Per-shipment costs and the lumpiness of international trade

Using detailed U.S. and Spanish export data, we document that trade costs of a per-shipment nature are associated with less frequent and larger shipments (i.e., more lumpiness) in international trade. This finding is pervasive across broad product categories, but most apparent for industrial supplies, parts and accessories, and food products. © 2015 by the President and Fellows of Harvard College and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.