Shipping Services
Shipping Terms
- DDP- Delivered Duty Paid
- Seller delivers the goods, cleared for import, and pays all duties at the named place of destination. Except for cargo insurance, the purchaser of which varies by situation, the transportation of goods is fully paid for and managed by the seller, placing the maximum responsibility on the seller.
- DPU- Delivered at Place Unloaded
- Seller delivers and unloads the goods at the named place of destination. From its packaging to transportation to the agreed-upon destination to unloading the goods upon arrival is paid for by the seller. The buyer of a product is only responsible for paying its import duties, taxes, and fees.
- DAP- Delivered at Place
- Seller delivers the goods, ready for unloading, at the named place of destination. Similar to DPU but places the responsibility of unloading the goods at the destination on the buyer. The buyer of a product is only responsible for paying import duties, taxes, and fees.
- CIP- Carriage & Insurance Paid to
- Similar to CPT, the burden of responsibility on the seller up until products reach the buyer’s designated destination terminal, but with the additional stipulation that the seller will take care of all cargo insurance costs.
- CPT- Carriage Paid to
- The seller pays freight for the carriage of goods to the named destination until the goods reach an agreed-upon destination. Once the goods are handed over to a carrier at that destination, the buyer then assumes all risk.
- CIF- Cost, Insurance and Freight
- Similar to CFR, the seller handles transportation to the port of origin, for loading the goods onto the vessel, and also pays for insurance to the named destination port. Applicable only to sea/waterway-faring goods.
- CFR- Cost and Freight
- The seller delivers the goods on board the vessel and pays the freight cost to the named destination port. Applicable only where a shipment is transported to its destination location via a marine vessel. It is essential to note that while CFR assigns responsibility for transportation to the destination port to the seller, the seller is not liable for that portion of the journey. That risk transfers to the buyer upon onboarding of the goods at the port of origin.
- FOB- Free on Board
- Seller arranges for packaging, transportation to the port, and safe loading onto its selected marine vessel, paying all fees, duties, and taxes. After the freight is loaded onto the transporting ship, the responsibility transfers to the buyer for all subsequent arrangements and additional charges.
- FAS- Free Alongside Ship
- Seller delivers when the goods are placed alongside the vessel named port of shipment; the seller of cargo must pay for the movement of goods from the moment it leaves their facility until it is safely situated alongside its selected vessel for loading. The risk transfers to the buyer at this point, and the buyer is responsible for the main portion of transit and all subsequent steps in delivery.
- FCA- Free Carrier
- Seller delivers the goods, cleared for export, to the carrier selected by the buyer at the named place. The seller of the freight will pay for charges and arrangements up to the moment it arrives at the export location stipulated by the buyer. Once the goods are handed over to the carrier, the risk transfers to the buyer. Limited responsibility from the seller.
- EXW- Ex Works
- Seller delivers when goods are placed at the buyer’s disposal, not cleared for export, and not loaded onto any vehicle. The buyer must then arrange and pay for all associated arrangements and charges. The seller is solely responsible for packaging and making the goods available for pickup. The seller has the least amount of risk and responsibility.
Emory University’s contracted vendor for Customs Brokerage Services is: FedEx Logistics, Inc./FedEx Trade Networks (FTN).
Customs brokerage is one of the most complex areas of international trade. Complying with the multitude of government regulations and requirements is a daunting task for even the most experienced professional. A broker and an importer must maintain a close relationship. Trust and confidence in the expertise offered by the broker form the foundation of this relationship. The importer depends upon the broker not only to process the necessary documentation, but also to advise them of potential liability issues, when available job aids and self-research has proved not to be sufficient. Emory has contracted with FedEx Logistics, Inc. to provide consulting services on importing goods.
To request these consulting services, please complete the Importing Consulting Request Form and submit to tradesolutions@fedex.com. This form requires the last four digits of your credit card and there is a minimum fee of $137.50, with hourly rates at $275.00.
Emory University engages with four divisions of Federal Express Corporation (Fed Ex), each functioning as a separate entity:
FedEx– small package carrier primarily managed and billed through Central Finance that includes significant contractual shipping discounts;
FedEx Freight– large freight/pallet carrier paid primarily by departmental p-card;
FedEx Trade Networks – facilitates international US customs clearance for imported items; and
FedEx Office Print & Ship Center – offers copy and custom print services and is the only Federal Express vendor that can be paid via Emory Express. Emory's FedEx help desk can be reached at fedexrequest@emory.edu, and additional information job aids are on the website and on the Emory Express homepage.
Emory University has a Master FedEx account that is only used for inbound packages ordered through Emory Express. Vendors are provided with the FedEx account number and instructions on the purchase order document. Charges for packages not associated with an Emory Express purchase order or that don't follow the instructions stated on the purchase order will be rejected.
Please do not contact FedEx directly. Instead, complete a FedEx Govt New Acct Request Form (that can be obtained on the website, in Emory Express under the FedEx tile or by requesting one at FedExRequest@emory.edu) and submit to FedExRequest@emory.edu so that an account may be created and linked to Emory University's FedEx contract, which provides for significant discounts, centralized billing and free package pick-ups.
Please ignore this email. These instructions are not for people using a ‘government' contract with centralized billing. If you do not wait for FedExRequest@emory.edu to send you your UserID and login password, and instead utilize this link, your account will neither be properly linked to Emory University's contractual discounts nor direct bill invoicing, which is paid by Emory University's Accounts Payable.
Yes, as long as the departmental contact associated with the account grants permission to do so. These requests can be made via email to FedExRequest@emory.edu by providing the name, email, phone number and NetID of the individual that needs to be added. Note that while the Billing Reference field of a shipping label can be used to override the FedEx account's default speedtype with a one-time use active 10 digit speedtype, this is not an ideal practice. If you will need to consistently use a different speedtype than that associated with a departmental account, please establish a separate FedEx account.
Generally, only Emory University employees should create an Emory University FedEx account using an Emory University speedtype. If someone else needs to ship a package to you using your account, please create an online return shipping label and email it to the individual and/or entity, so that the integrity of the account is not compromised.
It is important to delete login profiles for individuals as they leave Emory University or move departments, as the existence of the profile can enable them to use the account after their departure. If the FedEx account was created by Procurement, email fedexrequest@emory.edu with the name of the departmental account and the name of the individual that needs to be removed.
Emory and FedEx encrypt the account numbers for our departmental FedEx accounts, to attempt to thwart fraudulent use of the account. Very often, vendors provided with an account number will use this account for non-related packages being sent to Emory. Likewise, if anyone has your departmental account number, they can use it to ship unrelated packages. Fortunately, there is generally an acceptable online shipping method for both inbound and outbound packages. Please see the Shipping Label job aid for further instructions.
No. First check to ensure that your invoice is not from FedEx Freight, which is a separate entity from Federal Express Corporation, ‘FedEx', our small package carrier. FedEx Freight invoices are never paid through any other means other than by contacting the phone number contained on the invoice and providing a departmental credit card. FedEx (small package) invoices can only currently be paid by Emory University's Accounts Payable via direct billing or via a departmental credit card linked to the FedEx account.
Provide your UserID via email FedExRequest@emory.edu to make the request.
Email FedExRequest@emory.edu with your department's FedEx account number or name and provide the full 10 digit speedtype that is desired as the account's default speedtype.
Please do not do this.
Instead, use online shipping labels or billable stamps to ship and receive packages per the instructions in the Shipping Label Job aid. Paper airbills frequently cause both billing and delivery issues that contribute to extra work for departments (due to necessary corrective journals) and extra charges for any corrections that FedEx must make. They can significantly contribute to account usage fraud.
Though items received via FedEx as a result of an Emory Express purchase order bill to the speedtype of the associated purchase order, the invoice is not found directly on the PO. To search for these costs, conduct a Document Search in Emory Express by clicking on the icon on the left sidebar that looks like a piece of paper. Select Search > Invoices and then click the 'Add Filter' drop down link at the top right of the page. Select 'Product Description' and enter the Emory University PO# in the criteria field. If shipping has been billed, the invoice voucher for Vantage Point Logistics, our 3rd party FedEx inbound shipping manager will retrieve.
Some FedEx shipping items are free. Others are not. For instructions and additional information, login to your departmental FedEx account at FedEx.com and navigate to 'Packing & Shipping Supplies' > 'Explore Supplies.'
Though service issues do happen, if packages don't contain a clear suite number on the package address line, FedEx will deliver to the street, at the loading dock, a central receptionist, etc. To avoid this, ensure that shipping labels are clear and concise, using abbreviations where possible and avoiding extra information.
Only the shipper's name appears in the charge description, immediately after the tracking number. If a package was received by Emory, fedexrequest@emory.edu will need to provide full package details to validate charges.
Occasionally, if a paper, carbon copy airbill was incorrectly completed for a package, e.g., it cannot be read and/or is missing a valid FedEx account number, FedEx will still deliver the package, but will assign the charge to another account at the same street location. To resolve this issue, the department will need to contact FedEx to request a copy of the physical paper airbill so that the package details can be identified. A journal may then be necessary to move the charge from the erroneous speedtype to the correct one.
‘Dry ice' may be unavailable when preparing an online shipping label for the following reasons: 1) All prior label sections must be completed before this option appears under ‘Special Services'; 2) ‘Your Packaging' under Package Type. Dry ice is not available for any FedEx box type; and 3) The account may not be slated with permissions to ship using dry ice. To slate this permission, you will need to email a current EHSO certificate reflecting that the person preparing packages for the account has completed the necessary course to ship biohazardous items to FedExRequest@emory.edu.
Email FedExRequest@emory.edu with the following information for a FedEx delivery issue:
- FedEx service type (Express or Ground);
- tracking number(s);
- delivery location;
- whether keycard access is needed;
- details of delivery issue; and
- image(s): of shipping label, damaged package(s), incorrectly delivered packages, etc. For a FedEx pickup issues, email FedExRequest@emory.edu with the following information:
- FedEx service type (Express or Ground);
- pick-up type (standing or one-time pickup);
- if one-time pick-up, the pick-up confirmation number;
- tracking number;
- whether pickup location requires keycard access; and
- pick-up issue details.
FedEx has always had a rule that no biohazardous items or packages that are too large to fit inside of a drop-box can be facilitated via their drop-boxes. Yet, they only recently enforced that rule. To compensate for these new restrictions, standing pick-ups for FedEx Express packages fitting this description have been established at:
- 1364 Clifton Road (Emory Hospital Loading Dock) – pickup occurs daily at 3:30PM;
- All 1365 Clifton Buildings immediately beside existing drop-boxes (in ‘the tunnel', 2nd floor entrance, and near the Eye Clinic);
- 1750 Haygood Drive (HSRB II Building Mailroom – Rm G184) –daily pickup at 4:00PM;
- 1510 Clifton Road (Rollins Research Center – outside of Suite 2006) – daily pick-up at 4:00PM;
- Possible future pick-up location: 101 Woodruff Circle – location and time TBD.
Be sure to check your building loading dock and surrounding areas for your missing package, but if you have confirmed that your package has been stolen, please contact the following:
- Emory Police (404.727.6111) to file a police report;
- The vendor to report the theft;
- The carrier. If FedEx, email fedexrequest@emory.edu with the following information:
- Service Type (FedEx Ground or FedEx Express)
- Tracking Number
- Delivery Location Address
- Delivery Details
- Pictures, if available
It is the department's responsibility to maintain an active speedtype as the default account speedtype. If a speedtype is inactivated or if the project associated with a speedtype has been closed at the time of FedEx billing (which takes place roughly 1 month after the package is shipped), the speedtype cannot be used for shipping charges. When expired speedtypes exist on an account, then the charges will bill to your department's 'UTBG' speedtype, which typically corresponds to your departmental clearing or suspense account. Your department will be required to enter a subsequent journal transaction to move the charge to the desired speedtype, and you will also need to email FedExRequest@emory.edu to update the account's default speedtype.
This can occur for two primary reasons:
- Less than 10 numbers were entered in the filed, e.g. 56823, ST56823, #56823. The full 10 digit speedtype must be entered for the billing program to pull it into the payment file; or
- The speedtype was not valid at the time of billing. Billing payment occurs roughly one month after the package is delivered. If the ST has been inactive or an associated project/project activity has ended by the time the package is billed, the requested substitute speedtype cannot be used.
The international requirements for each country can be significantly different. For this reason, it is to your advantage to work with FedEx's international customer service, which can be reached at 1-800-247-4747. FedEx also has an international resource page for reference. You may want to review this prior to contacting FedEx to see if any of your questions are answered there
Enter a 10 digit speedtype in the Billing Reference field of an online shipping label to bill to another speedtype. If you will consistently use an override speedtype, consider establishing a separate FedEx account.