Tag: HTS Classification
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Tariff consulting for Mexico City importers: Section 122 mitigation, USMCA, refund recovery, classification, FTZ.
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Introduction: CBSA Is Watching The Canada Border Services Agency conducts regular compliance verification activities targeting importers of all sizes. These range from targeted trade verifications to comprehensive audits examining an importer’s entire compliance program. CBSA’s data analytics capabilities have become increasingly sophisticated in identifying importers with potential compliance gaps. The financial consequences of a CBSA…
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Introduction: You Have the Right to Challenge When CBP issues a tariff classification ruling that you believe is incorrect, you are not required to accept it. The customs system provides multiple avenues for challenging unfavorable classification decisions, from administrative reconsideration to formal litigation. Classification rulings affect not just the specific entry but all future imports…
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Introduction: Import Before You Import You have found a great product, negotiated a price with a manufacturer overseas, and you are ready to place your first order. Before you do, stop and ask yourself: do I understand the tariff implications of this import? The duties you will owe, the compliance obligations you are accepting, and…
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Introduction: The Compliance Leadership Gap Most mid-size importers face a frustrating paradox. They have grown large enough that their import operations are too complex to manage without dedicated compliance expertise, but they are not large enough to justify the cost of a full-time trade compliance officer at $150,000 to $200,000 per year. The result is…
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Introduction: When CBP Gets Your Classification Wrong Tariff classification is not always a clear-cut exercise. The Harmonized Tariff Schedule contains thousands of headings, the General Rules of Interpretation require subjective judgments, and the same product can reasonably be argued to fall under more than one heading. When the importer and CBP reach different conclusions, a…
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Tariff Consulting for Amazon Sellers: What Every FBA Importer Needs to Know About Customs Compliance
Introduction: You Are an Importer, Whether You Realize It or Not If you sell products on Amazon that are manufactured overseas, you are an importer. It does not matter whether you think of yourself as an importer, whether you have ever heard the term importer of record, or whether your freight forwarder handles everything from…
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Introduction: Your Right to Challenge Customs Decisions When you disagree with a CBP decision regarding the classification, valuation, rate of duty, or other aspect of a customs entry, you have a legal right to challenge that decision through the protest process established under 19 USC 1514. This right is fundamental to the customs system and…
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Introduction: When Spreadsheets Are Not Enough Every import compliance program starts with spreadsheets. Classification databases in Excel, duty payment tracking in a shared drive, certificate of origin records in a filing cabinet. For small importers with a limited product portfolio, this approach can work. But as import volume grows, product complexity increases, and regulatory requirements…
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Introduction: It Is Not If, But When If you import goods into the United States with any regularity, a CBP audit is not a theoretical risk. It is a statistical probability. CBP operates several audit programs, including the Focused Assessment program, which systematically evaluates importers’ compliance systems and transaction practices. The selection criteria are based…