So Many Invoices
No, I’m not sending you an invoice. It’s just that the Federation of International Trade Associations (see link to the right) published its most recent newsletter this week and it has some really good stuff about international trade documentation. I have a journeyman’s knowledge of things like proforma invoices, but the links will provide you with a thorough education and some excellent formats. Documentation is so easily screwed up, which is why I’m treating this as a full post rather than merely one of my “Weekend Hits”.
ExportHelp offers an excellent summary about uses of the proforma invoice and links to examples. Here’s an article posted on Alibaba that describes the distinctions between the commercial invoice, the detailed invoice, certified invoice, the visa invoice, the receipt invoice, the manufacturer’s invoice, the proforma invoice, the sample invoice, the consular invoice, the consignment invoice and the customs invoice. I’ve been in the business for years and never realized there were so many, though the differences often amount to hair-splitting. A second Alibaba article goes into more and pragmatic detail on using proforma invoices. Finally, FITA included a link to its own proprietary, but free, software (TradeDox 360) that provides documentary credit documents and templates.
Other resources for documentation that I have found useful include Unz & Co., A Basic Guide to Exporting (available for $18 here), and the SBA’s surprisingly good, on-line and free Small Business Guide to Exporting.
