EXW Noida explained for buyers: what you arrange and what the factory does

EXW stands for ex-works. It is a standard trade term (one of the Incoterms) under which the price covers the goods at the seller's premises, and the buyer takes responsibility from there. The seller does not arrange the main transport, and the price does not include it. Under the standard definition the buyer also arranges loading on the collecting vehicle and export clearance unless it is agreed otherwise in writing, so confirm in your quote exactly what is handled at the gate.

For ArtzFolio the premises are the factory in Noida. The price covers the goods there, packed to your plan, and shipping is EXW Noida. Export enquiries are welcome, and the standard term is ex-works Noida.

The term is useful because it is clear. Both sides know where one party's job ends and the other's begins, and the price is easy to compare once you add your own transport cost. The trade-off is that you carry the planning and cost of the journey, so it suits buyers who already have a freight route or a forwarder they trust.

In practice, an ex-works order has a clear hand-over point. Up to the factory gate, the goods are made, checked and packed by the factory. From the gate onward, the carrier, the route and the cost are yours to arrange.

This is simple to plan when you know how the goods will travel. Tell the factory early, because a glass-front or large piece is packed differently from a small one.

Before the goods leave, the order is inspected, and the approved sample is the reference for that check. Once you have approved the sample and the run is packed, the goods are ready for your carrier. Keep your carrier informed of the carton count and the kind of goods, so that handling on the road matches the way they were packed.

Ex-works does not mean the factory leaves you alone. ArtzFolio assists with the logistics, and packing is the last of its nine factory stations, planned around how you sell. Online sellers and retail shops pack differently, so say which you are.

Tell the team where the goods will be delivered and how they will travel, and the pack is designed around that. That is the part of logistics the factory controls, because it happens before the goods leave.

A useful way to brief the team is to describe the journey. Will the goods travel by road to a warehouse in the same region, or a longer way? Will cartons be handled in bulk or one at a time? Glass-front and large pieces, such as framed wall art, need more protection than small ones, and the answer shapes the pack.

Because the hand-over happens at the factory, a few points are worth fixing in writing before you pay. Ask for the payment schedule too: ArtzFolio takes 50% advance, with the balance as agreed.

Where a point is not on the quote, ask for it. ArtzFolio does not publish a freight rate or a transit time, because they depend on your carrier and your destination. Treat the ex-works price as the cost of the goods, and the freight as a separate line in your own budget.

• The pack plan: singles, sets or cartons, and how fragile items are protected.
• Marks and labels: where your mark sits and what goes on the outside of the carton.
• The pick-up window: when the goods will be ready and when your carrier will collect.
• Transit insurance, which under ex-works is normally the buyer's to arrange.
• That freight is excluded from the quoted price, so you can budget for it.

Neither basis is wrong. Delivered pricing is convenient because one party owns the whole journey. Ex-works pricing gives you control over the carrier and the route, and lets you use a forwarder you already trust. What matters is that you compare like with like.

A delivered quote bundles freight into the price, while an ex-works quote leaves it out. A total that looks higher may include delivery, and one that looks lower may not. Put both on the same footing by adding your own freight cost to the ex-works figure.

When you are ready, send a brief with the product, a quantity band, whether it carries your brand, and where the goods will be delivered. The team replies within 1 business day with questions or a quote.