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 Manufacturing Information

 IHT Codes for Some Products

 General Shipping Information 

Shipping Liability Terms - What Do They Mean?

All Alken-Murray products are priced "ex-works origin".

Products are listed as "sold" as one of the following:

  • Ex-Works Factory
  • CIF Destination
  • C & F Destination

 Ex-Works Factory;

When you purchase a product and pay for it with the terms "ex-works factory" this means that you buy product ONLY from Alken-Murray and arrange freight through your own forwarder or else select "CIF destination" or "C &F destination", options explained below. Under an "ex-works" arrangement, most Buyers tell us which carrier they prefer, providing their account number with the carrier and contact details for us to arrange. Foreign clients select a freight forwarder with a USA office, providing us a contact name and telephone number, so we can arrange product pickup with them. Under this arrangement, we bill Buyer for product ONLY, either by pro-forma invoice or by charge to credit card provided by Buyer, when product is ready to ship.


If your product gets lost or damaged during transport, you must settle with the transportation company. We will, of course, co-operate with you and your carrier/forwarder to the best of our ability to help you resolve any documentation needed to help locate the missing shipment.

 CIF The term stands for "Cost + Insurance + Freight"

When an order is requested "CIF Destination", Buyer pays Seller (Alken-Murray) the cost of the product plus transportation (freight) and insurance for the products to reach Destination. Seller then arranges transporation and pays insurance during transit for you, so that if shipment is lost, Seller will receive benefit of insurance for shipment and be responsible for replacing the lost shipment to Buyer.


When you want to ship by this method, we will give you a telephone or e-mail freight quote, if you are a domestic client (inside the USA). If you are a foreign client, we will prepare and fax you a "pro-forma invoice" including the best freight rate we could find for you (among our carriers that give us a discount) and insurance charges.

 C & F. The term stands for "Cost & Freight"

When an order is requested "C &F Destination", Buyer pays Seller (Alken-Murray) cost of products plus cost of transportation. This is normally ONLY requested when Buyer has its own blanket insurance covering transport of any products they purchase from a variety of vendors. Only large company Buyers will consider this option for an overall savings when massive amounts of products are purchased, especially internationally. Buyers without an independent insurance policy risk a heavy loss if shipment is lost or damaged so severely that it becomes worthless. Freight companies offer a standard liability of 40 t0 70 cents per pound of weight and or a cap of $100. per shipment unless insurance for greater value is purchased.


Buyers should also be aware that the maximum insurance you can purchase covers the value reported for customs. If inflated insurance is desired, Seller must report an equally inflated value on the export commercial invoice for customs, so altering the true value in either direction is rarely a wise decision. Undervaluing shipments that are lost can lead to having to repurchase products at true value without complete reimbursement from freight carrier, while over-insurance and valuation can lead to paying higher customs duties.

Whichever method is selected, Buyer is responsible for all import taxes and duties, together with shipment from receiving airport or port.


Buyer can request tracking details from Seller, by whatever mode they wish (e-mail, fax or telephone)

Update 06/29/2006

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