Resources

Guides for people who ship internationally.

Templates, letter-of-credit friction, Incoterms, and notes from building Bilexor — written for import/export SMEs, not generic SaaS audiences.

Informational only — not legal, banking, tax, or customs advice. Always verify document and LC requirements with your bank, CHA / customs broker, and buyer before presentation.

Landed-cost calculator →

Estimate product + freight + duty + fees.

Export checklist →

Pre-shipment docs and consistency checks.

Document guides →

Commercial invoice, packing list, proforma.

Global Markets21 Oct 2026 · 3 min

Exporting to the UAE: Documentation SMEs Often Get Wrong

The UAE is one of India's biggest export markets, and its paperwork has its own quirks — invoice attestation, CEPA origin rules and free zone shipments. Here's what buyers expect and where SMEs slip up.

Global Markets20 Oct 2026 · 3 min

Exporting to Australia: Documentation SMEs Often Get Wrong

Australia's customs paperwork is straightforward — its biosecurity checks are not. Here's what Australian buyers expect, how to claim India–Australia ECTA rates, and the packaging mistakes that hold up first shipments.

Global Markets19 Oct 2026 · 3 min

Exporting to Canada: Documentation SMEs Often Get Wrong

Canada's import system changed with CARM, and the importer of record now carries more responsibility. Here's the documentation Canadian buyers and CBSA expect, and where first-time exporters slip up.

Templates & how-tos17 Oct 2026 · 3 min

Packing Slip vs Packing List: What's the Difference (and Why Export Needs a Packing List)

A packing slip tells a customer what's in the box. A packing list tells customs, the carrier and the bank what's in the shipment. Here's the difference, and why an export shipment needs the second.

Product & Platform16 Oct 2026 · 3 min

Export Management Software vs Export Documentation Software: Which Do You Need?

\"Export management software\" and \"export documentation software\" get used interchangeably, but they solve different problems. Here's the difference, and how an SME exporter can tell which one it needs.

Product & Platform15 Oct 2026 · 3 min

Export Documentation in Excel: When Templates Are Enough and When They Break

Plenty of exporters run their documents in Excel, and for a while it works. Here's an honest look at when spreadsheet templates are enough, the exact points where they break, and what to move to.

Incoterms & trade14 Oct 2026 · 3 min

Negotiable vs Non-Negotiable Bill of Lading: What Exporters Need to Know

A negotiable bill of lading transfers ownership of the cargo by endorsement; a non-negotiable one doesn't. Here's how to tell them apart, when banks insist on a negotiable B/L, and where inland and line B/Ls fit.

Guides13 Oct 2026 · 3 min

Consular Invoice: What It Is and When Importing Countries Still Ask for It

A consular invoice is an invoice certified by the importing country's consulate before shipment. Few countries still require one, but when they do, a missing stamp can hold the cargo. Here's how it works.

Guides12 Oct 2026 · 4 min

eBRC Explained: BRC Status Check and Realisation Date for Exporters

What a BRC is in export, how today's self-certified eBRC works on the DGFT portal, how to check eBRC status, and what the realisation date actually refers to.

Guides10 Oct 2026 · 4 min

Let Export Order (LEO): Meaning, LEO Date and Why Banks Ask for It

The Let Export Order is Indian Customs' final clearance for goods to be loaded — and its date is treated as the date of export. Here's what LEO means, how to check it, and why your bank cares.

Guides9 Oct 2026 · 4 min

Types of Shipping Bill: Free, Dutiable, Drawback and Ex-Bond Explained

Indian exporters file one of four main types of shipping bill — free, dutiable, drawback or ex-bond — depending on duty and the benefits being claimed. Here's how to tell which one applies.

Templates & how-tos8 Oct 2026 · 3 min

Shipment Advice Format: What to Send the Buyer After Loading (With Template)

A shipment advice tells your buyer the goods are on their way — and many LCs ask for proof you sent one. Here's what it must contain, a copy-ready format, and how it differs from a pre-shipment advice.

Guides7 Oct 2026 · 4 min

Post-Shipment Documents Checklist: What's Left After the Vessel Sails

Loading the container isn't the end of the paperwork. Here's every post-shipment document an exporter still has to collect, send or file — and in what order.

Guides6 Oct 2026 · 4 min

Bill of Exchange Under an LC: How to Draw It So It Isn't Discrepant

A bill of exchange (draft) is one of the simplest documents in an LC set — and one of the easiest to get rejected. Here's how to draw it field by field so it matches the credit and the invoice.

Global Markets5 Oct 2026 · 3 min

Exporting to Singapore: Documentation SMEs Often Get Wrong

Singapore looks like one of the easier markets to export to, and mostly it is. Here is the documentation first-time SME exporters still get wrong on their first shipment.

Global Markets4 Oct 2026 · 3 min

What UK Buyers Require on Export Documents Post-Brexit

Shipping to the UK is not the same paperwork exercise it was before Brexit. Here is what changed, what UK customs checks closely, and the gaps Indian exporters hit most often on a first UK shipment.

Global Markets3 Oct 2026 · 3 min

What US Importers Expect From an Overseas Supplier's Documentation

Shipping to a US buyer adds a few document expectations exporters do not always plan for, ISF filing among them. Here is what typically comes up, and where Indian exporters most often trip up.

Working With Partners2 Oct 2026 · 2 min

How Freight Forwarders Can Flag Document Mismatches Before They Cost a Client

Forwarders are often the last set of eyes on a shipment before it moves. Here's where they catch document mismatches most often, and a simple pre-booking check that saves everyone a delay.

Working With Partners1 Oct 2026 · 3 min

What a CHA Needs From an Exporter Before Filing a Shipping Bill

CHAs chase the same missing documents from exporters shipment after shipment. Here's the core set they actually need, and the information beyond the documents that speeds up filing.

Product & Platform30 Sept 2026 · 3 min

Why Stock Tracking Matters for Export Businesses (Even Without a Warehouse System)

You don't need a full warehouse management system to know what you can actually ship. Here's what lightweight stock tracking should cover for an export SME, and where it breaks down without it.

Export Documentation29 Sept 2026 · 4 min

When to Issue a Credit Note vs a Debit Note: 6 Worked Export Examples

Short shipment, damaged cartons, extra freight, a price error either way: six real export scenarios and whether each one calls for a credit note or a debit note.

Product & Platform28 Sept 2026 · 3 min

How to Track Customer Balances Without a Spreadsheet

A spreadsheet can hold a customer balance. It can't stop that balance from drifting out of sync the moment a payment, credit note, or new invoice isn't logged the same day. Here's what to track instead.

Product & Platform27 Sept 2026 · 3 min

How to Convert a Proforma Invoice into a Commercial Invoice (Without Retyping)

Every retype is a chance to change a quantity, price, or product name by accident. Here's what should carry over from proforma to commercial invoice, and what to double-check before it goes out.

Guides26 Sept 2026 · 3 min

Pre-Shipment Documentation Timeline: What to Prepare and When

Knowing which documents you need isn't the same as knowing when to prepare each one. Here's a practical timeline from order confirmation to after the vessel sails.

Guides26 Sept 2026 · 5 min

Export Billing Software: What to Look For Before You Choose

Most billing software can send an invoice. Few can handle an export shipment's document set. Here are the eight things to check before you pick a tool for export billing.

Guides26 Sept 2026 · 3 min

Certificate of Origin: Preferential vs Non-Preferential, Step by Step

A preferential certificate of origin can unlock reduced duty for your buyer under an FTA. A non-preferential one just attests where goods were made. Here's how to tell which one you need, step by step.

Guides26 Sept 2026 · 3 min

After You File: What Happens to a Shipping Bill (EGM, Let Export Order, and Amendments)

Filing the shipping bill isn't the finish line. Here's what happens next — the Let Export Order, the carrier's EGM, and what it actually takes to amend a shipping bill after filing.

Guides26 Sept 2026 · 12 min

LC Fields Explained: How to Read a Letter of Credit (44C, 44B, 45A, 46A, 47A)

Banks examine your documents against the LC's own wording. Here's what each MT700 field means — 44C, 44B, 45A, 46A, 47A, 48 and the rest — and what it means for your invoice and transport document.

Comparison21 Sept 2026 · 3 min

Air Waybill vs Bill of Lading: What's the Difference

An air waybill and a bill of lading both prove a shipment happened, but only one is negotiable. Here's the practical difference exporters need to know before presenting to a bank.

Templates & how-tos17 Sept 2026 · 2 min

How to Keep Commercial Invoice and Packing List in Sync

Most export document rejections start as a quantity mismatch. Here's a simple workflow to keep the commercial invoice and packing list in sync.

Templates & how-tos16 Sept 2026 · 4 min

Export Invoice Under GST and LUT: Format and Mandatory Fields

What changes on an export invoice under GST in India — and how that differs from the trade commercial invoice banks and buyers examine.

Templates & how-tos15 Sept 2026 · 3 min

Proforma Packing List: Format and When You Need One

When buyers ask for a proforma packing list, what each document is for, and how to keep early quotes consistent with later shipment docs.

Incoterms & trade14 Sept 2026 · 2 min

Packing List vs Bill of Lading: What's the Difference?

A packing list and a bill of lading both describe the cargo — but only one is the carrier's transport document. Here's how they differ.

Incoterms & trade11 Sept 2026 · 3 min

FOB vs CIF: Which Documents You Need for Each

FOB and CIF change who books freight and insurance — and which documents the seller must produce. Here's the practical document map.

Templates & how-tos10 Sept 2026 · 3 min

How to Fill a Bill of Lading (Field-by-Field)

A practical field-by-field walkthrough of bill of lading details exporters must get right before the carrier issues the B/L.

Incoterms & trade9 Sept 2026 · 9 min

Types of Bill of Lading: 15 Types Explained for Exporters

Straight, order, bearer, on board, received for shipment, clean, claused, master, house, through, multimodal, charter party, sea waybill, switch and telex release: every type of bill of lading, and which one your LC needs.

Templates & how-tos31 Aug 2026 · 3 min

The Complete Export Documentation Guide (2026)

Every document an export shipment typically needs, what each one is for, and where to find the full guide, template, or tool for each.

Templates & how-tos31 Aug 2026 · 4 min

Best Export Invoice Software for Small Exporters (2026)

Spreadsheets, accounting tools like Zoho Books, QuickBooks and Tally, ERPs, and export-documentation tools compared honestly — what each is good at, where it falls short for export shipments, and who should pick which.

Templates & how-tos31 Aug 2026 · 3 min

Proforma Invoice vs Purchase Order: Key Differences

A purchase order and a proforma invoice both show up before a shipment is final, and exporters often confuse them. Here's who issues each and why.

Landed cost31 Aug 2026 · 2 min

Free Landed Cost Calculator vs Excel: Which Should You Use?

A spreadsheet and a free calculator solve the same landed-cost math differently. Here's when each one makes sense for importers.

Landed cost30 Aug 2026 · 8 min

How to Calculate Landed Cost of Imported Goods: Formula, Examples & Excel

Every line item that belongs in a landed cost calculation, a worked example, and how to lay it out in a spreadsheet if you're not ready for a calculator.

Templates & how-tos28 Aug 2026 · 3 min

How to Prepare a Packing List for Export (Step-by-Step)

A step-by-step process for building an export packing list that actually matches your commercial invoice, from listing packages to the final cross-check.

Templates & how-tos28 Aug 2026 · 2 min

Commercial Invoice vs Packing List: What's the Difference

Both travel with the same shipment, but a commercial invoice and a packing list serve different readers — and their quantities have to agree exactly.

Templates & how-tos27 Aug 2026 · 3 min

Export Documentation Checklist (Free Download)

A practical pre-shipment checklist: commercial invoice, packing list, transport docs, and consistency checks before you present to a bank.

Templates & how-tos27 Aug 2026 · 5 min

Proforma Invoice vs Commercial Invoice: The Difference Explained

Proforma and commercial invoices look alike but serve different purposes. See the exact differences, which comes first, and why banks require them to match.

Incoterms & trade27 Aug 2026 · 5 min

Is a Bill of Lading the Same as an Invoice? Bill of Lading vs Commercial Invoice

No — a bill of lading is the carrier's receipt and title document; a commercial invoice is the seller's bill. Here's what each one does, and the details that must match.

Incoterms & trade27 Aug 2026 · 5 min

Incoterms 2020 Explained for First-Time Exporters

FOB, CIF, EXW, and the other Incoterms 2020 rules explained in plain language — what each one commits you to, and where they belong on your documents.

Letters of credit6 Aug 2026 · 1 min

Why Most Export Documents Get Rejected the First Time (And How to Avoid It)

In documentary-credit (LC) workflows, many first-presentation rejections aren't missing documents — they're small mismatches between the papers you already filed.

Building in public3 Aug 2026 · 1 min

Why We're Building an Invoicing Tool Just for Exporters

Generic invoicing tools don't understand packing lists, LCs, or why a one-line mismatch holds up payment.

Early access

Export documents that match, from one record

Bilexor builds your proforma, commercial invoice and packing list from one shipment record, so quantities and descriptions agree before your buyer or bank checks them. Join the beta and get your first month of Team free once plans go live.