贸易是指国家之间或地区之间进行的货物交易。一笔贸易的完成需要经历许多步骤。其中贸易洽谈就包括询盘、发盘、还盘、接受等过程。洽谈成功后货物的发送、贷款的支付也是一个复杂烦琐的过程。对贸易术语的准确掌握有助于贸易的顺利完成。
常见的贸易术语有：
贸易顺差、贸易逆差；
询盘、发盘、还盘；
贸易许可证；
索赔、理赔；
CIF，CFR，CPT等等。
贸易是经济全球化环境下最常见的经济现象，几乎没有一个国家的经济是封闭式的。中国每年的贸易额都在持续增长。中国最主要的出口产品为纺织品、茶叶、农副产品等。主要进口产品为粮食、高附加值工业品和一些高新技术产品。
英：
C.W.O.
Cash With Order, the cost of an item must accompany the order.
C.O.D.
Cash On Delivery, the cost of an item will be paid when the item is delivered.
In stock
Goods and materials that a company has available for immediate sale and delivery.
Inventory
The quantity of goods and materials on hand (in stock). Also, a detailed, itemized list, report, or record of products in a company’s possession, produced from a survey of all goods and materials in stock.
Backlog
A reserve supply or an accumulation of unfilled orders.
Waybill
A document giving details and instructions relating to a shipment of goods.
Shipping date
The date that an order actually starts moving toward a destination.
Price quote
An officially stated price for goods.
List price
A basic published or advertised price.
Discount
A reduction from the full or standard amount of a list price.
Shipment
Act or instance of shipping goods, or a quantity of goods that are shipped together.
Bill of lading
A document issued by a carrier to a shipper, listing and acknowledging receipt of goods for transport and specifying terms of delivery.
Invoice
A detailed list of goods shipped or services rendered, with an account of all
costs; an itemized bill.
Receipt
A written acknowledgment that a specified article, sum of money, or shipment of merchandise has been received.
Irrevocable Letter of Credit
Method of payment most commonly used for imports. The exporter is assured payment when they ship the goods, and the importer is assured that the goods have been dispatched according to their instructions.
Shipping documents
Documents that an exporter receives from the shipping company.The following terms are often used for price quotes in foreign trade:
FOB
Free On Board - price includes all costs of goods on a ship or aircraft whose
destination is stated in the contract.
CIF
Price includes Cost, Insurance, Freight to a named port of destination in the
buyer’s country.
CIP
Price includes cost of goods, Carriage (freight), and Insurance Paid by
container to a named destination in the buyer’s country.