外 贸 英 语 函 电Business English

Correspondence

Chapter Nine

Packing

Contents• Section One Introduction

• Section Two Specimen Letters

• Section Three Useful Words &

Expressions

• Section Four Useful Sentences

• Section Five Exercises

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Section One

Introduction

Packing is of great importance in foreign trade. It may be appropriately said that packing is to goods as what clothing is to man.

The ultimate purpose of packing is to keep the transported goods in prefect condition with

nothing missing on arrival. Good packing must be able to stand the roughest

transportation.

• Packing can be divided into transport packing (usually known as outer packing) and sales packing (usually known as

inner packing). • transport packing: is done mainly to

keep the goods safe and sound during transportation. It must not only be soiled enough to prevent the packed goods from any damage, but also pilferage-proof, easy to store, convenient to load and unload.

Sales packing: is done mainly to push sales. It is now universally recognized as a decisive aid in selling household consumer goods. It can be realized in various forms and with different materials as long as it is nice to look at, easy to handle and

helpful to the sales.

neutral packing: this kind of packing carries no mark of the name of the origin country of the packed goods and no sign of the original trademark with the view to elude the tariff of the import country or satisfy the buyer’s special requirements.

• Conventionally, outer packing marks mainly include transport-marks, directive marks and warning marks.

• Transport marks consist of : (1) consignor’s or consignee’s code name; (2) Number of the contract or the L/C; (3) The port of destination; (4) Numbers of the packed goods; (5) Sometimes weight and dimensions, all of which can greatly facilitate identification and transportation.

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Notes：1. ultimate purpose 最终目的2. transport packing 运输包装3. sales packing 销售包装4. pilferage-proof 防盗5. push sales 促销6. neutral packing 中性包装7.elude the tariff 逃税8. directive marks 指示性标志9. warning marks 警告性标识

Section Two

Specimen Letters

Dear Sirs ，Sales Confirmation No.99A/782 We thank you for your letter dated October 10, enclosing the above sales contract in duplicate but wish to state that the packing clause in the contract is not clear enough. The relative clause should read: Packing: Seaworthy export packing, suitable for long distance ocean transportation. In order to avoid possible future trouble ,we would like you to make clear beforehand our packing requirements as follows:

Specimen letter 1

The shirts under the captioned contract should be packed in plastic bags ,five dozen to one carton, 20 cartons on a pallet, 10 pallets in FCL container. On the outer packing please mark our initials :JHCL in a triangle, under which the port of destination and our order number should be stenciled. In addition, directive marks like KEEP DRY or AWAY FROM PRESSURE, etc. should also be indicated.

We have made a footnote on the contract to that effect and are returning herein one copy of the contract, duly countersigned by us. We hope you will find it in order and pay special attention to the packing. We look forward to receiving your shipping advice and thank you in advance. Yours sincerely ，

Specimen 1 P163

Comments ：The common purposes of business letters are: informing, persuading and collaborating with the recipient. This letter is very convincing, and wins the recipient over to the writer’s point of view. The writer emphasizes the fact that the packing should be by seaworthy export packing. In writing letters of packing, it is advisable to note the following points:

1) The information given must be accurate and that the commitments made should be kept.

2) to win your customers over to your point of view mainly relies on reason, but do not

overlook their underlying emotions.

3) If the customers trust you, they are more likely to agree with you. Therefore to gain the

customers’s confidence is essential in business dealings.

Notes: P164

1. Seaworthy export packing

适合海运的出口包装2. initials 开头字母3. stencil 刷上4. footnote 注释5. to that effect 与这内容相关

• 1. Seaworthy export packing, suitable for long distance ocean transportation

• 2. The shirts under the captioned contract should be packed in plastic bags, five dozen to one carton, 20 cartons on a pallet, 10 pallets in FCL container.

• 3. On the outer packing please mark our initials: JHCL in a triangle.

• 4. In addition, directive marks like KEEP DRY or AWAY FROM PRESSURE, etc. should also be indicated.

Useful Sentences

• Dear Sirs,• In reply to your letter of August 21

enquiring about the packing of our Nail Scissors, we wish to state as follows:

• （ 1） Our Nail Scissors are packed in boxes of one dozen each, 120 boxes to a carton.

• （ 2） Its dimension is 20cm high, 30cm wide and 50cm long with a volume of about 0.028 cubic meters.

• （ 3） The gross weight is 24.5kg, while • the net weight is 23.5kg.

Specimen letter 2

（ 4） In addition to the gross, net and tare weight, the shipping marks outside the carton should include the words “： Made in China”. Should you have any special preference in this respect, please let us know and we will meet you to the best of our ability. Yours faithfully,

Specimen 2 P164

Comments：In this letter the writer state clearly his

packing requirements. Tone is very polite and language is very simple.

Notes：1. dimension 尺寸，规格2. volume 体积

• 1.Our Nail Scissors are packed in boxes of one dozen each, 120 boxes to a carton.

• 2. Its dimension is 20cm high, 30cm wide and 50cm long with a volume of about 0.028 cubic meters.

• 3. In addition to the gross, net and tare weight, the shipping marks outside

the carton should include the words ：“ Made in China”.

Useful Sentences

• Johnson& Harrison Co., Ltd.• 296 Missouri Street• New York, U.S.A• November 28, 2010• China National Import &Export Corp.• Hunan Branch• Changsha, Hunan, China

• Dear Sirs,

• Please pack this machine in a strong wooden case, wrap and pad generously all polished parts of the machine to avoid scratches and knocks against the container. Also please put the machine in a case of about 10 cubic meters covered with waterproof cloth and strapped vertically and horizontally with metal bands and cut ventholes in the case to minimize condensation.

• Yours sincerely,

Specimen letter 3

Comments ： P165• In this letter the writer gives very clearly information about the

packing method of the machine, packing materials and packing requirements. Please pay attention to the words “wrap”, “pad”. Some words like this:

• dunnage (n.)(衬里、衬料 )=loose mats(碎布 )， brushwood(小枝丫 )， etc. Packed around cargo to keep it dry and undamaged during transit.

• Stencil (v.)(用模版印刷 )=to copy by using a piece of metal etc. in which patterns or letters have been cut out.

• Label (n.)(标签 )=a piece of paper, cloth, metal, etc. Used for describing what sth. is, who owns it and where it is to go

Notes：conformed 保兑的

Please put the machine in a case of about 10 cubic meters covered with waterproof cloth and strapped vertically and horizontally with metal bands.

Useful Sentences

• Dear Sirs,

• We regret to inform you that of the 200 carton of Iron Nails you shipped in Dubai on 12th February 20 cases were badly damaged, which of course is not your fault.

• But we have to write to you in regard to the packing of these nails, which we feel necessary to clarify so as to avoid the same damages in the future transactions.

Specimen letter 4

• The packing for Dubai is to be in wooden cases of 112 1bs net, each containing 7 1bs*16 packets. For Malta, we would like you to have the goods packed in double gunny bags of 50/60 kilos each. As for the British market, our buyers prefer 25 kilos cartons.

• We should be grateful if you let us have your opinions about these requirements.

• Yours sincerely,

Comments ： P166 Because different countries have

different requirements about packing. In order to

avoid subsequent troubles, the writer points out

before hand their requirements. Notes：1. in regard to 关于2. lbs 磅3. double gunny bag 双层麻袋4. carton 纸板箱

• July 20, 2010

• Dear Sirs,

• Re.: Contract No.336

• We are pleased to inform you that 10000 pieces of Sweaters you shipped to Singapore on 1st July have arrived in perfect conditions, which shows that you have made great improvement in packing.

• As to the hand drills, we would like them to be packed in boxes of 2 dozen each,50 boxes to a wooden case. We are certain that you will give special care to the packing in order to avoid any damage in the process of transportation.

• Please let us know by fax if you can meet our requirements. We are awaiting your early reply.

• • Yours faithfully,

Specimen letter 5

Specimen 5

Comments ：This letter informs the seller of how to pack the

goods ordered.

Notes ：special care 特别关照

Packing for garments• Hunan silk knitwear export corp.• Changsha, Hunan, China

• July 20, 2010

• Richard Thomas Green Ltd• 219 John Street• London, England

• Dear Sirs,

• We are pleased to inform you that for your future orders we shall pack our garments in cartons instead of in wooden cases, as packing in cartons has the following advantages:

Specimen letter 6

• A .it will prevent skillful pilferage as the traces of pilferage will be clearer in evidence.

• B .it is fairly fit for ocean transportation.• C .our cartons are well protected against moisture by

plastic lining.• D .cartons are comparatively light and compact, so

they are more convenient to handle.• Our comments above come from a comparative

study of the characteristics of the two modes of packing, i.e. carton packing and wooden case packing, as well as the results of shipments already made .We hope you will accept our carton packing and assure you of sincere cooperation.

• With best wishes.

• Yours faithfully,• Hunan Silk Knitwear Export Corp.

Specimen 6 P167

Comments：In this letter the writer illustrates clearly the

advantages of cartons.

Notes：1. ocean transportation 海洋运输2. skillful pilferage 惯贼

• 1. It will prevent skillful pilferage (as the traces of pilferage will be clearer in evidence).

• 2. It is fairly fit for ocean transportation.

• 3. Our cartons are well protected against moisture by plastic lining.

Useful Sentences

Packing for Lotus Nuts• August 9, 2010

• China National Cereals ， Oil• Foodstuffs Import and Export Corp.• Hunan Branch• Changsha, Hunan, China

• Dear Sirs,

• Re: order No.668

• We thank you very much for your letter dated August 1.We have immediately passed the information onto our clients who are actively working on your counter price.

Specimen letter 7

• Meanwhile, our clients wish to know the details of

the packing of your Lotus Nuts, i.e:• A. How are the goods packed and packaged?• B. What measures will you take to protect the

goods from dampness or rain?• C. What measures will you take to prevent the

inner packing from being torn apart?• Please provide us with any information regarding

the above by return mail. We look forward to hearing from you soon.

• Sincerely yours,• J.R. Longfellow and Co.

Specimen 7 P168

Comments:

This letter requires for the packing information.

Notes:

1. passed the information onto … ……转给2. Lotus Nuts 莲子

• 1. What measures will you take to protect the goods from dampness or rain?

• 2. What measures will you take to

prevent the inner packing from being

torn apart?

Useful Sentences

• Dear Sirs,

• We noted your letter of September 29 carefully and approached our clients about the packing. After our repeated explanation, they say they will have no object to your packing of the garments in cartons if you guarantee that you will pay compensation in all cases they cannot get indemnification from the insurance company for the reason that the cartons used are not seaworthy.

Specimen letter 8

• We deem it our duty to inform you of this and consider it a tacit understanding that should the insurance company refuse compensation, you would hold yourselves responsible for the losses our clients might sustain on account of your using such cartons.

• We thank you will understand that our candid statement is made for our mutual benefits as packing is a sensitive subject, which often leads to trade disputes.

• We appreciate your cooperation.

• Yours sincerely,

Specimen 8 P169

Comments: If you think there will be some trouble

when you do something according to the requirements of the other party, you should point it out in order to avoid future trouble.

Notes:1. repeated explanation 反复解释2. tacit understanding 默契3. sensitive subject 敏感话题

You will pay compensation in all cases they cannot get indemnification from the insurance company for the reason that the cartons used are not seaworthy.

Useful Sentences

• Section Three Useful Words &

Expressions

• Section Four Useful Sentences

• Section Five Exercises

Thank you!Thank you!