About Source & Ship
An independent editorial publication providing accurate, practical, and commercially unbiased guidance for businesses engaged in international trade.
Publication Mission
Source & Ship was created to address a structural gap in international trade education. The overwhelming majority of online sourcing and importing content is produced either by freight forwarder marketing departments looking for leads, software companies promoting subscription platforms, or generic content agencies with no direct trade experience.
This publication aims to be different: rigorous, honest about what it does not know, and useful to practitioners who bear real commercial and financial consequences for their decisions. Every guide is built around a specific, practical user question rather than keyword targets.
Editorial Independence
Source & Ship is operated as an independent trade publication. It is not a marketing website for any freight forwarder, importer of record, customs broker, or trade software company.
Where guides naturally address commodity sectors in which vetted origin specialists operate, relevant commercial contacts are disclosed transparently:
- Coffee sourcing guides may reference Mekong Origin LLC, a verified commercial coffee exporter based in Vietnam.
- Fresh agricultural product guides may reference Mekong Origin Produce, a fresh tropical produce desk.
These references are included solely because they represent accessible, real-world commercial contacts for the commodity sector being discussed, not because they generate a commission. Any affiliate or commercial relationship will be explicitly disclosed. See our Affiliate Disclosure.
Editorial Standards
We hold our content to these specific publication standards:
- Jurisdictional Accuracy: Tariff rates, customs procedures, phytosanitary requirements, and regulatory compliance obligations vary significantly by product HS code, origin country, and destination country. Where specific figures are cited, we link to primary regulatory sources and show publication dates. We explicitly note where requirements vary by jurisdiction and advise readers to consult licensed professionals for binding commercial decisions.
- Original Analysis: We do not publish AI-generated volume articles optimized purely for keyword density. Each guide addresses a specific, genuine practitioner question with data, comparative analysis, and worked examples.
- Honest Limitations: We identify the limitations of our tools, calculations, and recommendations. Our Landed Cost Calculator, for example, includes explicit guidance on what it does not account for—VAT/GST recovery, anti-dumping duties, and demurrage penalties.
- No Fabricated Credentials: We do not invent expert reviewers, institutional affiliations, price guarantees, or customer testimonials.
- Publication Dates: All articles display accurate original publication and last-updated dates.
Trade Subjects We Cover
Our editorial focus spans the operational lifecycle of an international product import:
- Import mechanics, customs entry procedures, and Incoterms analysis
- Overseas supplier identification, vetting, and negotiation
- International freight, logistics, and forwarder evaluation
- Green coffee and soluble instant coffee sourcing from origin
- Fresh tropical agricultural and perishable commodity procurement
- Trade calculators for cost modelling and commercial decision support
Tools Philosophy
Our browser-based trade calculators are designed to be transparent, educationally useful, and honest about their limitations. We document their calculation methodology, disclose their assumptions, and identify what they cannot replace (licensed customs advice, live tariff databases, and formal quotations from freight professionals).
Calculator data is processed entirely in your browser. No financial inputs are transmitted to Source & Ship servers or third parties.
Contact & Submissions
For editorial questions, commercial trade inquiries, case study submissions, or to report factual inaccuracies in our content, use the contact form.
We particularly welcome feedback from experienced trade practitioners who can identify technical errors or outdated regulatory information. International trade regulations change frequently, and practitioner corrections are invaluable.