Conceptos básicos
Quién es quién en una operación de materias primas
Productor, trader, broker, titular de mandato, usuario final, transitario e inspector: qué hace cada rol y cómo distinguirlos.
4 min de lectura · Actualizado
Este artículo se muestra en inglés. El título y el resumen están traducidos.
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Why roles matter
In a single message a person may call themselves a seller, a supplier, a representative or a partner. The word often hides an important question: does this person own the goods, control them, or only know someone who does? The answer changes who can sign, who is paid, who carries risk and who you should check.
The parties to the goods
Producer
The mine, farm, refinery, plant or collection yard that makes or gathers the product. A producer knows the real specification and can usually show production records and site documents.
Trader
A company that buys goods and resells them, taking title and the risk of price, quality and delivery. A trader earns the difference between purchase and sale price after costs. A trader may never touch the goods physically.
End user
The mill, smelter, refinery, feed producer or manufacturer that consumes the product. End users care most about consistent quality and reliable timing, and often run their own approval process for new suppliers.
The connectors
Broker
A broker brings buyer and seller together and is usually paid a commission when a deal completes. A broker normally does not take title to the goods. Some brokers also help negotiate terms or arrange logistics.
Introducer
A person who introduces one party to another and is paid a fee, often defined in a written agreement, if business results. The role ends with the introduction unless the agreement says otherwise.
Mandate holder
A person or company with written authority from the owner to offer the goods, sometimes for a limited time, price or territory. The mandate says what the holder may do. It does not by itself transfer ownership. Always ask to see the document and check who signed it.
The service providers
- Freight forwarder: books and coordinates transport, handles export and import formalities and issues transport documents on behalf of carriers or as a carrier itself.
- Shipping line or carrier: moves the cargo and issues the bill of lading.
- Inspector or surveyor: an independent company that weighs, samples, inspects loading and issues certificates of quantity, quality or condition.
- Laboratory: tests samples and issues a certificate of analysis.
- Customs broker: prepares customs declarations in the country of import or export.
- Banks: issue and advise letters of credit, handle documentary collections and process transfers.
- Insurers: provide cargo insurance and issue the certificate that proves it.
A simple chain, step by step
Imagine a mine that sells concentrate through a trader to a smelter. The mine is the producer, the trader holds a purchase contract with the mine and a sales contract with the smelter, and a broker introduced the smelter to the trader. A forwarder books the vessel, an inspector samples at loading, a laboratory analyses the sample, the carrier issues the bill of lading and banks move the money against documents. Each role has a separate job and a separate document.
Questions to ask about any counterparty
Honest participants answer these directly, because clear roles protect everyone in the chain. Hesitation is not proof of anything, but it is a signal to slow down and check more.
- Do you own the goods, hold a written mandate, or are you introducing a seller or buyer?
- Who signs the contract, and can I see the company registration and the signatory's authority?
- Who is the producer or end user, and where is the product located right now?
- Who is paid, how much and when, if the deal completes?
Finding the right role on Tonport
Listings and Deal Room posts let members state whether they are a seller, buyer, mandate holder or service provider, and company profiles show verification status. The Introductions channel is a good place to say who you are and what you do.
Preguntas frecuentes
- Can a broker also be a trader?
- Yes, one company can act as a broker in one deal and as a trader in another. What matters is the role it plays in the deal in front of you, and that it says so clearly.
- What is the difference between a mandate and ownership?
- Ownership means holding title to the goods. A mandate is written permission from the owner, or from the owner's representative, to offer the goods under stated conditions.
- Who pays the inspector?
- It is agreed in the contract. Often the party that benefits, or both parties share the cost, and the contract also says whether the result is binding.
- Does an end user buy directly from producers?
- Large end users often do, especially for regular volumes. Smaller buyers and one-off cargoes more often go through traders and brokers.
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