VNC Service and Fees AGENT SERVICES VNC will advise you about current businesses, introduce you to our factory contacts with whom VNC has established fifteen-year long relationships, explore with you new areas to discover additional sources of products, and provide assistance to the negotiations that is online to get the most reasonable price for your products requested. We will take your product request, sample, photos and drawings to our  contacts and obtain for you, their lowest reasonable price for their products.  We will insure in every possible way that your requests are met. Samples,* if required, will be sent for your approval.   Should you choose to visit Vietnam, one our bi-lingual staff will be provided as your buying guide. They will take you to as many factories outlets and shops as you want to see or visit, and remain with you as the situations require.  In addition, they will help you arrange all your transportation needs. They will also help you to locate business for relaxation such as your tourist connections of interest. VNC only co-operates with committed buyers. We have more than 15 years of experience in Vietnam.    Presently, we are in our 15th  year on location in Vietnam and continuing to build relationships the old fashion way with the Vietnam business world with emphasis in Central and Southern parts of Vietnam with our base of operation out of Ho Chi Minh city.  Our field representatives are able to provide unlimited sources of factories, outlets, or shops in this region. These area facilities provide all forms of products to include wood, ceramic, lacquer ware, and multitude of handicrafts which are made to the quality you desire and sell them at the lowest reasonable prices.   If your inquiry is approved VNC will preform the following as required •        Contact several manufacturer’s  to cross verify current availability and prices of products requested. •        It is custom to required to have our staff make a personal visit as many product providers will not negotiate by telephone.  In addition, very few sources have staff fluent enough in English to satisfy your needs of negotiation.  Many factories do not have fax or E-mail.  Vietnam factories are not yet set up to accept the needs for E-commerce with expertise required by the US market demands. •        Provide new outlets, shop or manufacturers if your needs are not met by our online providers. •        Send your photos of any additional products as required *  fee is appraised for each transaction based on current market conditions. Prices and Fees All prices and / or fees will be quoted and payable in United States Dollars. All sums will be paid by wire transfers only to a VNC escrow account that will be provided. Research Fees are assessed at 50 U.S.dollars per man hour where required and is set up as an upfront retainer that must made in advance, usually in the amount of 1000 U.S.dollars unless VNC determines otherwise.  VNC will ask for your retainer to be refreshed as needed and any excess funds remaining in the retainer escrow account will be credited to the your purchase billing. Payment Terms and Conditions •        Payments by wire transfer ONLY will be made to VNC Escrow account as will be advised. •        Deposits – As indicated online adjacent to the products. •        Purchase Orders that  are below the minimum 10,000 U.S.dollars will be paid in full in advance. •        Orders that exceed 10,000 U.S.dollars will require a deposit of ½ the purchase order amount or the actual cost of the order and is due and payable at the time the order is placed with VNC.   •        VNC cannot start work on your project unless said deposits are consummated in a timely fashion and in the VNC escrow account as required. Deposits for Customized Products •        A deposit of one half the estimated cost of your order is due at the time you hire VNC to research and place your order.  Adjustments will be made as needed for the final payment. VNC cannot start to work on your request until this deposit is received. Research Fees •        An advanced retainer must be made to cover research fees.  All work will stop when the retainer funds are exhausted and resume when they are restored. Final Payments •        Due at one calendar week before shipment or container boarding. Samples for Products:   •        Product samples, not provided by the factory or manufacturer, are provided at their retail purchase price.  When molds are required, fee charges are higher. There are no exceptions. Shipment by air freight must be paid in advance if VNC. Unless other arrangements are made.   Vietnam Sales •        Sales are made at the designated port of call which is Saigon (Ho Chi Minh city) take note that CIF terms are available by requests only. •        The buyer is responsible for the risk of loss, cost of transportation & insurance, from the factory's loading dock.  Ownership Title is passed to the buyer at that time. •        FOB deliveries, all costs, insurance, and freight charges must be paid by you - in advance.   You are at your liberty to use your own shipping agent, or VNC will assist that for you. •        CIF terms all costs, insurance, and freight charges will be paid by buyer for arrival at the nearest port of international arrivals of your choice.  Fees prepaid, VNC will be responsible for hiring the shipping company, paying costs, insurance, and freight to the destination of your choice. •        In both cases, title to the products and risk of loss will be solely that of the buyer from the time the container loaded over the ship's rail at the port of embarkation. •        Payment for the goods and their shipping costs are due paid in full and in advance.  If VNC is to pay for shipping and related costs,  those costs must be prepaid with the final payment by wire transfer from the buyer.  There are no exceptions on Wire Transfers When funds are due, all work will be on hold until VNC receives the funds requested or required to reinstate the escrow account.  Any difficulties or costs caused during that suspension will be borne by the buyers.   Provisions about Exports •        Export duties and restrictions assessed by Vietnam on certain products, such as religious & cultural items, and special types of wood,  being processed or not. •        VNC must work with a State-licensed Import-Export Companies until the laws of Vietnam change. This will be an evolutionary process and will take time.   •        All items sold FOB,  Saigon port, if the factory dealer price did not include all the standard export license fees, those fees will be assessed from your account and advised of such actions taken. •        If some items are not available for export you will be advised in regards to those items, should those items be included on your (PO) purchase order. US Import Duties: •        Many nations already enjoy ‘Most Favored Nation’ and / or NTR status with Vietnam.   Check with your governmental representative office at your location for more details. VNC does not provide import customs information.  It is the buyers sole  responsible for all import duties and information to / at the port of destination. You should check out  the US duties applicable to items you have selected by viewing the website:  http://www.dataweb.usitc.gov/    then click on the appropriate Tariff Schedule.   After having opened the Harmonized Tariff Schedule site, then search for the item you are interested in. CIF, Costs-insurance-freight •         Many nations already provide CIF prices but are not as competitive as FOB prices.     •           VNC suggest all transactions be made FOB, but CIF services are available by request. Shipping •        FOB deliveries, costs, insurance, and freight charges are the buyers responsibility and if requested VNC will locate and coordinate with a local shipper for which buyer must pay VNC a minimum $500 fee for this service. •        If VNC agrees to a CIF delivery, those accounts will be charged a separate, all inclusive shipping fee that must be paid to VNC with the final payment.    •        Air or Sea Freight shipments are not acceptable by or to a post office Box, drop, suite or room.  A complete verifiable street address is required. •        All shipments are shipped by sea unless otherwise specified in writing.   •        Most shipments made by sea usually require about 30 to 90 days for delivery from   Saigon port to your port of entry but may vary from time to time.   •        Buyers are responsible for all costs incurred after the shipment departed HCMC port and arrives at the port of destination and/or any port In route caused by delay or transfer. These costs can include but may not be limited to customs duties, demur rage, pick-up, stevedore, warehousing, and all landing delivery charges.  Up to and from your port of entry. •        Charges for shipping are never reduced or discounted. •        All costs and fees incurred before freight, those shipping charges are not included in the purchase price.  Shipping such as but not limited to: warehousing, loading, freight, stevedore, and insurance to your port of destination. •        All sea shipping charges only cover port to port deliveries.  You are responsible for all landing costs after the ship arrives at the port of destination, whatever those assessed charges. They can include off-loading, stevedore, carriage, storage, collection of your goods when you or your landed shipper accepts the goods on arrival, and the cost of bringing the goods to your door. •        Air Freight generally can accept a door-to-door delivery on some small items. Additional Terms •        Unless otherwise stated on the web page in question,VNC at all times acts and serves as your agent for the purchase or export of the goods you order and pay for.  Failure to pay for any aspect of the goods or services ordered will nullify VNC's agency responsibilities. •        All sales are final; no returns or credit is available.   •        There are no warranties or guarantees, express or implied, whether of fitness for a particular purpose, of merchantability, or otherwise.  All warranties or guarantees that may be implied by law, custom, or usage are expressly disclaimed. •        In those locations where disclaimers of liability are illegal, the foregoing disclaimer is inoperative. •        Prices that are F.O.B. Port of embarkation ( Hai Phong or Saigon) means VNC fulfills our obligation to deliver when goods are handed over to the carrier. The carrier is named by the buyer and is at the buyer's expense. VNC fulfills our obligation when the goods have passed over the ship's rail at the named port of shipment (Hai Phong or Saigon). VNC will obtain all export licenses and clearances. •        Prices that are C.I.F. Port of destination means VNC will pay the costs and freight necessary to bring the goods to the named port of destination. VNC retains the risk of loss until the goods pass the ship's rail at the Port of Hai Phong or Saigon. VNC obtains the export clearance. VNC also obtains insurance that the buyer or any other party with insurable interest is entitled to claim directly from the insurer. The duration of insurance is to the point of named destination. •        Title to the goods and the risk of loss or damage is yours (the buyer) at the time the goods pass over the ship's rail of the selected international carrier in either Hai Phong or Saigon.   •        Shipping charges are in addition the purchase price and include all standard matters (delivery from factory to Port of Bangkok, Hai Phong, or Saigon, warehousing, stevedore, loading, insurance and freight to your port of destination). Shipping charges do NOT include any costs once the goods arrive to the port of (entry) disembarkation.   •        Sea shipments require from 30 to 90 days for delivery from Port of Hai Phong or Saigon (HCMC) to your port of entry.   •        You are responsible for all customs duty, stevedore, demur rage, warehousing, pick-up, and landed delivery charges originating from your port of entry. •        The terms and conditions contained in this document may not be changed or varied absent a writing signed by both parties.  No attempted change or variation that is not signed by VNC will bind VNC to that change or variation. Credit Cards & Letters of Credit Due to the nature of banking operations and the added costs in Vietnam, we are not able to accept credit card purchases or Letters of Credit unless otherwise specified. Antiques •       Presently are not legal for export from Vietnam. Notice •  VNC  reserves the right to change or modify these terms and conditions at any time and without notice.  Please refer back to this page before making any new order. •  A US $3,000 purchase must be made from that individual factory being . Dealer prices are given when purchases are made in full container loads AND a purchase from EACH factory exceeds US$ 20,000.   Discounts from stated prices start at 30% and will increase with the size of the order. •        Take your custom or copy designs to various vendors to obtain competitive bids to insure your job will be completed, cost-effectively; •        Coordinate all work with you and the manufacturer to insure your order is timely completed to your specifications; •        Photograph samples when called for and then (a) establish a new, private web page for you to review samples and prices, and/ or (b) ship samples to you for approval. •        Either serve as your guide when you visit Vietnam, or represent your interests when you elect to spend your time elsewhere. In either way, you are assured of getting the best quality and lowest prices because the vendors all recognize VNC as a repeat and reliable "buyer." Minimum Restrictions •        Factories - To obtain the lowest factory dealer prices, orders in full 40 foot container loads are needed. •        Retail - Wholesale - US$ 3,000 minimum purchase from any one factory.  Partial container load orders are accepted but only if the minimum is met from each factory. Retail Consumers are welcome to the same wholesale prices as are commercial buyers. •        Dealer Discounts - Purchases must exceed US$ 20,000 from any one factory.  Prices are discounted up to 30% below Wholesale depending on the size of your order. Full container load orders that exceed this value will qualify for prior approval of discounts in writing. Custom Orders & Special Needs Whether ordering a new design of your own creation, an existing design copied from a public source, or making changes to any item posted on our web pages, there is sometimes a need for extra effort to coordinate communications between you and the factory to insure that your needs are properly and fully met, the first time.  There are also times when buyers need extra attention from VNC to insure that they are properly aware and adequately  knowledgeable of the tasks necessary to make international purchases and shipments.  VNC will devote the extra time needed to insure you make the correct decision. VNC will talk with you by phone or E-mail as needed, and insure the crafts people we work with are able to create your designs as you need them. VNC staff are at all times in close personal contact with the factory managers and staff to insure your needs are always understood.  As needed, we will prepare a Request for Quotation (RFQ) using the specifications supplied by you, and distribute the RFQ to several factories. VNC staff will personally meet with the factory managers and crafts people, insure that your design is fully understood, revisit the factory to receive and review samples, ship samples, coordinate work between you a nd the factories as needed to revise the sample, and work on final details to get the order accepted and confirmed.  Challenges requiring a Research Fee.  Sometimes challenges arise on an order that are not expected by any of us. This most often happens when a retailer or consumer does not have prior experience processing sea-freight orders. However, there can be times when... •        Client's don't have proper drawings or models from which to work. •        Models are damaged in transit and/or samples are not properly made to a client's satisfaction. •        Sometimes there is a need to seek other sources then first selected. •        Sometimes products shown on line are no longer made by a factory, or a factory has gone out of business when a master craftsman dies and his children are not as skilled. •        Sometimes a client's design concepts on paper don't work as well when executed on a sample. In these and other rare situations, VNC willingly extends our effort to meet your needs beyond the standard time it takes to process less complicated orders. Because we give to you the important product and manufacturing information you need to make your purchase decision, we may need to charge a Research Fee. In this way, you and we are both receiving value for the services rendered. A Research Fee is charged only when you approve before hand. It is US $50 per hour, and time records are kept to the nearest quarter (1/4) of an hour.  It is charged to the advance retainer that you must have in escrow with a minimum amount of 1000 USD. Should there be funds remaining in the retainer, they will be applied to your order.  Should we need to devote more time, you will be asked to refresh your retainer.  You are at liberty to stop our work at any time and no further charges will be made. However, if your retainer is fully used up, we must stop all our work on that project until you refresh your retainer.  We will not charge any Research fee unless you approve before hand.   We will give you all the important information you need to make your purchase decision that would not have otherwise been available.  As this information will be unique to your needs and have no value to us or others, we will both benefit from this added service when you pay us for our effort because we are both professionals and this is the way professionals work together. Advance Payment.  All orders that do not exceed US$ 10,000 must be paid at the time the order is placed, both in full and in advance. Deposit with Order.  When orders exceed US $10,000, a 50% deposit is required before we start to work for you.  Final Payment.  All final payments must be made at least one week BEFORE production is completed.  At this time, shipping charges must also be paid in full. EXPORT AGENT  SERVICES Quality Control - Our staff make periodic calls (at least weekly or more often) on the factory to meet with management to follow your order. We carefully examine the order in progress and the finished product to insure that it meets your specifications. Errors will be corrected before you see the final product. Inventory Control - our staff check the factory production run with your purchase order to insure the totals are correct and are shipped. Packing Control - our staff will supervise the important packing stage to insure that factory standard materials are used.  In the event you have requested and paid for additional packing materials, our staff will insure that such has in fact been used to help reduce possible shipping damage. Document Control - our staff will  watch over this important aspect of every shipment and see that the proper documents are with your container and sent by express carrier to you. Deposit - A minimum 50% deposit is required before we start to work for you. DOMESTIC TOUR AND BUYING TRIPS VNC is often hired to help committed buyers or just shoppers to explore factories and retail outlets, and to and close on great buys.  Our work begins before you arrive in Vietnam.   Prior to your arrival, we research your needs, arrange factory meetings, and give you a complete itinerary and contact sheet listing all the factories we made inquiry of on your behalf.   We provide a fully bilingual senior staff person who is familiar with the market segment of your interests and has skills in bargaining down all prices. We are buyer’s agents, not agents for the factories or shops. VNC passes all savings to our clients because we depend on commercial buyers to return to use our services again, and to recommend us to others. Our fee of US $1,000 per day is set high to discourage shoppers who merely seek our contact information.   The fee is discounted for a full 5 day week to US $5,000.   Wholesale Buyers When your actual invoiced purchases during your trip exceed US $50,000 we will credit the full amount of the fee to your purchase price.   Payment in advance for half the scheduled time is mandatory. Rarely are additional charges made for extra hours on a long day's work. Refunds are not available unless we have not yet started any of our work.  All travel costs for your party and our staff members are for your account.   There are no minimum purchases required.