Glossary

Understand common terms used throughout the documentation

API key

A token passed by an application calling an API to identify the calling application.

Authorization

Refers to the verification and validation of credit card information.

Autorenew

A subscription term that indicates whether a subscription is automatically renewed (and the customer billed) when the subscription period expires.

B2B

Business to business

Billing address

The customer's billing address

Billing term

The time between the start and end of a billing cycle. For example, a one-year subscription paid monthly has twelve billing terms.

BOGO

Buy One, Get One

Card verification code

A three- or four-digit code that appears in the signature area on the back of a credit card. They're meant to reduce fraud by ensuring customers physically have the card in their possession.

Catalog

A catalog is a collection of products organized into categories for a store. Each site implements a catalog of products. A company can have multiple catalogs. A site typically has one catalog. A catalog typically has multiple categories.

Chargeback

Chargeback is the reversal of payment (i.e., the return of funds) to a customer. It occurs after payment has been collected. Chargebacks are different from returns or refunds because they usually occur when customers did not authorize the payment and contact their payment provider to reverse the payment.

COD

Cash on delivery

Cost of goods sold

The total inventory costs of sold goods within a specific timeframe.

Cross-border

Cross-border transactions refer to selling and shipping physical products across international borders, in other words, transactions in which goods ship from one country to another.

However, in the Digital River APIs, certain groups of countries that have formed trade agreements, such as those in the European Union and the Economic Community of West African States, exist as a single political entity. As a result, shipments between them are not considered to be cross-border.

For example, when a transaction involves shipping goods between EU member nations, tariff codes aren't required, and import taxes and duties aren't collected.

Currency

The type or format of money used in a particular country or locale.

Denied parties list (DPL)

A list of people or companies whose purchasing privileges have been denied by Digital River.

Display currency

The currency used for the price that appears on a storefront.

ECCN

Export Control Classification Number

Fulfiller

An entity or company that warehouses and coordinates the shipping of physical products to shoppers who placed an order.

Fulfillment

The steps involved in receiving, processing, and delivering physical or digital orders to customers.

Headless order management

A new suite of APIs that enable Digital River clients to customize their eCommerce solution. You can connect the commerce platform of your choice with our backend order management, payments, and risk protection services.

Importer of record

The importer of record (IOR) is the owner or purchaser of the products being imported into a destination country.

Landed cost

The total price of a product once it has arrived at the buyer's door. A landed cost includes the original price of the product plus all transportation charges (both inland and ocean), customs, duties, taxes, insurance, currency conversion, packaging, handling, and payment fees.

Late presentment chargebacks

Late presentment chargebacks occur when a deadline to present a transaction to the issuing bank is missed. These types of chargebacks aren't initiated by the customer. Instead, they originate with the issuing bank.

In many cases, the customer doesn't have a problem with the delay, but the issuing bank initiates a chargeback anyway because the transaction is presented to them outside of an allowable time frame.

Line item

A single line in a cart. At a minimum, a line item contains a single product identifier and quantity.

Locale

A locale represents a language, country, and currency. A code identifies the locale. For example, the United States English is en_US. Locales are not limited to a single country or language. A country can have more than one locale, and some countries share locales. For example, Canada has two locales because it has two official languages: English and French.

Locale code

A two-letter code that represents a language and country. For example, en_GB represents the English language and the country of Great Britain.

Localization

The process of customizing a store for different nationalities, cultures, languages, and currencies.

Manufacturer part number

The number the manufacturer uses to identify a product. This value can be localized and set for a variation.

Merchant of record/seller of record (MOR/SOR)

The Merchant of Record/Seller of Record (MOR/SOR) assumes the risk of the sale, managing taxes and regulations on your behalf.

Parcel collection point

An alternative delivery location. Parcel collection points are typically stand-alone lockers located in high-traffic areas like shopping centers and train stations or ‘parcel shops’ such as convenience and grocery stores.

Partial fulfillment

Partial fulfillment occurs when a fulfiller ships one or more items within a fulfillment request but does not ship all items. It is also known as partial shipment.

Partial shipment

Partial shipment occurs when a fulfiller ships one or more items within a fulfillment request but does not ship all items. It is also known as partial fulfillment.

Payment method

The way that a customer chooses to pay for an order (for example, credit card or wire transfer).

Price list

A list of current prices of items for sale. You can use a price list to set the pricing for products in a catalog.

Production test environment (PTE)

Digital River’s environment for partners and clients to test the Digital River APIs.

Regulatory fees

Regulatory fees are charges imposed by the government to comply with specific regulations. These fees can either be included in the product price or added as a separate line item during checkout.

Renewal

Once a subscription period ends, a customer can either manually or automatically renew it.

Shipping address

The address where the customer wants the order shipped.

Shipping terms

A shipment's terms can either be delivered-duty-paid (DDP) or delivered-at-place (DAP).

In DDP shipments, customers pay all duties, fees, and import taxes upfront during checkout. Upon product delivery, there are no additional charges they must pay.

In DAP shipments, customers do not pay the full landed cost at checkout time. Instead, they pay product and shipping costs, and then, upon delivery, they're responsible for paying duties, fees, and import taxes.

Stock keeping unit (SKU)

A stock keeping unit (SKU) is a unique identifier assigned to each product or item in a retailer's inventory, used for tracking and managing stock levels and sales. It helps in accurately identifying products and streamlining inventory management processes.

Tariff code

A tariff code, also known as a Harmonized System code, is an internationally standardized system used to classify and identify goods.

These codes enable customs authorities and merchants to identify the type of goods being imported or exported. They're crucial for determining applicable duties, taxes, and regulations.

The World Customs Organization manages the Harmonized System, which covers a wide range of products, including raw materials, intermediate goods, and finished products.

Each code consists of six to ten digits. The first six digits are internationally standardized but individual countries may add extra digits for their specific purposes.

The code classification is hierarchical, meaning that the initial digits represent broader categories of products, while subsequent digits provide more specificity. For example:

• The first two digits represent the chapter, which broadly categorizes goods (e.g., 88 for aircraft and spacecraft).

• The first four digits represent the heading, which provides a more specific classification within the chapter (e.g., 8801 for non-powered aircraft).

• The first six digits represent the subheading, giving even more detail (e.g., 880100 for balloons, dirigibles, gliders, and hang gliders).

Tariff codes are essential for trade documentation and customs clearance, and misclassifications can potentially result in problems during cross-border transactions.

Refer to Item classification to learn more about Digital River's tariff code classification service.

Terms of sale

The conditions stipulated by a seller to a buyer regarding payment and delivery of goods or services.

Third-party fulfillment agent

A third-party fulfillment agent is an external entity that handles the storage, processing, and shipping of orders on behalf of another company. This service includes inventory management, order picking, packing, and shipping to customers.

Third-party logistics

Third-party logistics (3PL) involves outsourcing a company's distribution, warehousing, and fulfillment requirements to a third-party provider. 3PL providers specialize in delivering these requirements by integrating warehousing and transportation services.

Transaction

A purchase transaction or requisition consists of a customer's information and the products they want.

Transaction currency

The currency used during the payment of a transaction.

Universal unique identifier (UUID)

A Universal Unique Identifier (UUID) is a 128-bit number used to uniquely identify objects or entities on the Internet. This identifier ensures that each generated UUID is unique across all space and time, allowing for reliable identification and tracking of items.

Value-added tax (VAT)

Value-added tax (VAT) is a type of consumption tax that is placed on a product whenever value is added at each stage of production and distribution, including at the final sale. It is widely used in the European Union and many other countries.

VAT invoice

A VAT invoice is a record of sale that must be provided to customers in a VAT-eligible transaction. It includes details such as the goods or services purchased, customer’s name and address, VAT rate, total VAT paid, seller's name and address, and VAT registration number. This document is crucial for both sellers and buyers to ensure proper taxation and compliance.