Commercial invoice

“ The collector shall designate on the invoice at least one package of every invoice, and one package at least of every ten packages of merchandise, and a greater number should he or either of the appraisers deem it necessary, imported into such port, to be opened, examined, and appraised, and shall order the package so designated to the public stores for examination ”

“ Provided always, That if the owner or consignee of such goods as shall not be accompanied with the original invoice, should choose to wait the receipt of the invoice, in such case, the collector shall take into his possession all such goods, wares and merchandise, and store the same, at the expense and risk of the owner or consignee, until the invoice shall arrive, or until they agree to have the same valued. ”

“ An importer of merchandise is bound by the law to make his entry at the custom-house according to his invoice, either by himself, the consignee, or their agent, and not otherwise than by invoice verified by oath, unless it shall be done conditionally, either under the tenth section of the act of March 1st, 1823, or under the second section of the same act, permitting entries to be made of imported merchandise, subject to ad valorem duties upon appraisement without invoice. ”

“ The position taken on behalf of the defendants, that the transmission of the invoices passed the property in the wheat without the acceptance and payment of the drafts drawn against it, is utterly untenable. An invoice is not a bill of sale, nor is it evidence of a sale. ”

“ The fact that the goods have been ordered and are now in transit makes the business liable for their purchase price, and although not actually received, in reality they form a part of the asset merchandise. It is true that until the goods are received, inspected, and accepted, the purchaser has the privilege of refusing them if they are not as ordered, but this privilege is exercised only in exceptional cases. Generally speaking, therefore, it is better to consider such goods as a completed purchase, include them in the inventory and credit the vendor for the amount of his invoice. ”

“ The ninth exception is an objection to the introduction of any evidence to show that the factors of the claimant had sold goods for him at more than one hundred and twenty per cent. above the invoice prices. We know that the prices of commodities fluctuate from many causes, and that enhanced prices can of themselves be no proof of unfair dealing, or of an entry having been made at the custom-house upon an undervalued invoice. ”

“ When all the invoices are finished, take the vouchers, and, starting with the top one, find where each invoice is entered in the purchase record and stamp the date in the PAID column opposite each entry. These places are easily found by reading the invoice numbers entered on the vouchers. ”

“ When an entry has been made, it is conclusive upon the importer as to the contents, and declared value of the invoice; and for all of those consequences which the law may impose upon the examination and appraisement of it, and for any deficiency or non-compliance with the revenue laws regulating the entries of imported merchandise, or for any violation or substantial departure from directions which may have been given by the Secretary of the Treasury for the entry and appraisement of foreign goods, and for the collection of duties upon the same. ”

“ If they gave him to understand that that was the only thing he could do,-if they met him right there, when he wanted to put in this additional invoice, and said 'the only thing you can do is to enter these goods at this value,' and the importer was compelled to do it in order to proceed at all, and he yielded to that,-then he was not bound to say anything about an appraisement. ”

“ Goods are called off by assistants, checker compares with invoice, selling price and stock [Pg 33] number are entered on goods, and selling price marked on invoice. Until properly marked off, no goods are allowed to be sent out of the receiving room. If goods do not come up to sample, and are to be returned, it must be done at once, and shipper advised. In case of errors or shortages, they must be certified to by two or three competent persons. All invoices should be returned to the office as soon as goods are marked off. ”

“ It appears from all the testimony, that if a package, consigned to one person, contain goods belonging to different persons, it is customary, and some of the witnesses say indispensable, to send to the consignee of the package, invoices of all the goods which it contains, or to refer, in the main invoice of the consignee, to the invoice of the other goods ”

“ Handling the Purchase Invoice.—When goods are bought the purchase invoice should be verified or audited. The method of audit depends upon the organization of the business. In a small business, if the invoice is received before arrival of the goods, it is usually held till their arrival and then checked against them as to quantities, quality, and price. The extensions and total are verified and entry made in the purchase journal, using the audited invoice as a basis. ”

“ Ad valorem duties, in the United States, are levied according to the saleable value of the goods in the country of their origin, and it is usual to require at the port of entry the production of an invoice with full particulars as to the place where, time when, and person from whom the goods were purchased, and the actual cost of the goods and the charges on them. ”

“ An invoice is not a 'ship's paper;' a manifest is. The former is made out by a shipper to and for his own agent and consignee, so as to show price and charges. The master has no control over an invoice. Whenever it happens to be on board, it is inclosed in a sealed letter from shipper to consignee. The captain cannot know anything of cargo which is boxed up or contained in bales, save so far as they are mentioned in bills of lading, upon which he wisely puts 'Contents unknown.' The charter-party in this case was made free of commissions, so there was less requirement for an invoice. ”

“ When the invoice covering any purchase is received, it is held till the commodities bought arrive. After inspection and acceptance of the goods, a voucher is made out in duplicate on which is written a copy of the invoice, with the cash discount, if any, shown deducted. Vouchers are given consecutive numbering just like checks. If immediate payment is to be made, the voucher will be “approved” and check drawn for the amount. The voucher with check attached is sent to the creditor with a request that he receipt the voucher and return it. ”

“ Commissioner, 313 U.S. 1, 9, 61 S.Ct. 789, 794, 85 L.Ed. 1149) , states that its purpose was to 'protect consumers and others against * * * false invoicing of fur products and furs.' 65 Stat. 175. So we have an avowed purpose to protect retail purchasers against improper 'invoicing.' We therefore should read § 2 (f) which contains the definition of 'invoice' hospitably with that end in view. Section 2 (f) is not unambiguous. Yet we do not have here the problem of a penal statute that deserves strict construction. ”

“ It is inconsistent practice to separate the invoice price into two elements and term one real selling price and the other sales discount cost when the real selling price is still a composite item. Rather, the sale should be booked at its full invoiced price and actual costs recorded as they accrue, to be closed out against Sales Income at the end of the fiscal period. ”

“ The paid invoices are then placed in a Shannon file drawer by themselves where they can be consulted easily. They form a complete file of sub-vouchers to the cash account for the month. They should never be mailed to our creditors for the purpose of having them receipted; it takes too much energy and time to get them back. In case our creditor fails to return our voucher, we can still prove payment, beyond a reasonable doubt, by producing the canceled check (which he must release sooner or later) and the original invoice exactly corresponding to it in value. ”

“ At the time fixed for reappraisement the collector will send to the appraiser at large and merchant appraiser the invoice or invoices of the merchandise to be examined and appraised. The store-keeper, or other officer having charge, will deliver to them the samples or packages ordered for examination, and they will proceed to examine and appraise in the manner pointed out by law. The importer or his agent will be allowed to be present, and to offer such explanations and statements as may be pertinent to the case. ”

“ Imports of all kinds and types reach the Appraiser’s Stores in this manner: When merchandise is ready for export from a foreign country to the United States, the exporter prepares a special customs invoice describing the merchandise and giving its value. This invoice is sent to the American importer. When the importer is notified that the merchandise has arrived at a port of entry, he turns over the invoice to his customs broker. The broker calculates the estimated rate of duty, then proceeds to the Customs House. ”

“ We conclude that a retail sales slip is an 'invoice' within the meaning of the Act and accordingly the judgment of the Court of Appeals setting aside the part of the cease-and-desist order which requires this retailer to give a proper 'invoice' to each purchaser is reversed. ”

“ With the goods came a single invoice. The vouchers in triplicate, which must be filled properly before the account can be paid by a governmental department, had been thrown aside as of no use. To protect the exporter, a voucher was drawn, for the ship reached port on June 30, the last day of the fiscal year. Several dollars were wasted in cable messages to expedite the return of new invoices, and the goods were unpacked.
Not one piece of furniture, save a few chairs, was found whole. No American, in the States, would have accepted the goods. ”

“ All claims for which the ship and or carrier may be liable shall be adjusted and settled on the value declared by the shipper or on the net invoice cost plus disbursements, whichever shall be the least. ”

“ Other questions went to the grounds of the decision of the revenue officers, and involved the extent, if at all, to which they might be examined in relation thereto. For instance, the general appraiser was called as a witness, and asked the following questions: 'Q. In making your report upon these several invoices, and in adding ten per cent. to the invoice value, did you or not take into consideration as a part of that ten per cent. any manufacturer's profit? ”

“ The items paid can be listed on the voucher, or there may be a reference to certain invoices included in the payment. Some accountants attach the original invoice to the voucher, but for certain reasons we do not advocate this practice. Until the receipted voucher is returned there is no record of the items covered, unless the invoice has been copied.
Fig. 3. Combined Voucher and Check Used by the Pennsylvania Railroad Company
Some houses are slow in returning receipted invoices, resulting in many annoying delays. ”

“ Similarly, when dissatisfied customers return goods, or when the business makes them an allowance on goods sold, a credit invoice or credit memo is sent them and the duplicate copy of this memo retained in the office becomes the basis for entering the transaction on the books.
Shipping Goods—The Bill of Lading.—The purchase and sale of goods usually involve dealings with railroads. It is not the purpose of this chapter to give an extensive system or method of handling shipments, but merely to explain the purpose of the railroad documents and their use as business papers. ”

“ Should the invoice-cost of the entire cargo of coffee shipped at Java, on board of the ship ——, together with the disbursements of that ship (which must be conducted with the greatest economy) , not amount to the specie funds and net proceeds of her Liverpool cargo, in that event you are to deliver the surplus to your consignee, who will give you a receipt for the same, with a duplicate, expressing that it is on my account, for the purpose of being invested on the most advantageous terms, in good dry coffee, to be kept at my order and disposal. ”

“ If a merchant has given to an agent corn, wool, oil, or any sort of goods, to traffic with, the agent shall write down the money value, and shall return that to the merchant. The agent shall then take a sealed receipt for the money that he has given to the merchant. ”