What is a Consignee?

Consignee meaning

A Consignee is the person receiving the goods or commodities being shipped to. This person or company is usually responsible for:

  • Inspecting and accepting the goods upon delivery
  • Verifying that the shipment matches the attached documents
  • Ensuring that any necessary paperwork, such as customs forms or delivery receipts, is accurately completed

A Consignee is also the entity/company or individual named as the customer or final owner of the product on the Bill of Lading(BOL).

Is Consignee the same as Consignor? Nope.

In contrast, a Consignor is the person who ships the goods to the consignee. They are the exporter of record, which means they can be either the seller, manufacturer or anyone else responsible for shipping the goods to the Consignee.

Why do we say Consignee instead of Receiver?

Companies often use a consignment arrangement to send their products. In this setup, the owner gives the goods to a carrier for delivery to the receiver, called the Consignee.  Here, the owner retains legal ownership of the goods until the Consignee signs the Bill of Lading document.

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