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À cet égard, le paragraphe 9 de la note explicative 2.1 de l'Accord du GATT définit un agent d'achat, qui est généralement payé par l'importateur dans le cadre d'une opération distincte du paiement des marchandises, comme étant «a person who acts for the account of a buyer, rendering him services in connection with finding suppliers, informing the seller of the desires of the importer, collecting samples, inspecting goods and, in some cases, arranging the insurance, transport, storage and delivery of the goods» ([traduction] une personne qui agit pour le compte d'un acheteur, en lui rendant des services consistant à trouver des fournisseurs, à informer le vendeur des désirs de l'importateur, à recueillir des échantillons, à inspecter des marchandises et, dans certains cas, à prendre les arrangements relatifs à l'assurance, au transport, à l'entreposage et à l'expédition des marchandises).
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In this regard, paragraph 9 of Explanatory Note 2.1 to the GATT Agreement defines a buying agent, which is usually paid by the importer apart from the payment for the goods, as a "person who acts for the account of a buyer, rendering him services in connection with finding suppliers, informing the seller of the desires of the importer, collecting samples, inspecting goods and, in some cases, arranging the insurance, transport, storage and delivery of the goods." In elaborating this definition, Commentary 17.1 of the GATT Agreement provides guidelines on the question of the kind of evidence necessary to establish the totality of the relationship between the importer and the agent. These guidelines suggest examples of activities or practices carried out by an agent, beyond those mentioned in the above definition, that may bring into question the existence of a true importer/buyer agency relationship. These include situations where the agent: (a) uses its own funds for, and assumes risk in respect of, the payment of the imported goods; (b) acts for its own account and/or assumes a proprietary interest in the goods; (c) has a relationship with the seller; and (d) concludes a contract and reinvoices the importer, distinguishing the price of the goods and its fee. This list is not exhaustive nor does it imply that any of these practices would invalidate the importer/buyer agency relationship.
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