Category: Customs Compliance

Shipping goods into the United States isn’t always a seamless process.  At some point, almost every U.S. importer will experience a clearance delay getting their goods through U.S. Customs & Border Protection (CBP).  What does this mean? In a nutshell, a clearance delay means your shipment hasn’t cleared Customs and is still in their possession. …

Do you slap “Made in USA” labels on your products or advertise in this way?  Can you, without a doubt, declare your products are – in fact – made in the USA?  This is one of the most overused (and misunderstood) proclamations companies make on the market today.  Ensuring accuracy is imperative because the consequences…

Trade compliance audits can be scary, cumbersome and time-consuming.  Why would any company subject itself to this?  The importance of any import/export compliance audit is to avoid the dreaded “F&P” words.  These are two words that most companies don’t want to hear … or even say (unless it’s behind closed doors). I’m talking about Fines…

What Is The Importance Of Denied Party Screening? Denied party screening is like a safety net for businesses, helping you dodge legal hassles that can cost lots of money and a lost reputation. In essence, it’s a way to make sure a business isn’t unwittingly dealing with a party that’s on the government’s naughty list…

Was your shipment one of the almost 4,300 to be detained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) for UFLPA enforcement since last June?  If not, great!  But don’t get too comfortable, either.  UFLPA isn’t going anywhere, and perhaps rightfully so. This isn’t an enforcement deliberately meant to hurt U.S. importers.  Instead, it boils down…

Classifying apparel correctly is essential for importers, as it determines the appropriate duties and regulations that apply.  The Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS) provides a standardized system for classifying apparel.  However, the chapters for apparel are long and can be confusing.  Here are five important things to know about classifying apparel using…

Trade Compliance Specialists juggle many tasks to ensure their company’s exported and imported goods remain compliant. Their hard work helps uphold the organization’s reputation and ensures the global supply chain is uninterrupted by compliance issues.  So when you start a new compliance job, you’ll have to hit the ground running to keep your compliance tasks…

Remember the postcard tax return?  It’s been touted by various government officials since 1950.  The idea is simple (and beautiful):  What if you could file your taxes on a simple, easy-to-use postcard?  Just imagine all the hours you could save!  Or how about Form 1040EZ?  The name itself underscores the simplicity.  That is, until you…

On December 23, 2021, President Biden signed the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) into law.  This establishes a new rebuttable presumption that any goods, wares, articles, or merchandise mined, produced, or manufactured wholly or in part in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) of China is produced by forced labor. This presumption prohibits the…

Making a resolution is an age-old tradition in the United States.  Year after year, the most popular resolution is to make healthier choices and last year was no exception to this. While we all have good intentions on January 1st, studies show that only about 8% of resolution makers actually achieve what they set out…