FOB or FCA: avoid a transport-term shortcut in supplier listings
A website may quote “FOB” as a familiar shorthand even when the actual shipment plan is not specified. The label can travel from one quote to another without anyone checking transport mode.
What the primary source can establish
The ICC Incoterms® 2020 Digital Library is the first-party reference for this guide. ICC lists the Incoterms® 2020 rules and separates rules for any transport mode from rules for sea and inland waterway transport. It does not investigate or endorse any named supplier on Source Ledger. The steps below are our editorial method for making a buyer-facing field more precise.
A field-level check
Use ICC's published division between terms for any transport mode and terms for sea or inland waterway transport as the starting point. Ask the seller to name the loading or handover place and confirm the intended mode with the logistics team.
Write down the exact field, the party that supplied the information, the original document or page, the date seen and the scope of the check. If a reviewer took an action, record that action rather than a general “verified” label. Reopen the source when the transaction or underlying document changes.
Where the inference stops
Do not choose a term solely because it appears on an old supplier profile. This guide does not decide which term is legally right for a particular shipment; the actual route and contract must be reviewed.
A missing answer is a question to resolve, not permission to substitute a guess. Separate a statement by the supplier from a public record and from a documented human review. No source in this article proves a quality ranking or an existing buyer relationship.
What to record before deciding
Record the selected rule, named place and edition in the quotation comparison. If route details change, recheck the term before purchase.
This entry describes how to evaluate evidence. It is not a dossier for a real company, an approval decision or a substitute for transaction-specific professional review.
Common question
Can a directory permanently assign one Incoterms rule to a supplier?
No. The appropriate term is part of a particular transaction and route, not a permanent supplier attribute.
Related guide
Continue with What a CIF quote does not tell you by itself for another field-level check.