Soft Launch & Pilot Phase Shipping Partnership (Scoped)
Origins Logistics
BERTHA Global Online Sales Platform · October 29, 2026
Scope: These responses cover BERTHA's soft launch (November 26 – December 31, 2026) and the first six months of the pilot launch (January – May 2027) only. Origin markets are limited to Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa. The sole destination market for this phase is the United States. Caribbean origins and all other destination markets are deferred to Phase 2 (H2 2027).
01
Merchant Vendor Profile
Country, city/location, product categories, and label-printing capability
BERTHA is an African luxury e-commerce marketplace serving the African diaspora. For the soft launch and pilot phase, our active Merchant Vendor base will be drawn exclusively from four African origin markets shipping to buyers in the United States.
Active Origin Markets — Soft Launch & Pilot Phase
| Country | Primary Cities / Regions | Product Categories | Can Print Labels |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ghana | Accra, Kumasi | Fashion & apparel, handmade jewellery, African print textiles, beauty & skincare, home décor, art & crafts | Mostly No — label generation via BERTHA portal required |
| Nigeria | Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt | Fashion, beauty & wellness, food & gourmet, art, digital products, electronics accessories | Mixed — Lagos-based vendors more likely to have label capability |
| Kenya | Nairobi, Mombasa | Fashion, home décor, art & crafts, beauty, food | Mostly No |
| South Africa | Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban | Fashion, beauty, home décor, art, books | Mixed |
Label Printing — Platform Approach: The majority of our Merchant Vendors in Ghana, Kenya, and Nigeria do not have independent label-printing infrastructure. BERTHA's vendor portal generates and delivers printable shipping labels (PDF/PNG) directly to vendors via the portal dashboard and by email, using EasyPost as our label-generation provider. We will require Origins Logistics to provide a label specification — barcode symbology, required data fields, and format dimensions — so that BERTHA-generated labels are fully compliant with your network's scan and routing requirements. For vendors who cannot print, we will need to discuss a drop-off or agent collection-point solution in Accra, Lagos, Nairobi, and Johannesburg.
02
Package Profiles, Declared Values & Special Items
Typical weights, dimensions, declared values, and flagged item categories
Package Profiles
| Profile | Description | Typical Weight | Typical Dimensions | Est. % of Volume |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small soft goods | Folded garments, scarves, wraps, accessories | 0.3 – 1.2 kg | 25 × 20 × 8 cm | ~45% |
| Medium fashion | Dresses, suits, multi-piece sets, shoes | 1.0 – 2.5 kg | 35 × 28 × 15 cm | ~25% |
| Beauty & wellness | Skincare, haircare, soaps, oils (non-aerosol) | 0.5 – 2.0 kg | 25 × 20 × 15 cm | ~15% |
| Home décor & art | Sculptures, ceramics, woven baskets, framed prints | 1.5 – 8.0 kg | 40 × 35 × 30 cm (variable) | ~8% |
| Books & printed media | Books, music, printed materials | 0.3 – 2.0 kg | 30 × 22 × 5 cm | ~5% |
| Food & gourmet | Packaged spices, teas, dried goods, confectionery | 0.5 – 3.0 kg | 30 × 25 × 15 cm | ~2% |
Declared Values
- Typical range: USD $25 – $350 per shipment
- High-value items: USD $350 – $2,500
- Guidance needed on CBP de minimis threshold treatment and documentation requirements above USD $800.
Special Item Flags
- Fragile: Ceramics, glass art, sculptures — flagged in shipment data. Vendors are required to use appropriate protective packaging per BERTHA Seller Policy.
- Liquids: Beauty oils, liquid skincare — non-aerosol, non-hazardous. Typically under 250 ml per unit. We will need your packaging and IATA/IMDG compliance requirements for liquids on the Africa–USA lane.
- Food: Packaged, shelf-stable only: spices, teas, dried goods, confectionery. No fresh, chilled, or frozen items. We will need your FDA Prior Notice and CBP documentation requirements for food imports from Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa.
- Regulated / Restricted: BERTHA's product moderation policy prohibits regulated items (pharmaceuticals, controlled substances, weapons, live animals, endangered species products). These will not appear in our shipment manifest.
- High-value / Insurance: Items above USD $500 declared value will be flagged for enhanced handling and insurance. We will need your insurance options, coverage limits, and per-shipment premium structure.
03
Destination Mix & Order Volumes by Lane
Soft launch and first six months of pilot — Africa → United States only
For the soft launch and the first six months of the pilot, all shipments will move on a single lane: Africa (Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa) → United States. No other destination markets are in scope for this period.
Soft Launch — November 26 – December 31, 2026
Controlled pilot with up to 100 invited Founding Vendors across four origin countries.
| Origin Country | Destination | Est. Monthly Orders | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ghana | United States | 60 – 120 | Largest vendor pipeline; Accra-concentrated |
| Nigeria | United States | 70 – 140 | Lagos-heavy; strong diaspora buyer base in NY, TX, MD, GA |
| Kenya | United States | 30 – 60 | Nairobi-concentrated; growing diaspora in TX, MN, WA |
| South Africa | United States | 25 – 50 | JHB and Cape Town vendors; diaspora in NY, CA, TX |
Total estimated soft launch monthly volume: 185 – 370 shipments
Pilot Phase — January – May 2027
Broader vendor onboarding and US diaspora marketing activation.
| Origin Country | Destination | Est. Monthly Orders | Growth Driver |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ghana | United States | 200 – 450 | Broader vendor onboarding; diaspora marketing in NY, NJ, MD, VA |
| Nigeria | United States | 250 – 550 | Largest vendor base; strong US Nigerian diaspora community |
| Kenya | United States | 100 – 220 | East African diaspora outreach; community partnerships |
| South Africa | United States | 80 – 180 | Premium fashion and beauty category growth |
Total estimated pilot phase monthly volume: 630 – 1,400 shipments
04
Caribbean Origins to Prioritise
Deferred to Phase 2 — planned for H2 2027
Caribbean origins are outside the scope of the soft launch and first six months of the pilot. BERTHA's Caribbean vendor base and Caribbean-origin shipping lanes are planned for activation in Phase 2, currently targeted for H2 2027.
We are happy to discuss Caribbean lane planning with Origins Logistics in a separate session closer to that timeline. At that point, our priority markets will be:
- 1. Jamaica — Kingston, Montego Bay — fashion, beauty, food & gourmet, music/digital; diaspora in NY, FL, CT and UK
- 2. Trinidad & Tobago — Port of Spain, San Fernando — fashion, food & gourmet, beauty, art; diaspora in NY, NJ and UK
- 3. Barbados — Bridgetown — fashion, beauty, art & crafts; diaspora in UK and Canada
- 4. Guyana — Georgetown — fashion, food, art; diaspora in NY and Canada
We would welcome any advance intelligence Origins Logistics can share on collection infrastructure, transit times, and customs complexity for these lanes so we can plan accordingly.
05
Integration Documentation, Data Fields & Technical Contact
Shipment data schema, webhook events, and working session details
BERTHA's shipping integration layer is built using a provider-agnostic abstraction with EasyPost as our label-generation provider. We would like to understand whether Origins Logistics operates within the EasyPost carrier network, or whether a direct API integration is required. If a direct integration is needed, please share your API documentation, authentication method, and sandbox environment details ahead of the working session.
Data Fields BERTHA Will Provide Per Shipment
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| order_id | BERTHA internal order identifier |
| vendor_id | BERTHA Merchant Vendor identifier |
| origin_country | ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country code (GH, NG, KE, ZA) |
| from_address | Vendor name, street, city, country, postal code, phone, email |
| to_address | Buyer name, street, city, state, ZIP code, phone (US addresses only for this phase) |
| parcel_weight_kg | Gross weight in kilograms |
| parcel_dimensions_cm | Length × width × height in centimetres |
| declared_value_usd | Declared customs value in USD |
| product_description | Plain-text description of contents for CBP customs entry |
| hs_code | Harmonised System code (where vendor has provided it) |
| is_fragile | Boolean flag |
| contains_liquid | Boolean flag |
| contains_food | Boolean flag |
| insurance_required | Boolean flag — triggered above USD $500 declared value |
| service_level | Requested service level (standard / express / economy) |
| label_format | PDF or PNG |
Webhook Events BERTHA Dashboards Expect
| Event | Trigger | Required Fields |
|---|---|---|
| label_created | Label successfully generated | tracking_number, label_url, carrier, estimated_delivery_date |
| shipment_collected | Package collected from vendor or dropped at agent | tracking_number, collected_at (ISO 8601), collection_location |
| in_transit | Package in carrier network | tracking_number, status, current_location, updated_at |
| out_for_delivery | Package with last-mile carrier in the US | tracking_number, estimated_delivery_date |
| delivered | Confirmed delivery | tracking_number, delivered_at (ISO 8601), proof_of_delivery_url |
| delivery_exception | Failed delivery, CBP hold, address issue | tracking_number, exception_code, exception_description, next_action |
| return_initiated | Return shipment created | original_tracking_number, return_tracking_number, reason |
We prefer webhook delivery (HTTP POST) with exponential-backoff retry and a minimum 30-day event retention window.
Technical Contact
- Email:
- info@bertha.info
- Platform:
- bertha.online
- Preferred format:
- Video call (Google Meet or Zoom)
- Time zone:
- Eastern Time (UTC−5)
- Availability:
- Technical lead available within 5 business days of request
We will provide sandbox credentials, a Postman collection, and our OpenAPI schema for the shipment and webhook endpoints ahead of the working session.
06
DDP vs DAP by Lane & Billing Model
Incoterm preferences and shipping account structure
Incoterm Preference — Africa → United States
Our preference is DDP on this lane without exception. US buyers expect a fully landed price at checkout with no surprise customs charges, brokerage fees, or CBP duties assessed at delivery. DDP is a commercial requirement — not a preference — for the US market. Any unexpected charge at the door increases return rates and damages trust in the BERTHA brand, particularly for first-time diaspora buyers.
We will need Origins Logistics to provide:
- A duty and tax estimation API or rate table by HS code and declared value for the Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa → USA lane
- Confirmation of DDP service coverage for all four origin countries
- Your process for CBP entry filing and any documentation required from BERTHA or the vendor
Billing Model Preference
PREFERRED
Funded Shipping Account
- Pre-funded balance drawn down per shipment
- Enables real-time per-shipment cost deduction from vendor net payouts at label purchase
- Eliminates invoice reconciliation lag during variable-volume soft launch
- Live balance visibility in BERTHA Finance Payout Report
- Target: January 2027 onward
INTERIM
Monthly Invoicing
- Acceptable during soft launch validation period
- Allows volume verification before committing to funded account
- Period: November – December 2026
Open questions for Origins Logistics:
- Minimum opening balance and top-up threshold requirements
- Whether automatic top-up (ACH or wire) is supported when the balance falls below a defined floor
- Whether you offer a credit facility or net payment terms for established accounts after the pilot period
All volume projections are planning estimates and subject to revision as the vendor pipeline develops. · Contact: info@bertha.info