Is it just me, or does it seem like every day there is new activity through the Bureau of Industry and Security, Office of Export Enforcement (BIS-OEE)? OEE seems to be everywhere, fixated with ghoulish intensity on raising a graveyard of penalties. Let’s take a closer look at some examples and review the highlights from…
It was 6:13 p.m. The warehouse was quiet. The phones had stopped ringing. The last container had been unloaded, and everyone had gone home. Everyone… except the person in Trade Compliance. She was reviewing old entry records when she noticed something strange. One HTS classification didn’t look right. Then another. And another. She pulled the…
Halloween is the time of year for scary stories. Haunted houses, binging all the horror flicks, and exchanging ghost stories. For anyone working in trade compliance, some of the scariest stories don’t involve ghosts at all. They involve an export that left the building without the right authorization, a customer who turned out to be…
As export controls and sanctions have become more sophisticated, so have the strategies used to circumvent them. Products may be sold to a legitimate customer in one country, routed through another country, and then ultimately diverted to a restricted end user to a prohibited destination. This is known as diversion and is becoming a significant…
Quick Facts The United States has announced a significant trade action that will affect businesses importing goods from Brazil. Following a Section 301 investigation, the U.S. government will impose an additional 25% tariff on most Brazilian imports, while exempting selected products that are considered essential to the U.S. economy. The tariff applies to goods entered…
If you’ve been bracing for a CMMC Level 2 audit this fall, take a breath, but don’t take your foot off the gas just yet. On July 13, 2026, the Department of War hit pause on CMMC Phase II, the rule that was going to require a formal third-party assessment before you could win or…
If you’ve spent any time navigating U.S. customs regulations, you’ve probably had the same thought as anyone who has assembled furniture without reading the instructions: “Surely there’s a better way.” Well, Washington appears to agree. A sweeping Executive Order on customs enforcement aims to modernize how imports enter the United States, tighten compliance, strengthen national…
If you’ve ever wished importing consumer products came with just one more compliance requirement, congratulations – your wish has been granted. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has finalized its long-awaited electronic filing (eFiling) rule, ushering in one of the most significant changes to product import compliance in years. While “electronic filing of Certificates…
Every Independence Day, communities across the country celebrate with one of America’s favorite traditions: fireworks displays. Depending on the size of the event, a professional fireworks show can cost anywhere from $5,000 for a small municipal display to well over $100,000 for large city celebrations. Major metropolitan displays can easily exceed several hundred thousand dollars….
President Trump touted that tariff was one of his favorite words and he has been doing everything in his power to have additional tariffs stick on certain products and/or countries since the beginning of his second time in office. Earlier this month, the White House hosted a Small Business Summit. I saw some of the…