What Is EXW (Ex Works)?

The buyer takes full responsibility for goods from the factory door onward.

EXW (Ex Works) is the Incoterm that places the least responsibility on the seller and the most on the buyer. The seller's obligation ends the moment goods are made available at the factory — the buyer arranges and pays for export customs clearance, freight booking, and everything downstream. EXW typically produces the lowest quoted factory price, but it is only genuinely cost-effective for buyers who already have an established freight forwarder capable of managing origin-side pickup and export documentation. First-time importers without that relationship in place usually find EXW's apparent savings offset by higher costs and delays managing the logistics themselves.