Term:
Merchandise trade
Definition:
Goods which add or subtract from the stock of material resources of a country by entering (imports) or leaving (exports) its economic territory. Goods simply being transported through a country (goods in transit) or temporarily admitted or withdrawn (except for goods for inward or outward processing) do not add to or subtract from the stock of material resources of a country and are not included in the international merchandise trade statistics. In many cases, a country's economic territory largely coincides with its customs territory, which is the territory in which the customs law of a country applies in full.
Domain:
International Trade
Source:
OECD glossary