Ask the Collective
The questions independent drinks founders ask most — answered. Distilled from years of community knowledge so the good stuff never disappears in the feed again.
What does it mean for a supplier to be registered as a bonded supplier when importing to Australia, and who is responsible for the registration?
When importing to Australia, bonded warehouse registration is typically the responsibility of the **importing/receiving party**, not the exporting supplier. The importer—whether a distributor, retailer, or their logistics partner—should be the entity with the bonded warehouse licence and responsible for any associated paperwork. **Key points from community experience:** - The receiving importer needs to have a bonded warehouse; they should handle the necessary paperwork themselves - If you're exporting on standard incoterms (e.g. FOB), the responsibility sits with the importer on the Australian side - If a major retailer like Coles is requesting that goods be "bonded," this may indicate they lack bonded warehouse capacity themselves—but members noted this "doesn't sound right" and warrants clarification - Confirm with your importer exactly what incoterms you've agreed, as this determines who bears responsibility for customs and bonded-warehouse arrangements **Caveat:** This guidance is based on standard export practice; if a customer is making unusual requests, verify directly with your Australian customs broker or importer rather than assuming standard responsibility allocation.
Should you use EXW or FCA incoterms when selling spirits to export markets post-Brexit?
**FCA is now the preferred incoterm for post-Brexit export sales.** While EXW places responsibility for export clearance on the buyer, members' experience and broker advice strongly favours FCA because it allows you to control your own export customs processes and maintain compliance documentation. **Why FCA is recommended:** - **Control of export clearance** — You manage the UK export customs process yourself, rather than relying on the buyer to handle it - **Compliance documentation** — You can ensure HMRC receives the required export clearance documents, including the DTI-S8 form, which is critical if audited - **VAT zero-rating proof** — If your company zero-rates VAT on the invoice, you must be able to provide proof of export. With FCA, you retain sight of all export documents; with EXW, the buyer handles clearance and you may never see the proof - **Industry standard shift** — Members' broker reported that "most of our clients moved away from EXW post Brexit, and ship everything FCA" **Key caveat:** With EXW, the buyer is responsible for UK export clearance, meaning you may never receive copies of the export clearance documents—a significant compliance risk if HMRC audits you. FCA eliminates this exposure by putting you in control of the process.