Warm-up Questions

1. What modes of transport are there in international trade?

For reference:

Ocean transport, air transport, rail and road transport, multimodal transport, etc.

2. How many kind of shipment do you know? What do you think is the most frequently-used mold in international trade?

3. Which of the following factors will influence the determination of delivery time?

• time of establishment of the L/C 

• wording of the contract 

• availability of shipping space 

• quality of goods 

• supply of raw materials

• amount of orders to fulfill at the producer's side 

• terms of payment

Warm-up Questions

1. What procedures are involved in the delivery of goods in international trade nowadays? What are the most important concerns of the seller and the buyer respectively?

Reference answer: 

The procedures involved in the delivery of goods may be: negotiating the stipulations about delivery, ensuring the production of goods, transporting the goods to the port of shipment, checking insurance and other factors in shipping,delivering the goods at the port of destination, etc.

The seller's concerns: production and transportation time of goods meets the rcquircmcnts, shipmcnt of goods is carricd out as scheduled, ctc.

The buyer's concerns: progress of the production and shipment,inspection of the quantity, quality and other aspects of delivery, etc.

2. If you were discussing the shipment with a customer, what questions would you inquire about?

Warm-up Questions

Look at the following pictures and discuss the questions with your partner.

• 1. What do you prepare for making delivery?

• 2. How do you select the terms of shipment when you are talking with your clients?

• 3. Which do you think is the most important means of transportation in international trade nowadays? And why?

10 Key Sentences

• 1. We await your shipping instructions.

• 2. What about transshipment at Hong Kong?

• 3. The goods are ready for shipment.

• 4. Our end-users are in urgent need of the goods. Therefore, we must insist on direct shipment.

• 5. Because of the type of merchandise, we can only make shipment by air.

• 6. As a rule, we'll deliver your goods within 15 days after receipt of order.

• 7. Generally speaking, we can make shipment 30 days after your L/C reaches us.

• 8. It is vital for us to make punctual delivery.

• 9. It is too late for us to make shipment by the end of this month.

• 10. We assure you that shipment will be made before Nov. 2nd.