Check draft documents before your goods ship

By WINVN INT · Updated

Ask to see every export document as a draft before the original is issued, and compare the drafts with each other and with your order. A wrong consignee or a mistyped description is quick to fix on a draft and slow to fix on an original. We send draft documents for you to check before the originals, on every shipment.

  • For importers and Amazon sellers
  • Before the balance and B/L release
  • About 6 minutes to read
Five WINVN team members in polos and safety vests standing in front of a green container

Which drafts you will see

Every shipment comes with a commercial invoice, a packing list and a bill of lading for sea or an air waybill for air. A certificate of origin, a phytosanitary certificate and a fumigation certificate are added when your market requires them. The full list, including what we do not hold, is on our documents page.

Which of these your market needs is something you and your customs broker decide. Incoterms do not settle it: the US International Trade Administration notes that Incoterms do not "specify which documents must be provided by the seller to the buyer" (Know Your Incoterms). Tell us before we quote, and confirm the list with your broker.

Staff in hard hats and safety vests going through papers together beside a loading dock
Going through the paperwork at the loading dock.

The draft B/L: check this first

The B/L is issued by the shipping line (a master B/L) or by the forwarder (a house B/L). We do not issue it ourselves, but we pass you the draft to check. Start with it. A wrong consignee on the B/L means the goods cannot be collected.

  • Consignee and notify party: names and addresses exactly as your broker needs them. For EU buyers, the consignee block (name, address, EORI, VAT) should be identical on every document.
  • Description: on our export documents a coffee wood chew is described as a wooden pet toy, because it is a toy, not food.
  • Carton count and weight: the same as on the packing list.
Team members in hard hats reading a sheet of paper next to an open container
Checking a sheet at the container door.

Every field of a sea B/L is explained in how to read a bill of lading.

Then the certificates

Read each certificate against the draft B/L.

  • Fumigation certificate: it comes after the B/L, because it carries the B/L, container and seal numbers. The vessel and voyage details on the certificates match the final B/L. More in fumigation certificates for pet toys.
  • Phytosanitary certificate: issued in Vietnam by the Plant Production and Protection Department, when your country requires a plant health check. What to look at is in phytosanitary certificates for wooden dog chews.
  • Certificate of origin: for the EU, the EUR.1. Not every product qualifies for a certificate of origin, and we tell you before we quote. Each certificate of origin has its own number. A certificate marked "issued retrospectively" is normal. Original or electronic: that depends on your market.
A staff member holding papers and checking a phone with colleagues beside a truck at night
Checking details beside the truck at night.

How drafts fit with payment

On FOB and CIF shipments, the 50% balance is due when you receive the draft B/L. The B/L is released once the balance is received, by original B/L, surrender B/L or telex release. You check the drafts before you pay the balance. The payment side is in deposit and payment terms.

If your broker wants a code or a description changed, the draft stage is the time to say so.

Read the invoice and packing list by code

Size names differ between buyers, and a buyer's "large" can be one step off ours. We pack by product code, so check that the codes on the commercial invoice and packing list match the codes on your order, line by line. For coffee wood, the codes run CC01XS to CC01XXL, and sets of two or three have their own codes, S2CC01 and S3CC01.

For Amazon FBA cartons, check that each carton carries the FBA label, numbered in sequence such as 1/30, with the Made in Vietnam label next to it. If you change the Amazon warehouse, the FBA labels are printed again; a change of booking does not need new labels.

Check the goods as well as the paper

Documents describe the cartons, so ask for photos as well. We photograph the inside of cartons before they are taped. Ask for those photos, and for photos of the carton marks: our standard four-line shipping mark or your own form. Check the carton count against the packing list.

Workers in hard hats passing cartons hand to hand into a container
Cartons going into the container by hand.

The full loading routine is in container loading check.

Questions buyers ask about draft documents

Do you send drafts before the originals?

Yes. We send draft documents for you to check before the originals, on every shipment.

Which drafts will I get?

The draft B/L, and the drafts of the fumigation, phytosanitary and origin certificates when your shipment has them.

Who issues the B/L?

The shipping line issues a master B/L and the forwarder a house B/L. We pass you the draft to check.

Why does the fumigation certificate come after the B/L?

It carries the B/L, container and seal numbers.

Which documents does my country require?

That is for you and your customs broker to confirm. Tell us before we quote.

Plan the documents with your quote

Tell us your destination and the documents your broker needs, and we will confirm them line by line before we quote.

Ask for a quote Coffee wood chews

Want to see the product first? Your first 3 samples are free, you pay the shipping.