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Please try to use the form you have to answer the 2007 Economic Census. Census forms are designed to be flexible in use, and we will contact you if we need any additional information or have any questions regarding your answers. If you cannot use the form that you have, please contact us.

2. If I don't have information should I leave it blank?

Please provide your best estimate of any item that is not available from your business records. We find that your best estimate is much better than no information at all, and greatly increase the reliability of published statistics. Please do not leave any applicable item blank. Identify and explain any estimate you provide in the "Remarks" section available on most forms (after Item 29). However, if an item does not apply to your establishment, you may leave it blank.

3. What are business-to-business electronic markets?

Business-to-business electronic markets bring together buyers and sellers of goods using the Internet, Extranet, Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) network, electronic mail or other online system, generally on a fee or commission basis. Business-to-business electronic markets for durable and nondurable goods are included in this subsector.

4. What are agents and brokers?

Agents and brokers act on behalf of buyers or sellers in the wholesale distribution of goods generally on a fee or commission basis, and do not take title to the goods being sold. Agents and brokers for all durable and nondurable goods are included in this subsector.

5. What if I have commissions but not sales information (Item 5)?

If you know the amount of your commissions but not the sales and operating receipts on which they were based, use your commissions to estimate the sales value. For example, if your average commission rate is 8 percent and your commissions totaled $200,000, divide your total commissions by your average rate to estimate your gross sales as $2,500,000.

6. How should I report detail of sales, shipments, receipts, or revenue (Item 22) for electronic markets and agents and brokers?

Please use the sales and operating receipts reported in Item 5A as the total for reporting detail of sales, shipments, receipts, or revenue in Item 22. Do not use commissions received (Item 5C) as the basis for Item 22’s value. Commissions should not be reported on a single commodity group line or a "Receipts for... services" line. See your Information Sheet for Items 5 and 22 regarding what values to report and examples of inclusions and exclusions.

Form Questions

7. What should I report as sales for my establishment (Item 5A)?

Please report total sales of merchandise and other operating receipts, including shipping and handling charges, but excluding sales taxes and Hawaii’s General Excise Tax. See the Information Sheet for more examples of inclusions and exclusions.

8. What is e-commerce (Item 5G)?

E-commerce sales and operating receipts are sales of goods and services where an order is placed by the buyer, or price and terms of sale are negotiated, over an Internet, Extranet, Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) network, electronic mail, or other online system. Payment may or may not be made online.

9. What are domestic transfer billings (Item 5H)?

A domestic transfer billing is the value of products one establishment sends to another establishment within the same company. The value reported in Item 5G should be the total market value of products transferred, and this amount should be excluded from the value of total sales and receipts reported in Item 5A, except for petroleum.

10. What are employer costs for fringe benefits (Item 7)?

Employer costs for fringe benefits are the costs of any benefits that employers provide but are not required under Federal or state law. Examples include the cost of premiums an employer may pay for employee life or health insurance benefits.

11. How should I report inventories (Items 9 and 10)?

Inventories are the value of merchandise an establishment holds for resale, excluding any merchandise it has rented out and any merchandise it may hold but does not own. Inventories must be held in the United States, Puerto Rico, other possessions, or its Foreign Trade Zones. Report the market value of inventories using generally accepted accounting principles.

12. What are operating expenses (Item 15a)?

What are operating expenses (Item 16A)?

13. What are purchases (Item 16B)?

Purchases are the costs of merchandise purchased for resale (net of returns, allowances, and trade and cash discounts, but including amounts allowed for trade-ins) to which this establishment took title in 2007, whether or not payment was made in 2007. See the Information Sheet for more examples of inclusions and exclusions.

14. What exactly is the difference between a petroleum bulk terminal and petroleum bulk station? There is an overlap between 100,000 and 2,100,000 gallons of storage capacity in the definitions. Other that the amount of total storage capacity what else determines the classification between a bulk station and bulk terminal (Item 19A)?

The method by which you receive your petroleum products is also used to determine your kind of business. If you receive any of your products from your supplier directly from a tanker ship, barge, or pipeline, then a minimum of just 100,000 gallons of fixed storage capacity is required to classify your facility as a bulk terminal. If 100 percent of your product reaches you by truck and/or rail, then your facility is classified as a bulk station as long you have between 10,000 and 2,100,000 gallons of fixed storage capacity. All petroleum products wholesalers with 2,100,000 gallons or more of storage capacity are classified as bulk terminals regardless of how they receive their product. All petroleum products wholesalers with between 10,000 and 100,000 gallons of storage capacity are classified as bulk stations. All petroleum products wholesalers with less than 10,000 gallons of fixed storage capacity should check the box in Item 19A pertaining to the kind of business, “Petroleum distributor with no storage capacity”.

15. What is my kind of business (Item 19A)?

Kind of business refers to the principal kind of product or goods that the reporting establishment buys and sells at wholesale. Please mark an "X" in the box that best describes the reporting establishment's kind of business.

16. What if I operate several kinds of business (Item 19A)?

Please choose the one kind of business description that best describes your establishment's primary business activity. An establishment's primary business activity is the activity that generated the most receipts or revenue for the establishment during 2007.

17. What if my kind of business is not listed (Item 19A)?

Please mark an "X" in the box next to "Other kind of business" at the end of the list, and describe your establishment's principal business activity in the space provided.

18. What is a type of operation (Item 19B)?

Type of operation refers to the principal operating method used by the establishment to buy and sell products or goods. See the Information Sheet for a description and examples of each type of operation.

19. What if my commodity group is not listed (Item 22)?

Please use the "Miscellaneous commodities" spaces (line 15) to describe the commodity group(s) and report its dollar or percentage sales.

20. What if I don’t have detail of sales by individual commodity group (Item 22)?

If business records are not available, estimates are acceptable. We ask that you provide your best estimate for any information that is not available. Please include an explanation in the "Remarks" section available on most forms (after Item 29) if that may be needed for us understand your reported data.

21. Must I report sales in both dollars and percents (Item 22)?

Report either in dollars or in percents. Also, see the "How to Report" sections that precede Items 5 and 22 on the form.

22. What if an employee performs several functions (Item 26A)?

Please list each kind of employee according to the primary function they perform. If employees perform more than one function, their primary function is the one that requires the largest share of his or her time.

23. I purchase crude oil that is in transit and have it delivered directly to my customers. What should I report for my storage capacity since I only own products in a third party conveyance (Item 26C)?

You should not report capacity that you do not own, rent, or that is not located within the United States, even though you own the product in such facilities. If you have no fixed petroleum storage capacity of your own, you should check the box in Item 19 next to the kind of business, “Petroleum distributor with no storage capacity”.

24. Should I include the capacity of available tank trucks with storage capacity (Item 26C)?

Do not report any trucks or portable storage containers. Only include the capacity of fixed structures.

25. I own petroleum products stored in tanks owned by another company on an exchange agreement. How do I account for this storage capacity (Item 26C)?

Only report storage capacity of tanks that you own or lease, regardless of who owns the petroleum products being stored. The company that you have the exchange agreement with is responsible for reporting their total storage capacity, even if you own the product in their tank(s). Conversely, you should report the maximum total capacity of your own fixed storage facility, even if another company owns some or all of the products being stored in it through an exchange agreement.

26. What is a drop shipped sale (Item 26B)?

A drop shipped sale occurs when goods are shipped directly to a customer's location without physically entering the wholesale establishment's facility.

27. Why is a certification required (Item 30)?

Certification confirms the time period for reported information, identifies the form's completion date, and provides a contact for use if the Census Bureau has any questions about the completed form.

Last revised: August 30 2007 11:08:22

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WH-42425 - Petroleum and Petroleum Products

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