This article is a cost-item inventory. It does not restate Incoterms theory: to understand why EXW, FOB and CIF do not have the same scope, read real cost of a container. The two pages complement each other: one explains the contractual scope, this one lists who invoices what once the contract is signed.
The supplier price is not the cost delivered to your warehouse in Cameroon. A « CIF Douala » quote can look complete and still leave out THC, storage, trucking, BESC and PECAE. Context sources: PAD (handling, storage) and Customs (liquidation). We do not publish « average » FCFA figures: an invented scale would distort your cash flow. We publish the lines to tick before you or
der.The 15 items to bu
get Each line below can be nil, a lump sum or explosive depending on the file. The mistake is not paying these items — it is discovering them on the q
| uay | .No. | ItemWho usually invo | icesWhat makes the line exp |
|---|---|---|---|
| l | ode1Ocean fre | ightCarrier / freight forwa | rderSeason, equipment, Inco |
| t | erm2Insur | anceCIMA insurer or supplier po | licyNo local receipt (CAMCIS may apply a lump |
| s | um)3Customs du | tiesTreasury via CA | MCISHS code + CIF v |
| a | lue4VAT and t | axesTreasury via CA | MCISCIF base + duties, AIR depending on tax re |
| g | ime5Hand | lingQuay oper | atorLot type, out-of-g |
| a | uge | 6THCTerm | inalIncluded or not depending on the transport cont |
| r | act7Sto | rageTerminal / steve | doreDays beyond free |
| t | ime8Deten | tionCar | rierEmpty not retu |
| r | ned9Demur | rageCar | rierFree time exceeded, container still at |
| po | rt10Inland hau | lageHau | lierDouala → warehouse, site ac |
| ce | ss11Inspec | tionCustoms / opera | torsLane, scanner, physical |
| ex | am12Formali | tiesCNCC, notified bo | diesBESC, P |
| EC | AE13Documentary | feesBank, freight forwarder, consu | lateIssuance, legalisation, |
| L | /C14Off-terminal sto | ragePrivate wareh | ouseWaiting for delivery or destuf |
| fi | ng15Er | rorsAll counters a | boveRegularisation + days |
ost Lines 7, 8 and 9 are detailed in demurrage in Douala: storage, demurrage and detention are not the same charge, nor the same creditor. Bundling them under « port charges » prevents you from stopping the right
eter. Lines 3 and 4 are « hidden » only if the HS code or the CIF value is wrong. A correct classification makes customs duty predictable. An approximate classification turns it into a surprise at liqu
idation.ALC
formula Cameroon delivered cost = purchase + international transport + insurance + duties/taxes + port charges + formalities + inland haulage + safety margin (
elays). The safety margin is not a magic percentage. It is a number of days of storage and demurrage you accept to carry if the CAMCIS lane is not green on day one. Without this margin, the budget is
a wish. Order-of-magnitude example (a sketch, not a quote): goods 10 000 000 FCFA FOB. Once freight, CIF, liquidation, THC and trucking are added, warehouse delivery is no longer 10 million. The exact figure is calculated on your booking, your HS code and your free-time allowances. Two files at 10 million FOB do not have the same delivered cost if one is in TEC category 5% and the other in 30%, or if one has 14 days of free time and the other
5 to 7. Documentary thresholds, distinct from one another — subject to the texts i
- force: DI: from 2 million FCFA FOB, before loading (clearance
- guide); RVC: value/classification formality, to be confirmed depending on the
- regime; bank domiciliation: Customs also recalls the 5 million FCFA FOB threshold under CEMAC exchange rules (finan
e law). These are not « hidden costs »: they are formalities. Forgetting them, however, creates costs (days,
disputes).What is not a h
- dden cost Customs duty itself: it is predictable if the HS code and the CIF value ar
- correct. A THC announced on th
- booking. A misread Incoterm: that is not hidden, it is a scope — hence the article real cost of a
ontainer. What is « hidden » is what the supplier quote does not name: storage beyond free time, empty-container detention, trucking, PECAE, BESC, physical exam. Before signing, ask the supplier to tick, for each line of the table, « included », « for my account » or « unknown ». The « unknowns » are priced with a licensed customs broker, not
with a web average.How to use this t
- ble before ordering Tick each item « included / for m
- account / unknown ». Have the « unknowns » priced on the actual file (eq
- ipment, port, HS code). Add a days margin o
- storage and demurrage. Re-read the Incoterm (named place + Incoterms® 2020 version) t
know who pays freight. If the container is not yet sealed, also cross-check the 7 controls before shipment. If the vessel has already sailed, items 7 to 15 are managed in urgency:
10 errors after loading.Frequent
ly asked questions (FAQ)Which import costs in Cameroon a
e most often forgotten? THC, storage, demurrage, detention, inland haulage, BESC and PECAE. The supplier price alm
ost never includes them.Is freight alway
in the supplier price? No. It depends on the Incoterm. CIF Douala does not include local charges t
hrough to the warehouse.Are customs duties
the same for all goods? No. They depend on the CAMCIS tariff classification and the regime. CI
F value is the tax base.How do you estimate the re
l cost before ordering? The formula above + a file-based quote from ALC Transit. Not