Ex Works (EXW) is one of the 11 current Incoterms (International Commercial Terms), a set of standardized international trade terms that are published by the International Chamber of Commerce.
This arrangement is extremely favorable to the seller at the buyer's expense. The seller is only responsible for packaging the goods and making them available at a designated location, such as the seller's warehouse. He or she must also help the buyer obtain export licenses or other necessary documentation, but only at the buyer's request and expense.
Once the goods have been placed at the buyer's disposal, the buyer is responsible for all costs and risks related to the goods. In practice, this means loading them onto a truck, transferring them to a train, ship or plane, perhaps multiple times, handling customs procedures, unloading them at their destination and storing, using or reselling them, as the case may be. Even if the seller does help the buyer by loading the goods onto a truck, for example, the buyer is the one liable for damage during this process.