Buyer Due Diligence & Import Responsibility

1. Why this matters

SriLankaExport.com is an independent B2B marketplace. We do not act as the seller, exporter of record, importer of record, customs broker, freight forwarder, certification body, or government authority unless expressly agreed in writing. The legal and commercial responsibility for a buyer’s order rests with the buyer (and / or the buyer’s importer of record), the vendor, and the relevant authorities in the origin and destination markets.

2. Buyer responsibilities before purchase or shipment

Before placing an order, request a sample, or accept a quote, the buyer is responsible for confirming each of the following insofar as they apply to the transaction:

• Destination-country import eligibility: whether the product may legally be imported into the destination market, including any product restrictions, prohibited substances, ingredient bans, or end-use restrictions.
• Customs clearance requirements: tariff classification, valuation, declarations, certificates, and any prior-notice obligations (e.g. US FDA prior notice for food).
• Importer of record obligations: whether the buyer, an agent, or a third party will act as importer of record, and what registrations or licenses that role requires.
• Duties and taxes: applicable customs duty, VAT / GST, excise, or other levies in the destination country.
• Labeling and language requirements: mandatory destination-market labeling, allergen disclosure, nutritional information, language of label, and unit of measure.
• Testing and certification requirements: product testing, conformity assessment, registration, or certification obligations (e.g. EU food safety, US FDA, GCC SASO, India BIS).
• Permits and prior approvals: phytosanitary import permits, controlled substance permits, or any other prior approval required for the product or shipment.
• Sanctions and end-use restrictions: that the buyer, the consignee, and the end-use are not subject to applicable sanctions (UN, OFAC, EU, UK, or local), and that the goods are not for restricted end-uses. See our Export Compliance & Trade Sanctions Policy.
• Product restrictions: whether the product is on a destination-country prohibited or restricted list (e.g. wildlife, certain agricultural products, dual-use items).
• Payment risk: the buyer’s own assessment of payment terms, currency risk, and counterparty risk.
• Insurance: cargo insurance, marine insurance, or other coverage appropriate to the shipment, Incoterm, and value at risk.
• Document acceptance: that the documents the vendor will produce (Certificate of Origin, REX statement, phytosanitary, COA, etc.) will be accepted by the buyer’s customs broker and importer of record.

3. What SriLankaExport.com may provide

SriLankaExport.com may provide guidance, document templates, content articles, and category-specific buyer guides through pages such as Trade Compliance, Sri Lanka Export Documents Checklist, and our Buyer Guides. We may also coordinate communication between buyer and vendor through the marketplace messaging and RFQ tools.

Such guidance is general and informational, and it does not guarantee that a product will qualify for import, qualify for preferential duty, be accepted by customs, be eligible for retail sale or resale in the buyer’s country, or comply with the buyer’s downstream contracts. Buyers should obtain independent legal, tax, customs, or industry advice as appropriate.

4. RFQ and order acknowledgment

When you submit a Request for Quotation (RFQ) or place an order through SriLankaExport.com, you will be asked to acknowledge an electronic statement to the effect that you understand SriLankaExport.com is an independent private marketplace and not an official government or EDB platform, and that final import eligibility, customs clearance, destination-country rules, duties, taxes, labeling, and document acceptance must be verified by you or your importer of record before purchase or shipment.

This acknowledgment is captured under the Sri Lanka Electronic Transactions Act and is logged with timestamp, IP address, and the version of the acknowledgment text accepted.

5. Disputes and remedies

Where a buyer believes the vendor has misrepresented a product, certificate, or origin claim, see the Dispute Resolution Policy. Where a buyer believes the marketplace itself has overstated a verification or claim, contact us at info@harker.international; if a claim on the platform is unsupported, we will remove or correct it.