Cross-border logistics glossary
The terms that show up in an international e-commerce shipment, explained in context and in terms of what they mean when shipping with MailAmericas.
Search by name, acronym or synonym (for example “DDP”, “pick and pack” or “customs”).
Origin
9 termsWhat happens before the parcel leaves the seller's country: the sale, the label, consolidation and the marketplace integration.
Cross-border
Cross-border is online selling where the seller and the buyer are in different countries, so the parcel crosses at least one border and one customs office before reaching its destination.
CBT seller
A CBT (cross-border trade) seller is a merchant who lists on a marketplace in one country and ships from another, usually from China, the United States or Europe into Latin America.
Marketplace
A marketplace is an e-commerce platform where many sellers list products and the platform concentrates the traffic, the payment and, often, the shipping rules.
International transport
9 termsThe leg between the origin hub and the destination country: air freight, documentation and how the billable weight is calculated.
Air freight
Air freight is the transport of cargo by plane, the usual mode for international e-commerce parcels because of its speed compared with sea freight.
Freight forwarding
Freight forwarding is the service of organising the international transport of a load: booking the freight, preparing the documentation and coordinating the route between origin and destination.
AWB (air waybill)
The AWB (air waybill) is the transport document an airline issues for a load: it identifies the load, its route, its weight and the parties involved, and serves as the contract of carriage.
Customs
11 termsFormal entry into the destination country: clearance, taxes, simplified regimes and who pays what.
Customs clearance
Customs clearance is the procedure by which the destination country's customs authorises a parcel's entry, after reviewing its declaration, classifying it and assessing the applicable taxes.
DDP
DDP (Delivered Duty Paid) is the arrangement where the seller pays import duties and taxes before delivery, and the buyer receives the parcel with no additional charge at destination.
DDU
DDU (Delivered Duty Unpaid) is the arrangement where the seller covers transport to destination but not import taxes, which the buyer pays before receiving the parcel.
Last mile
8 termsDelivery to the end buyer: networks, redelivery attempts, proof of delivery and coverage.
Last mile
The last mile is the final leg of a shipment, from the distribution centre in the destination country to the buyer's door, and it is usually the most expensive leg and the one that most defines the delivery experience.
Own network
An own last-mile network is a delivery operation with the operator's own staff, vehicles, distribution centres and systems, instead of subcontracting delivery to a local postal service or carrier.
Failed delivery
A failed delivery is a delivery attempt that does not end with the parcel in the buyer's hands, because of absence, a wrong address, refusal of the parcel or no access.
Fulfillment
8 termsWhen the seller keeps stock in a MailAmericas warehouse and every order is prepared and shipped from there.
Fulfillment
Fulfillment is the service in which a logistics operator stores the seller's stock in its warehouse, prepares each order when it sells (picking and packing) and ships it to the buyer.
Dropshipping
In logistics, dropshipping is the service where the warehouse receives parcels that already come packed for an end buyer, does not store them, and forwards them to their destination as fast as possible.
SKU
The SKU (stock keeping unit) is the unique code that identifies each product, or each product variant, within a warehouse's inventory.