It’s not uncommon for importers to have items be detained for physical examination by US customs agents. While undoubtedly frustrating, at least one can take comfort in knowing their goods are still en route and there is conceivably a light at the end of the tunnel. But what about knowing [...]
Foreign companies that export their goods worldwide are, in many cases, the lifeblood of their counterparts in the United States. These suppliers allow American companies to operate, make sales, and generate revenues to grow their businesses. Whether you deal specifically in importation or you’re reliant upon selling of items from [...]
When you think importing, what comes to mind? We’re willing to bet you said cross-border shopping, or commercial importing, or even moving vehicles around... but what about importing personal goods that belong to someone else? Whether you’re helping someone move or bringing them a gift, you may someday run into [...]
With all of the duties and fees one would normally pay out to import goods, it’s nice to know that there’s at least one scenario that can send money back in the other direction.“What is this mysterious refunding of money,” you ask? In the importation business, it’s what’s known as [...]
Every week, we come on here and tell you about the multitude of scenarios in which customs brokers can improve the efficiency of just about any importation situation. Part of our role in what we do is to clearly define how we can facilitate getting items through, you guessed it, [...]
‘Twas the night before Christmas and people all across the United States were still stirring — several hundred decibels louder than a mouse — to get all of their traditional holiday goods across the U.S. border in time for Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. Though we’re already well into [...]
We’re a little over a week into 2019 already, and we all know what that means: it’s make-or-break time for everyone’s New Year’s resolutions! If you’re one of the many who aspire to exercise more, take up a new hobby, or finally clean up that one room in your home [...]
January 1, 2019 was an exciting holiday in the United States. We’re not talking about New Years -- January 1st marked Public Domain Day, where published and copyrighted works entered the public domain in America for the first time in over 20 years. This little-understood piece of copyright law means [...]
In 2009, the CBP introduced a new rule detailing requirements for importers dealing with containerized cargo. Developed as a national security measure, the rule requires importers to transmit key pieces of information to the CBP so that the threat of the cargo can be assessed with each shipment. Known as [...]
Customs brokers are regulated and authorized by the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to do our jobs. We’re licensed — we’ve passed all the exams — and we’re professionals, but we don’t actually work for CBP or the federal government. When you, an importer, contact a customs broker, we need [...]
