FCA (Free Carrier)
Supplier hands export-cleared goods to your carrier; risk passes at the handoff.
Definition
FCA (Free Carrier) is an Incoterm where your supplier delivers the goods, cleared for export, to a carrier or place you nominate, and risk transfers at that handoff. It is the container-era alternative to FOB, and Incoterms 2020 recommends FCA over FOB for goods moving in containers.
FCA vs FOB
FOB was designed for break-bulk and bulk cargo loaded directly onto a vessel; most FBA freight moves in containers handed to a terminal before loading, which is the scenario FCA was built for. Incoterms 2020 recommends FCA over FOB for containerized goods for exactly this reason. In practice, though, Chinese suppliers almost universally quote FOB and many have never used FCA, so asking for FOB is still the right move on the ground even though FCA is the technically correct term.
What FCA covers
Your supplier gets the goods to the named place and clears them for export; you take over freight, insurance, import, and delivery from the handoff. It is cleaner than EXW because the supplier, not you, handles export clearance in their own country.
What FCA means for your landed cost and lead time
You own the freight leg and the cost and time from the handoff to FBA check-in, so budget freight, duty, and handling on top of the FCA price when you cost out a SKU.
Related terms
Cost out the freight leg you own
Inventory Hero tracks the freight, duty, and handling you take on after the FCA handoff, so each SKU's landed cost reflects what it really costs delivered.
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