This document can convey a sense of professionalism to the customer. This is akin to receiving an estimate prior to work at the car shop.
On the other hand, clients appreciate an estimate of total cost when receiving shipment. The proforma invoice, or performa invoice for that matter, gives customs agents an understanding of shipped contents, shipping time, value of the shipment, and more. They have many reasons for this, to have a document to later confirm the shipment or to create an expectation of what should and should not be shipped with a product. Often times, when importing or exporting products, customs agents want to understand the deal taking place. This is the main difference between a proforma vs commercial invoice.
#Pro forma invoice pro
When distinguishing a proforma or performa invoice an understanding of latin may be of use: pro generally means before, while per generally means after the fact. Proforma Invoice MeaningĪ proforma invoice, commercial invoice compared, means an invoice which is made before the sale has actually taken place. Second, the proforma invoice format is a record to be presented to customs agents when attempting to import or export items. First, a proforma invoice allows customers to see estimates on what their invoice will be: product cost, shipping cost, processing fees, and more. For customers it serves two main purposes. Proforma invoice, defined as an invoice which is sent to a customer before they receive product, has more than one use.