Three letters in a contract determine who pays, who bears the risk, and where. An overview of the clauses actually used on the US route.
EXW: the buyer collects the goods at your gate and everything beyond that is their concern; simplest for you, most cumbersome for the buyer. FOB: you deliver the goods onto the ship, and from there they are the buyer's. CIF: you pay the freight and minimum insurance to the port of destination, but the risk passes already at loading, which buyers often fail to notice. DDP: everything up to the buyer's door, including customs duty, is on you.
In US container trade, the real workhorse is FOB or FCA on the seller's side, and DDP is the winners' weapon.
EXW seems safe, but in practice it creates trouble: export clearance falls into a grey area and the US buyer does not want to arrange transport in Estonia. FCA is almost always the better choice for the same intent.
With CIF, people forget that the insurance is at the minimum level and the risk is already the buyer's at sea: in the event of damage a dispute arises that nobody wanted.
For the first transactions, offer two options: FCA an Estonian port for those with their own logistics, and DDP to destination for those who want a worry-free purchase. This way you cover both types of buyer, and the DDP price earns you a logistics margin.
The first consultation is free: together we'll see who in the US already buys your product and how to reach them.