Waybill for Tea Importation and how does it work
Whenever you enter into any transaction, you would want to have proof of it. The same thing goes with delivering something from one place to another.
In the world of importing, think of the carrier as the delivery guy, and of course, you would not just entrust him the bulk of goods to be imported into another country without any document to prove this. This is where the waybill enters the picture. A waybill is a document issued by a carrier, or the delivery guy, giving details and instructions relating to the shipment of goods.
There are some technical terms relating to the issuance of waybill but fret not because the world of importing is just a bigger picture of calling a pizza shop and have a box of it being delivered to your house.
What are the contents of a waybill?
The above photo is an example of a waybill. The form is not standard and varies depending on the carrier company. This serves as evidence of the contract between the carrier and the consignor or the shipper, who will ship the goods into their destination to the consignee, or the recipient of the goods. These are the standard terms whenever there will be a shipment of goods from one place to another, but in standard words, these are just the sender and the recipient of the goods.
Aside from the names of the consignor and the consignee, the addresses of both the place of origin and the destination are included in the waybill. The goods are also described therein, including the weight, freight, and route, depending on the forms of the carrier. Most importantly, the value of the package must be declared as you will get to know the importance of the declaration later on.
Some carriers would separate the contract of the carriage itself, which is called the bill of lading, and the waybill, which evidences the said contract. On the other hand, some freight forwarders and trucking companies use an in-house waybill, stating already at the back of the waybill the conditions of the contract of carriage terms, including the limitations as to their liabilities as carriers in the event something happens to the goods along the way.
There are other logistics companies who tie up with other carriers to offer services that they do not usually cover. For example, if the importation would be from one country to another and logistics company A could only receive the goods but do not have the facility to send the goods to the country of destination, it would tap another logistics company that could do this for logistics company A. If this would be the case, then several waybills will be involved depending on the number of delivery locations involved in every importation.
Another important inclusion in a waybill is the shipment number. Each waybill for every carrier company has a specific shipment number for every transaction. This number also serves as a tracking number for your shipment.
Why is this important for my tea importation?
The waybill is very important once the consignor has already parted ways with the goods and gives them to the carrier. This means that the carrier would already be liable for whatever happens to the goods along the way for delivery to their final destination. If this would be the case, then the liability in the case of loss, damage, or delay of part of registered tea for importation will be upon the carrier’s burden. However, as mentioned a while ago, every consignor and consignee must take into consideration the terms and conditions with respect to the limitations on the liability of the carrier. Usually, the carrier would rely on the total weight of the package concern in determining the amount to which the carrier’s liability is limited.
There are, however, exceptions to this limitation on liability. For example, the Warsaw Convention is an international agreement setting limits on liability involving international flights. Mainly Article 9 thereof allows no limitation as to the liability of the carrier if, with the consent of the carrier, cargo is loaded onboard the aircraft without an air waybill having been made out. This means that if the tea to be imported is handed over to the air carrier, the air carrier allowed the tea package to be delivered without any waybill, if ever there is loss, damage, or delay of part of registered tea for importation, the carrier would be liable for the total amount of loss, damage or delay, without any cap on the amount of the liability. That is why it is really important to declare the actual value of the shipment as this will be a factor in assessing the carrier’s liability in the case. However, since the declared value also determines the amount of tax and customs duties to be paid, some under-declare the value of the goods but will regret in the long run in case some mishap will happen in the process of importation.
The carrier’s liability also attaches if the goods shipped were not delivered to the appropriate consignee. That is why filling out the details in the waybill is very important since the carrier would merely rely on what is stated in the waybill. If the consignee would be able to prove that he or she was not able to receive the tea package for some reasons not under his or her control, then the consignee would be liable for such non-receipt. That is why carriers would usually opt to ask for the consignee’s identification card or authorization letter from the consignee in case other persons would receive the package on their behalf, as carriers would obviously not know the consignee personally most of the time.
How does waybill work for you as a tea importer?
To conclude, every tea importer, or any importer for that matter, must meticulously review the waybill as this serves as evidence of receipt of goods by the carrier and contains all the contact information among all parties. This also serves as evidence of or for some, the Contract of the carriage itself, between the shipper and carrier. The waybill also could be a document that could be relied upon by the customs agency of both the shipping and the importing countries to determine customs declaration and other charges. Knowing also the details of the package would guide the carrier on how to handle the goods adequately. Lastly, the shipment number stated in every waybill is a unique code for tracking your shipment to finally get a hand of your beloved tea.
Need Assistance on Japanese Tea Importation?
This shipping and importation of Japanese tea in your country have been a long-standing service that we offer. Therefore, if you are interested in Japanese Tea importation either as a business or you simply want to have a taste of quality, authentic Japanese tea, you may contact us through this website, and we are more than happy to assist you.
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Waybill for Tea Importation — Frequently Asked Questions
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About the author
Kei Nishida
Author, CEO Dream of Japan
Certification: PMP, BS in Computer Science
Education: Western Washington University