Customs clearance is an aspect that many importers worry about. No matter whether you are importing that one shipment for personal reasons, or want to go for commercial importing, all necessary rules, regulations, and compliance requirements must be met, and necessary duties must be paid. What remains a matter of confusion are trade agreements. Authorities are keeping a keen eye on importers and what is being imported, and regulations are stringent than ever before. If you are unsure of importing norms and requirements, working with Clearit USA amazon customs brokerage can help.
Is it mandatory to hire a customs broker?
There is no law that makes it mandatory for importers in the US to hire a customs broker, but talk to regular importers, they all have that one customs brokerage firm that they rely on. The idea is to ensure that shipments move as expected through the customs, and without any penalties, delays, and fines.
Knowing customs brokers
The role of a customs broker is to work with both exporters and importers, by ensuring compliance to the rules, norms, and regulations, as set by Customs and Border Protection (CBP). The amount of documentation and paperwork involved in importing can be overwhelming, and your customs broker will apply necessary tariff codes and ensure that all fees and other duties are paid. It’s important to think of customs brokers as business partners. They can help you streamline your importing business and take care of everything else, so that you can focus on growth, operations and expansions.
What can a customs broker do?
As we mentioned, customs brokers work with clients in a professional and yet personal manner. They help with tariff classification, trade agreements, and determine the value & class of goods, compliance as per regulatory needs, and product assessments to figure out the duties that must be paid to CBP. Another aspect that customs brokers handle is marking of imports and figuring out refunds, where applicable. Depending on the brokerage service you have selected, you can expect them to clear cargo at all ports, including ocean, air and truck shipments.
Final word
Experience is key for comparing and selecting between customs brokers, and it is best to work with a service that has some exposure in your niche and importing needs. The right broker can change the way you deal with importing requirements, changes in trade agreements, and would streamline each step of the process.
