Division EBOPS 2010 complementary grouping

Total trade-related transactions encompasses all transactions relating to the distribution services of goods and services. It includes the commissions on goods and services transactions payable to merchants, commodity brokers, dealers, etc., who do not own the goods that they buy and sell (included in trade-related services), as well as the traders’ margins. The margins of wholesalers and retailers are generally included indistinguishably in the value of products sold (including for goods under merchanting) and are not presented separately in the balance of payments statistics.

Total trade-related transactions includes:

1. (a)

   Trade-related services

2. (b)

   The estimated distribution services included in the value of products sold (including goods under merchanting).

Distributions services include the trade margins of wholesalers and retailers.

In the 2008 SNA, wholesalers and retailers are defined as entities that purchase and resell goods with no, or only minimal, processing (for example, cleaning and packaging). They supply a service to producers and consumers of goods by storing, displaying and delivering a selection of goods in convenient locations, thus making them easy to buy. Their output is measured by the total value of trade margins realized on the products that they purchase for resale. The margins that represent those distribution services either are included in the f.o.b. values of the goods to which they relate, or are provided by the importer.