tools glossary
Shipping glossary.
Plain-English definitions of the shipping, customs, carrier and freight terms you meet when you sell online, from DDP and HTS codes to dimensional weight and SCAN forms.
87 terms
A
- Accessorial chargesFees for services or conditions beyond standard pickup and delivery, such as residential delivery, liftgates or address corrections.
- Additional handlingA surcharge for packages that are heavy, long, oddly shaped or not fully enclosed in corrugated cardboard.
- Address validationChecking a shipping address against postal and carrier data to confirm it exists and is deliverable before a label is created.
- AESDirectThe free U.S. Census Bureau portal, now inside ACE, used to file Electronic Export Information into the Automated Export System.
- Air waybill (AWB)The non-negotiable transport document for air cargo, serving as a receipt and contract between the shipper and the airline.
B
- Batch label printingCreating and printing shipping labels for many orders at once instead of one at a time.
- Bill of lading (BOL)A document issued by a carrier that receipts the cargo, records the contract of carriage, and in ocean freight can be a document of title.
- Billable weightThe weight a carrier actually charges for: the greater of a package's actual weight and its dimensional weight.
C
- Carrier accountA shipper's account with a carrier, which holds its rates, billing terms and pickup settings.
- Certificate of originA document certifying the country where goods were produced, used to qualify for trade agreement rates or meet import rules.
- Commercial invoiceThe main customs document for an international shipment, listing what is shipped, its value, origin and the parties involved.
- ConsolidatorA company that combines shipments from many shippers into larger loads to lower transport and customs costs.
- Country of originThe country where a product was manufactured or last substantially transformed, which drives duty rates and marking rules.
- Cubic pricingA USPS pricing method that charges small, dense packages by volume tier and zone rather than by weight.
- Customs bondA financial guarantee that an importer will pay duties, taxes and penalties owed to U.S. customs, required for formal entries.
- Customs brokerA licensed professional or company that prepares and files customs entries and pays duties on behalf of importers.
- Customs declaration (CN22 / CN23)The form describing the contents and value of an international postal shipment, using CN22 for low values and CN23 for higher values.
- Customs entryThe filing an importer or broker makes to declare goods to customs, have them released and pay any duties owed.
D
- DAP (Delivered at Place)An Incoterms rule where the seller delivers goods to a named destination and the buyer handles import clearance, duties and taxes.
- DDP (Delivered Duty Paid)An Incoterms rule where the seller delivers the goods to the buyer and pays all transport costs, import duties and taxes.
- DDU (Delivered Duty Unpaid)A retired Incoterms rule where the seller pays transport to the destination and the buyer pays import duties and taxes.
- De minimisA value threshold below which imports enter with no duty or simplified clearance; duty-free U.S. de minimis is suspended since August 29, 2025.
- Declared valueThe value a shipper states for a package, used for customs assessment and to set a carrier's maximum liability.
- Delivery area surcharge (DAS)A carrier fee for delivering to ZIP codes that are remote, rural or otherwise more costly to serve.
- Delivery exceptionA tracking status meaning a package was delayed or could not be delivered as planned, such as a bad address or weather.
- Denied party screeningChecking buyers, recipients and partners against government lists of sanctioned or restricted parties before shipping.
- DIM divisorThe number a carrier divides a package's cubic size by to get its dimensional weight; a lower divisor means a higher DIM weight.
- Dimensional weightA pricing weight calculated from a package's length, width and height, used by carriers when a box is large for its weight.
- DrayageShort-distance trucking of shipping containers, typically between a port or rail yard and a nearby warehouse.
- DropshippingA fulfillment model where the seller does not hold stock and a supplier ships orders directly to customers.
- DutyA tax charged by a customs authority on imported goods, usually a percentage of their value set by product classification and origin.
E
- EEI (Electronic Export Information)Export data filed with the U.S. government for shipments above a value threshold, licensed goods, or certain destinations.
- End of day (close-out)The daily step of closing out a carrier's shipments and transmitting the manifest before pickup.
- EORI numberAn identification number businesses need to import into or export from the European Union, with a separate version in the UK.
- Export licenseGovernment authorization required to export certain controlled goods, technologies or software, or to ship to restricted parties.
F
- FBA (Fulfillment by Amazon)Amazon's program where sellers send inventory to Amazon fulfillment centers and Amazon stores, ships and handles returns.
- FCL (full container load)An ocean shipment where one shipper books and fills an entire container for its own cargo.
- First mileThe first leg of a shipment, from the seller or warehouse to the carrier's or consolidator's first facility.
- Flat rate shippingShipping priced at one fixed amount regardless of weight or distance, either a carrier box program or a seller's checkout policy.
- Freight class (NMFC)A standardized classification from 50 to 500 used to price LTL freight, based mainly on density, handling and liability.
- Freight forwarderA company that organizes international shipments for shippers, booking transport and handling documents across carriers and modes.
- FTL (full truckload)A freight service where one shipper books an entire truck, which travels directly from pickup to delivery.
- Fuel surchargeA percentage added to shipping charges that moves with fuel prices, typically adjusted weekly by major carriers.
- Fulfillment centerA warehouse built to process customer orders quickly, from storing inventory to picking, packing and shipping.
H
- Hazmat (dangerous goods)Materials that pose a risk in transport, such as lithium batteries, aerosols and flammable liquids, which require special handling.
- HS codeA six-digit product classification from the Harmonized System, used by customs authorities worldwide to identify goods and apply duties.
- HTS codeThe 10-digit Harmonized Tariff Schedule number that classifies goods imported into the United States and sets their duty rate.
I
- Importer of record (IOR)The party legally responsible for an import: its classification, value, compliance and payment of duties and taxes.
- IncotermsStandard trade terms published by the International Chamber of Commerce that define who pays for and bears the risk of each step of a shipment.
- IOSS (Import One-Stop Shop)The EU scheme that lets sellers collect VAT at checkout on low-value imports and file it in one monthly return.
- ISF (Importer Security Filing)Advance cargo data, often called 10+2, that must be filed with U.S. customs before ocean freight is loaded for the U.S.
- ITN (Internal Transaction Number)The confirmation number the Automated Export System returns when an EEI filing is accepted, shown on export documents as proof.
L
- Landed costThe total cost of getting a product to the buyer's door: item price, shipping, insurance, duties, taxes and fees.
- Last mileThe final leg of delivery, from a local carrier facility to the customer's door.
- LCL (less than container load)An ocean shipment that shares container space with other shippers' cargo, priced by volume or weight.
- LTL (less than truckload)A freight service that moves palletized shipments too large for parcel but too small to fill a truck, sharing trailer space.
M
- ManifestA list of all shipments handed to a carrier in one pickup or day, transmitted electronically or printed for the driver.
- Middle mileThe linehaul portion of a shipment between hubs, such as warehouse to sort center or export hub to destination country.
- Multi-carrier shippingUsing several carriers through one system to compare rates, buy labels and track shipments instead of managing each carrier separately.
P
- Packing slipA document placed inside a package listing the items in the order, used to check contents and process returns.
- ParcelA small package that one person can handle, shipped through carrier networks designed for individual packages rather than pallets.
- Pick and packThe fulfillment steps of retrieving ordered items from storage and packing them into a box ready for shipping.
- Proof of delivery (POD)A carrier record that a package was delivered, with date, time and location, and sometimes a signature or photo.
R
- Rate shoppingComparing prices and delivery times across carriers and services for each shipment to pick the best option.
- Regional carrierA parcel carrier that serves a specific part of a country, often with lower rates or faster ground transit inside its area.
- Residential surchargeAn extra fee carriers charge to deliver a package to a home rather than a business address.
- Return labelA prepaid shipping label a customer uses to send an item back, provided in the box or created on demand.
- RMA (Return Merchandise Authorization)An approval and reference number a seller issues before a customer returns a product, used to track and process the return.
S
- SCAN formA USPS form with one barcode that records acceptance of many packages at once, so each one gets an acceptance scan.
- Schedule B numberThe 10-digit U.S. export classification code, maintained by the Census Bureau and reported on Electronic Export Information filings.
- Shipping APIA programming interface that lets software get rates, create labels and track shipments with carriers automatically.
- Shipping insuranceCoverage that reimburses the shipper if a package is lost, stolen or damaged in transit, beyond the carrier's limited liability.
- Shipping labelThe label on a package with the addresses, service, tracking barcode and routing codes a carrier needs to move and deliver it.
- Shipping zoneA carrier's measure of distance between origin and destination, used with weight to set the price of a shipment.
- Signature confirmationA delivery option that requires someone to sign for a package, adding proof of delivery and reducing theft.
- SLA (Service Level Agreement)A commitment that defines the level of service a provider must meet, such as delivery time, uptime or order processing time.
T
- TariffA government schedule of duty rates on imported goods, or an additional duty imposed on specific products or countries.
- Thermal printerA printer that uses heat instead of ink to print labels, the standard choice for 4x6 shipping labels.
- Tracking numberA unique code a carrier assigns to a shipment so it can be scanned and followed from pickup to delivery.
V
W
Put the terms to work. ExperShip lets you buy, print and track shipping labels and customs documents across carriers from one place.