Glossary term
Consignment
Goods sent together under one transport document; also, goods supplied for sale with payment due only when sold.
Two distinct meanings, and context has to separate them.
In transport, a consignment is the goods sent from one consignor to one consignee under a single transport document.
In sales, consignment describes goods delivered to an agent or distributor who pays only when they sell, with title remaining with the supplier until then. That arrangement complicates customs valuation, because at import there is no sale price to value against.