A logistics planning guide for buyers and sellers moving used medical equipment across borders, current as of September 2026. It is not legal, customs or trade-compliance advice; confirm the rules that apply to your route with your broker and carrier.
Cross-border equipment shipments fail for mundane reasons far more often than for dramatic ones: the wrong Incoterm, a crate that could not take a forklift, a battery that nobody declared, or a customs document that arrived after the container did. Each of those is avoidable at the planning stage, and each of them costs more to fix once the goods are in transit. This guide walks the sequence in the order the decisions actually occur.
Planning the route before you pay
Before agreeing a price, agree the route. Which border does the shipment cross? Which party arranges the main carriage, and which party clears import? Where does risk sit while the goods are on the water or in the air? What is the realistic transit time, and does anything on the shipment expire while it travels ¡ª a sterile kit’s shelf life, a battery’s charge, or a calibration that must be current on arrival?
Answer those questions in writing in the commercial documents. Most disputes that look like a shipping problem are actually an allocation problem that was never settled in the contract.
Incoterms 2020 for equipment buyers and sellers
Incoterms rules define who arranges carriage and where risk transfers between buyer and seller. They are published by the International Chamber of Commerce, and the current edition is Incoterms 2020. They do not define who clears import duty in every case, and they are not a substitute for contract wording ¡ª use the official text when drafting.
| Rule | Main carriage arranged by | Risk transfers | Typical fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| EXW | Buyer | When goods are made available at the seller’s premises | Buyer with its own freight forwarder and export capability |
| FCA | Buyer | When the seller delivers the goods to the carrier the buyer nominated | Common default where the buyer controls the freight |
| FOB | Buyer | When the goods are on board the vessel (sea freight only) | Sea shipments where the buyer books the vessel |
| CIF | Seller | When the goods are on board the vessel | Seller arranges carriage and insurance to the destination port |
| DAP | Seller | At the named destination, ready for unloading | Seller delivers to the buyer’s site; buyer handles import formalities |
| DDP | Seller | At the named destination, import cleared | Seller takes on import clearance and duties |
Two practical notes. First, an Incoterm decides who arranges and pays for the export and import formalities, but it does not change whether the destination market permits the device, nor the duties and taxes that apply there ¡ª those follow from the destination’s own rules. Second, the rule you choose changes who must be able to perform those formalities, so confirm that the nominated party actually can before goods leave.
If you want the rule-by-rule background before choosing one, how Incoterms 2020 work for medical equipment buyers covers the framework itself; this section covers only what a buyer or seller has to decide on a used-equipment shipment.
Packaging that survives freight
Medical equipment is heavy, dense and often asymmetric. A crate designed for a light industrial part will not hold a laser console or a patient monitor stack through multiple handling points. Build the packaging around the weight, the center of gravity and the fragility of each component.
- Crate for the actual weight and stacking pattern, and mark lifting points and orientation.
- Remove or immobilise moving parts, and brace cables and accessories so they cannot abrade the device.
- Protect against moisture, and use shock or tilt indicators where the value justifies them.
- Pack probes, optical components and detectors in their own protected packaging inside the crate.
- Label the crate with the purchase order and the receiving site, not just the seller’s warehouse address.
- Photograph the packed crate and the internal arrangement before it closes ¡ª that evidence matters in a claim.
Choosing air, sea or land
| Mode | Fits when | Main constraints |
|---|---|---|
| Air freight | High-value, time-critical shipments where air freight is a small share of value | Dimensional weight, dangerous-goods rules, handling transitions |
| Sea freight | Large, heavy items where transit time is acceptable | Longer exposure to humidity and handling; loading and port constraints |
| Road or rail | Regional cross-border moves | Border formalities at each crossing; transhipment handling |
| Courier or consolidated | Small components, probes and accessories | Size and value limits; declared value and insurance coverage |
Customs documents
Expect to provide a commercial invoice, a packing list and, depending on the route and the goods, a certificate of origin and any authorisation the destination requires for the device type. The commercial invoice must describe what is actually inside: “medical equipment” is not a description, and a vague one slows clearance or invites an examination.
Two details cause repeat problems. The declared value should reflect the transaction, including accessories and any bundled consumables, because under-declaring to reduce duty creates a much larger problem than the duty it avoids. And the declared country of origin should be supported by documentation rather than assumed from where the goods are being shipped from.
Dangerous goods: batteries and compressed gas
Equipment that contains lithium batteries is regulated as dangerous goods, with different requirements depending on whether the battery is shipped on its own, packed with equipment, or contained in it, and on the state of charge. Air and sea shipments follow different rule sets ¡ª for air, the IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations; for sea, the IMDG Code ¡ª and carriers apply their own acceptance requirements on top.
Compressed gas cylinders and some cleaning or calibration gases are regulated in the same way. The practical rule is simple: identify every battery and every gas cylinder on the manifest before booking, declare them accurately, and confirm with the carrier what documentation and packaging it will accept. A declared battery is a routine shipment; an undeclared one is a refusal and, in some jurisdictions, an enforcement matter.
Receiving inspection and claims
Plan the receiving end before the shipment leaves. Somebody should be available to inspect on arrival, with the packing list in hand, and should record the condition of the crate and the contents with photographs before anything is unpacked beyond the point needed to check for damage.
Damage discovered later is much harder to claim. Note any visible damage on the delivery receipt when you sign, notify the carrier and your insurer inside the deadlines their terms set, and keep the packaging until the claim is resolved ¡ª carriers routinely ask to inspect it. The inspection window you negotiated in the contract is what turns this from a dispute into a process.
Questions buyers ask
Which Incoterm should a used-equipment buyer ask for?
There is no single right answer; it depends on who can perform the export and import formalities and who can get better freight terms. What matters is that the rule is written into the contract and that both parties understand where risk transfers.
Who pays import duty?
That follows from the Incoterm you chose and the destination’s rules, not from who booked the freight. Under DDP the seller takes on import clearance and duties; under DAP the buyer does. Confirm the answer before shipment rather than at the port.
Can I ship a device with its battery installed?
Often yes, but it depends on the battery type and the packing configuration, and it must be declared according to the applicable air or sea rules. Confirm acceptance with your carrier during booking, not at the counter.
Decide the route, the rule and the packaging before the price is agreed, and the shipment becomes predictable. If you are moving used equipment across borders and want to compare what documentation travels with a unit, ask HHG for the records on a specific item, or browse the current listings to see how shipments are described. For adjacent logistics detail, see cross-border logistics for high-precision instruments and whether Hong Kong fits pre-owned device logistics.