can read almost any freight quote without being led somewhere wrong.
Everything else in this glossary is either detail around them, or a term you will meet once and be able to look up.
The glossary
| Term | What it means | Why you care |
|---|---|---|
| Actual weight | What the parcel reads on the scale | One of the two numbers that can be billed |
| Volumetric weight | Volume in cm³ divided by the channel coefficient | The other number, and often the higher one |
| Chargeable weight | The larger of actual and volumetric weight | What you are actually billed on |
| Coefficient | The divisor converting volume into volumetric weight | Varies by channel, so ask for yours |
| Free storage | Days a warehouse holds goods without a storage charge | 90 days for small items |
| Inbound | The domestic leg from seller to warehouse | Billed separately |
| Consolidation | Combining separate parcels into one export box | Removes repeated first weight |
| Export main carriage | Main carriage, warehouse box to destination country | Billed on chargeable weight |
| Last mile | Destination country to the customer's door | Billed on chargeable weight |
| Declared value | The value you state on the declaration | Compared against commercial reality |
| Customs clearance | The destination country's import processing | Can add time you cannot plan away |
| Duty | Import tax charged by the destination country | Your customer's cost when you declare accurately |
| Restricted item | A category a channel will not carry, or carries conditionally | Ask before buying |
| Battery-containing goods | Products with a cell or battery inside | Needs channel confirmation |
| Waybill | The parcel-level tracking document | The number you quote to a customer |
| Bill of lading | The carrier's document for a freight shipment | Not the same as a parcel tracking number |
| Hub | A sorting centre a parcel passes through | Where loss most often happens |
| Back order | An order held because stock is unavailable | Tells you the stock data was wrong |
| Cross-border line | A dedicated freight product for one destination region | Priced per lane, not per country |
| Customs declaration | The document listing what is in the parcel | Must match the physical contents |
The three pairs people get wrong
Chargeable weight versus volumetric weight. Volumetric weight is a number derived from measuring. Chargeable weight is the decision of which number to bill. Confusing them leads people to optimise the wrong one.
Freight versus duty. Freight is what you pay to move the parcel. Duty is charged by the destination country on import, and it is your customer's cost when the declaration is accurate. Confusing them leads sellers to either absorb tax they did not need to, or under-declare to avoid it.
Waybill versus bill of lading. A waybill tracks one parcel. A bill of lading covers a freight shipment, which may be many parcels. For individual parcels you are dealing with waybills.
There is one more pair that looks similar and is not. Consolidation means combining separate parcels into one export box; sending a parcel on its own is a direct shipment. Whether the two are treated differently for handling charges is the easiest line to miss when comparing quotes.
Words that describe when money is charged
Prepaid means the sender pays; collect means the recipient pays. If a quote is on collect terms and you did not expect that, the invoice reaches your customer instead of you.
Then there is per-shipment versus per-item settlement. Consolidation is billed as a handling action plus the export leg on the consolidated box, which is why combining parcels changes the total rather than just adding a line.
Words that describe what happened to a parcel
A parcel that never reached the hub and shows no movement is a lost parcel, and a compensation case. A parcel that cleared customs and is moving locally is out of your hands. The tracking stage tells you which conversation you are having.
Then there are the two words for a customs problem. A held parcel is one stopped for inspection. A seized parcel is one confiscated — and a seized parcel is usually destroyed, with the freight not refunded. That distinction is why restricted items have to be confirmed before dispatch.
An order to ask things in
When you talk to a forwarder, ask in this order and you will get answers you can use:
- What are the four legs, and which are charged on chargeable weight
- What coefficient applies to my lane
- What is the chargeable weight of this specific parcel, and how it was derived
- What declared value should I use, and on what basis
- What is excluded from the transit time you quoted
Then add one more question: can any of these answers be written onto the quote. A term agreed verbally is hard to rely on when something goes wrong — only what lands on paper holds up.
Youmanman Parcel Forwarding settles inbound, consolidation, export main carriage and last mile separately, with 90 days of free storage from the day the first parcel arrives. The Cloud Warehouse facts page sets out the service scope if you want the terms in writing.
FAQ
Q: What is chargeable weight? A: The larger of actual weight and volumetric weight. That is the number freight is charged on, and it is not necessarily the number on the scale.
Q: Why can I not find one volumetric coefficient online? A: Because it varies by channel. Ask your forwarder for the coefficient on your specific lane instead of using a number from elsewhere.
Q: Is duty the same as freight? A: No. Freight is what you pay to move the parcel; duty is import tax charged by the destination country, and it is your customer's cost when you declare accurately.
Q: What is the difference between a waybill and a bill of lading? A: A waybill tracks an individual parcel. A bill of lading covers a freight shipment, which may contain many parcels. Individual parcels use waybills.
Q: What happens to a seized parcel? A: It is destroyed and the freight is not refunded. This is why restricted items must be confirmed before dispatch rather than after.
Met a term on a quote you did not understand? Ask us on our contact page and we will explain what it means for your shipment.