Export & Trade Terms
How We Ship, Quote and Guarantee
Everything an import department asks before opening a supplier file: where the goods change hands, which documents travel with them, how payment works and what happens if a batch does not match its grade.
FOB
Toamasina, default incoterm
USD
Quoted and invoiced
30 / 70
Deposit and balance
24 h
Quote response time
01 · Handover
Incoterms We Work With
The term decides who pays freight, who clears export and where risk moves to you. We quote FOB Toamasina unless you ask otherwise.
| Term | Where goods change hands | Freight paid by | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|
| EXW Antananarivo | Our warehouse, Andohaniato, Antananarivo | Buyer, from our door | Buyers running their own forwarder |
| FCA Antananarivo | Handed to your carrier at our premises, export cleared | Buyer, once loaded | Air freight consolidations |
| FOB Toamasina | Loaded on board at Toamasina port | Buyer, from the port | Default for sea freight |
| CIF destination port | Delivered to your port, ocean freight and insurance included | Seller, quoted case by case | First orders and new buyers |
02 · Documents
What Travels With Your Shipment
Issued five working days before dispatch and sent to you as scans, so your broker can pre clear while the goods are still on the water.
Commercial invoice
In USD, with HS code, incoterm, unit and total weight. Issued in your company name and VAT number.
Packing list
Bale count, net and gross weight per bale, marking reference matching the order number.
Certificate of origin
Issued by the Madagascar Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the document your broker needs to claim preferential duty.
Phytosanitary certificate
Issued by the plant protection service before loading. Required by the EU, the US and most Gulf destinations.
Non-fumigation declaration
Statement that the fiber was dried and packed without chemical fumigation, accepted by European customs.
Bill of lading or airway bill
Original set, plus scanned copies sent the day the vessel or flight departs.
Batch grading sheet
Length, shade and moisture reading for the exact bales in your shipment, signed by the grader.
03 · Timing
Lead Times From Confirmation
Working days, Madagascar public holidays excluded. Sea transit is added on top and depends on the sailing you book.
Sample kit
Express courier, tracking number sent on dispatch
5 to 7 days
Fiber in stock
From order confirmation to FOB Toamasina
7 to 10 working days
Custom dyed fiber
Color matched to your reference before dyeing
3 to 4 weeks
Woven goods
Depends on the weave and the cooperative schedule
4 to 6 weeks
Ocean transit
Toamasina to Europe, the Gulf and East Coast USA
Add 3 to 6 weeks
04 · Payment
How You Pay
Bank transfer is the standard. No online card payment on trade orders, which keeps your costs and ours down.
- 30% deposit by bank transfer at order confirmation, which books the harvest lot.
- 70% balance against scanned shipping documents, before the original bill of lading is released.
- Letter of credit at sight accepted above US$ 20,000, confirmed by a first class bank.
- Prices are quoted in USD. EUR and GBP equivalents are indicative and fixed on the proforma date.
- A written quote stays valid 30 days. A proforma invoice stays valid 14 days.
- Trade orders are settled by transfer or letter of credit. Card payment is reserved for the sample kit.
05 · Packing
Bales, Weight and Loading
Packed for humidity, not for looks. The bale marking is what your warehouse will read on arrival.
- Compressed bales of 5, 10 or 25 kg, polypropylene inner liner and woven outer.
- Moisture controlled to a maximum of 12% at packing.
- Bales marked with the order number, grade and net weight.
- Palletised and strapped on request, at cost.
- About 3.5 to 4.5 tonnes of fiber per 20 foot container, depending on bale compression.
06 · Quality
Grading, Claims and What We Admit
Written down so a disagreement becomes a procedure rather than an argument.
What a grade means
Each grade fixes a length band, a shade band and a moisture ceiling, and those three numbers are written on the batch sheet. If your order specifies grade A, you receive bales measured against that sheet, not against a photograph.
Acceptance and claims
Inspect on arrival and raise any discrepancy within 15 days, with photographs and the batch sheet number. We answer within 3 working days with either a replacement in the next shipment or a credit note on the following invoice.
What we do not promise
Natural fiber varies. Slight shade drift between harvests is normal and is declared in advance when it exceeds the grade band. We tell you before dispatch rather than after the container is loaded.
Duties, VAT and HS codes
Import duty and VAT are payable by the buyer in the destination country. Raw raffia fiber is generally declared under HS 1404.90 and plaiting articles under HS 4602.19; your customs broker confirms the final classification for your market. Madagascar is a least developed country, and several destinations grant preferential duty rates under EBA or GSP schemes. We issue the certificate of origin those schemes require.
Put the Terms to the Test
Order a sample kit, or send us a specification and we return a written quote with incoterm, lead time and documents within 24 hours.
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