Freight Forwarding Glossary

Resources

Twenty terms every Bahamas shipper should know, written in plain English, defined by the team that actually moves the freight.

Air freight

Shipping by aircraft. At Bahamas Purchasing, air freight is billed at $1 per pound of actual weight with a $10 minimum. Transit from our Florida warehouse to Nassau is 3–5 business days.

Ocean freight

Shipping by cargo vessel. We price ocean freight per pallet: $200 for a half pallet (48×40×30 in max) and $350 for a full pallet (48×40×72 in max). Ask us about ocean freight timing.

Consolidation

The practice of combining several US-origin packages into a single Bahamas-bound shipment. Consolidation reduces per-package fees and customs paperwork. Bahamas Purchasing consolidates for free with up to 14 days of storage.

Warehouse receipt (WR)

An itemized record generated when a package arrives at our Fort Lauderdale warehouse. Each WR captures the shipper, weight, dimensions, piece count, and tracking number, and is visible in the customer portal.

Parent / child WR

A logical grouping used when a single retailer ships an order in multiple boxes. The parent WR aggregates pieces and weight from its children (e.g., WR-660 = WR-660-1 + WR-660-2 + WR-660-3).

Bill of lading (BOL)

A legal document issued by a carrier that acknowledges receipt of cargo and details the shipment. Required for ocean freight customs clearance in The Bahamas.

Customs duty

A tax levied by the Bahamas Department of Customs on imported goods. Rates vary by tariff code. We calculate, prepay, and pass duty through to the customer at exact cost, no markup.

Landed VAT

The 10% Value Added Tax applied by The Bahamas on the landed cost of imports, the sum of CIF value plus customs duty. VAT is calculated and remitted on every shipment.

Customs processing fee

A statutory Bahamian fee of 1% of CIF value, with a $10 minimum and $750 maximum per entry. Charged on every commercial import.

CIF value

Cost, Insurance, Freight, the basis on which Bahamas Customs assesses duty and VAT. Equal to the item price plus international shipping plus insurance (where applicable).

Dimensional (volumetric) weight

A pricing model where carriers bill the greater of actual weight or a computed volume-based weight. Bahamas Purchasing does NOT charge dimensional weight on air freight, you pay only for actual pounds.

Door-to-door delivery

Delivery directly to the customer's specified Bahamian address. Included in our pricing for Nassau and most Family Island destinations.

Free US address

The complimentary Fort Lauderdale, FL mailing address assigned to every Bahamas Purchasing customer at signup. Used as the ship-to address when shopping at US retailers.

Tariff code (HS code)

The Harmonized System classification used to determine customs duty rate. Bahamas Customs publishes the official tariff schedule; we map common consumer goods automatically.

Prohibited items

Goods that cannot be imported into The Bahamas or shipped via our service: live animals, hazardous materials, firearms, illegal substances, and items restricted under Bahamian customs law.

Invoice (shipping invoice)

The bill issued by Bahamas Purchasing once a shipment is ready for clearance and delivery. Lists freight, customs duty, VAT, and processing fee separately.

Pending invoice

A draft invoice awaiting customer-supplied product invoices (proof of purchase) needed for customs clearance. Customers upload these in the portal.

TrackPod

Our last-mile delivery management platform used to dispatch drivers and capture proof-of-delivery for door-to-door drop-offs in The Bahamas.

Secure card payment

How we accept online card payments in the customer portal. PCI-compliant and supports Bahamian-issued cards.

Cash on delivery (COD)

A payment option, available to qualified accounts, that lets the customer pay the driver in cash at the moment of delivery.

Ready to ship?

Use our free duty calculator to estimate landed cost, or sign up for a free US address.