Incoterms 2026: what actually changed, and which clauses will be disputed
Three clauses changed in ways that move cost and risk between buyer and seller. Here is what to amend in your contracts before the first shipment.
India · Mon–Sat 09:00–18:00 IST · Reply within 1 working day
From your first message to final delivery, one named person looks after your order, sourcing the product, checking it at the factory, and making sure what arrives is exactly what you expected.
From a named person
Goods, freight, duty and insurance
Before it leaves the factory
Prepared by our own team
01 / Capabilities
Each service has a written process and a named person who signs off at every stage, before you commit to an order.
We find factories that already make your product, check whether they can meet the specification, and quote from the ones that can.
Read the process
We agree the standard before production, check the goods while they run, and inspect the order before it ships.
Read the process
We compare sea, air and road options, prepare the export documents, and follow the shipment until it reaches you.
Read the process
We classify the goods, check the permits and origin rules, and prepare the entry so the shipment is not held on a paperwork error.
Read the process
We make your product under your brand, with the artwork, packaging and market paperwork prepared for the destination you are selling into.
Read the process
We agree how and when payment moves, put it in writing, and check the documents before money or cargo changes hands.
Read the process
02 / What we source
Grains, spices, fresh produce, handicrafts, textiles and tea, quoted against a specification rather than a product name.
Milled and whole grains, protein-rich pulses and coarse cereals, sourced from millers we have audited in person.
4 products
Whole, ground and extracted spices with residue limits, cleaning history and traceability documented on every lot.
4 products
Cold-chain produce with a documented reefer chain, phytosanitary cover and temperature logs for every leg of the voyage.
3 products
Artisan-made homeware, decor and gifting sourced directly from workshops, with social compliance documentation.
3 products
Greige, woven, knitted and industrial textiles supplied to a construction rather than to a name.
3 products
Indian tea and coffee in bulk, retail and private-label formats, with grade, moisture and cup quality documented per lot.
3 products
Not on the list? We source well beyond it. Send a specification and we will tell you if we can help.
03 / How we work
Every order follows the same six steps. You are told where it stands at each stage, and who is responsible for it.
Send a specification, a target quantity and a destination port. If you only have a product description, send that. We will ask the questions needed to price it properly.
We approach manufacturers who already make your product and check they can meet the specification and quantity before we quote a firm price. You see who we are proposing to use.
You get up to three options priced the same way, with goods, freight, duty and insurance shown separately and quoted to your port. Where a sample is worth seeing, we arrange one before you commit.
Production runs to the specification you approved. An inspector who does not work for the factory checks the order before it leaves. If it does not match, it does not ship.
We prepare the export documents and send you a copy before the originals go to the bank or the carrier. You see the file before anyone else acts on it.
We follow the shipment to discharge, help with clearance, and stay involved if something is wrong. If the problem was ours to prevent, we fix it.
The audit file is part of your order file. A supplier who will not accept that does not get the order.
Explore every capability04 / Why buyers switch
The rows below are the differences buyers ask about most when they compare suppliers.
| Area | Through a broker | From Runway |
|---|---|---|
| Quotation | One figure, usually ex-works. | Landed cost to your destination port, itemised. |
| Supplier checks | Takes the mill at its word. | Plant audited, certificates confirmed with the issuing body. |
| Inspection | Arranged on request and billed separately. | Pre-shipment inspection on every consignment, with a photographic report. |
| Export documents | Handed to a third-party broker. | Prepared in-house, with a copy sent to you before the originals. |
| HS classification | A code on the invoice. | A memo per line item, with reasoning your own broker can review. |
| Minimum order | A full container, or nothing. | One container, or a shared production slot below that. |
| Your contact | A shared inbox. | One named officer who signs off at each stage. |
| Payment terms | Fixed terms. | Letter of credit, documentary collection or 30/70, agreed in writing first. |
05 / Coverage
Corridors we quote from Indian ports. Transit times are planning ranges; sailing and arrival are confirmed at booking.
Corridor diagram · from Nhava Sheva
NOT TO SCALE
Origins we ship from
6 ports
Nhava Sheva (JNPA)
Maharashtra
Grains, pulses, spices, textiles, handicrafts
West coast · Sea + Air
Mundra
Gujarat
Containerised cargo and bulk
West coast · Sea
Chennai
Tamil Nadu
Textiles, handicrafts, engineered goods
East coast · Sea + Air
Kochi
Kerala
Spices, tea, cashew, coir
South coast · Sea
Kolkata (Haldia)
West Bengal
Jute, tea, leather, minerals
East coast · Sea
Delhi (IGI)
Delhi NCR
Samples and time-critical air freight
Air
Destinations we quote
35 markets
Gulf (GCC)
6
Short-haul and high-frequency, and the one region where landed cost is usually decided by duty rather than freight.
Air freight to the Gulf is same-day or next-day, which makes it worth pricing on shortage top-ups.
4–7 days · Jebel Ali · Hamad · Jeddah
South Asia & Indian Ocean
4
The nearest destinations from an Indian port: Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Myanmar.
Transhipment through Colombo is common on the longer of these legs, so we confirm the routing rather than assume the direct sailing.
3–7 days · Colombo · Karachi · Chittagong
Africa
7
Kenya, Tanzania, Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire and South Africa, cleared through a licensed agent in each destination.
Landed cost is calculated through the port, not to the city. Most importers of these goods get that distinction wrong.
15–25 days · Mombasa · Dar es Salaam · Lagos
Europe
7
The most regulated destination we quote for. UK, EU and Swiss compliance are handled as three separate systems rather than one.
Where a product needs a UK or EU responsible person, we tell you before you order, not after.
22–30 days · Felixstowe · Rotterdam · Hamburg
Asia-Pacific
7
Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines and China, on both direct sailings and regional transhipment.
Preferential origin claims need the right movement certificate, so we confirm which one applies before the container is packed.
5–15 days · Singapore · Port Klang · Tanjung Priok
North America & Oceania
4
The longest legs we quote: the United States and Canada east and west, plus Australia and New Zealand.
Biosecurity is the thing to get right into Australia and New Zealand, and wood packaging must be ISPM-15 marked.
18–35 days · New York · Houston · Vancouver
Transit figures are planning ranges for a consolidated container. Sailing dates, customs holds and port congestion can change them. The exact dates are confirmed at booking.
All markets06 / Straight answers
Direct answers on minimums, payment terms, inspection and timing. If your question is not here, send it and we will answer it.
Ask us anything before you commit.
A first conversation costs you nothing and commits you to nothing. If a specification is difficult or the quantity is small, tell us. We would rather know early.
You do not have to take it on trust. Our import export code, GST registration and memberships are published on the compliance page with their numbers and the bodies that issued them, so you can confirm each one directly. Every quotation itemises goods, freight, duty and insurance. Every consignment is inspected before dispatch and the report is yours to keep. If any claim on this site turns out to be wrong, tell us and we will correct it on the page.
For most goods, one 20ft container. Below that we can often place your order in a shared production slot with other buyers of the same product, where you own the packaging and labelling and we hold the factory slot. For handicrafts and decor the minimum is usually 200 to 500 pieces. Tell us the quantity and we will confirm whether it works before you commit.
An inspection by someone who does not work for the factory, before the goods leave. You receive the report with photographs and a clear pass or fail. If a lot fails you get three options: rework at the factory cost, replacement, or a credit. We keep a signed reference sample of what you approved, so matching the order is a document rather than an argument.
We quote landed cost to your destination port, with goods, freight, insurance, duty and handling shown as separate lines rather than one figure. Where a preferential duty rate may apply, we show both rates and tell you what paperwork is needed to claim it.
We do, through licensed brokers in the destination market. Before your first invoice we send an HS classification for every line item, with the reasoning written down, so your own broker can review it. If you prefer to use your own broker, we will send them the documents they need.
For exports: 30% on order with the balance against a scanned bill of lading, or 100% against an irrevocable confirmed letter of credit at sight. For imports: 14 days from entry, or against documentary collection where agreed. Export credit insurance can be arranged for larger exposures. Terms are agreed in writing before anything is ordered.
Yes. You send artwork, or we produce it, and we adapt the formula or specification, run a pilot batch for your approval, then the bulk order. Your trademark and formulation remain yours, covered by a mutual non-disclosure agreement from the point of disclosure, and we do not reuse your artwork for another buyer.
One to two weeks to a firm quotation, three to six weeks for production and inspection, then shipping on the route you choose. Sea freight from India to the Gulf is about five to seven days; East Africa and Europe take longer. You get dated milestones for your own shipment, and notice as soon as a date looks tight.
Send photographs and we handle the claim from our side: evidence, the supplier and the correction, whether that is rework, replacement or credit. If the problem was ours to prevent, we cover it. Documents are retained for the period the law requires, so a claim can still be raised later.
Yes, at the quotation stage. If we cannot meet your specification, cannot obtain a certificate your market requires, or cannot make the quantity at a workable price, we say so before you pay rather than after.
07 / Insights
Short notes on shipping, customs and sourcing, written for buyers who need to make a decision.
Three clauses changed in ways that move cost and risk between buyer and seller. Here is what to amend in your contracts before the first shipment.
Why a single-analyte certificate is the weakest document in spice importing, and what to specify instead. Includes the panel we run on every lot.
Most import price comparisons are made on an ex-works figure that quietly omits freight, duty, insurance, inspection and demurrage exposure. Here is the full model we quote against.
08 / Where to next
Compare the quotation, read the terms, or verify our licences. Each is a reasonable first step, and none of them commits you to an order.
Prefer to write? trade@runwaymerchants.com
India
Send the requirement and we come back with a landed cost through your destination port, on one basis, with the reasoning attached.
Start a quote requestWe audit every plant before listing it. If you produce something a buyer in our markets cannot source reliably, tell us what and how much.
Become a supplierEvery licence, certification and membership in our register carries its number and issuing body. Check any of them without asking us.
Open the registerRequest a quotation
The more specific you are, the more specific our first reply will be. Every enquiry is answered by a named officer, not a shared inbox.