r/CustomsBroker

What system or software is everyone using?

I am just curious if anyone has started to file even though there is an uncertainty.

My company has been holding off the filing.

I'm looking to get a duty drawback solution to test out, but everything is so expensive to set up. Any advice or tips?

Note: these red flags are all present on POA I reject.

Email address is Outlook. Hint: Outlook is not blocked in China, like Gmail is. I’ve noticed better chance of IOR being legit if email is Gmail.

Photo ID is DL from an American? Look at photo background since DL is sometimes not put on a table. Junky background, very dirty fingernails/hands that don’t match the person in the ID? I’m convinced some Americans are selling their ID to be used as false IOR contact/on incorporation docs.

Same US phone number that appears on a bunch of POAs? I swear this number is essentially an answering service. They tell you to call them at a different number for POA verification.

CBP is doing IOR video call verification via MS Teams. I’m now doing video calls and I take a screen shot while on call and I have photo ID up on screen while on call. If they insist on regular, not video, call. I reject POA since they’re obviously hiding something.

When you ask for Section 3 of 5106 to be completed, especially Section 3J, the IOR suddenly disappears.

Add your red flags.

I've been working with a U.S. Customs Broker lately and they seem pretty good so far. We normally import large machinery into the U.S., so I understand those shipments can involve a lot of rules and documentation.

However, we recently shipped one box of miscellaneous stuff to a new office we're opening in the United States. It contained about 50 company T-shirts, ceramic coffee mugs, some stainless steel nuts, bolts, clamps and shafts, and some adhesive stickers. The T-shirts, mugs and stickers have our company logo on them. The steel items were basically just extra supplies we had lying around our office in Poland.

The entire shipment is only worth around $980 USD.

Our broker is now asking for country of origin and manufacturer information for everything. For the T-shirts, he wants manufacturer details because they're textiles. For the stainless steel items, he's asking for mill certificates and said some of the HTS codes we provided could potentially be subject to antidumping/countervailing duties.

Maybe I'm misunderstanding something, but this seems like a lot for a $980 shipment of random office stuff. I assumed something this small would be pretty straightforward.

Is this actually normal for a U.S. Customs Broker, or is he faking it just to charge me more? I'm not sure if all of this is genuinely required or if we're making a very small shipment way more complicated than it needs to be.

Once last thing. For reference, whenever we moved this sort of stuff with DHL they never asked these kinds of questions.

Any advice is appreciated.

I’m kind of speechless right now. CBP is requiring IOR verification via MS Team but the freight forwarder told me that the IOR had a car accident last week and is currently in a hospital abroad. I don’t know what to say. Will CBP ask for policy report and medical records? I am sorry but if the person doesn’t make it, will CBP ask for death certificate? Will CBP ask for a photo of the body with POA next to it?

I’m so tired with all this.

Is everyone else having fun with all the exams and IOR verifications?

Was just asking Gemini when CBP might be releasing anything regarding the enforcement EO and got a hit on this FR notice to be published tomorrow 8/19

For CAPE Phase 3, we've been advised a lawsuit it likely required. I do not want to wait and our entries go beyond the refund period.

Has anyone used The Tariff Refund Project?

Did you all see CSMS 69535943 ?

Is CBP REALLY invalidating drawback for the new 301 tariffs? Unreal

I need some laughs right now. Here’s my two entries. Very recently got a very sloppily filled out POA from a forwarder. Very small shipment for first time importer. Dude went off the rails when we said we needed POA directly from IOR, plus we needed photos ID, 5106, etc. He still protested we didn’t need any of that. I sent him a link to CBP’s POA validation webpage. He still argued. On another bigger shipment, same forwarder. Same thing with just sending POA. We’d sent him what we needed, with a reminder several days later. Argue, argue, argue. I finally sent him the new EO about strengthening customs enforcement. 🤦‍♀️

Bought rum from france to be shipped to the US. It looks like the sender used Fedex, which doesn't allow personal shipment of liquor under their bond. Looks like the only options I have are to return to sender or use another this BSO form to use another broker to help get this released into the country.

Am I SOL in this scenario? From my research online, it looks difficult to get another broker that would even help out with this? Anyone here with more knowledge than me have any insight?

I'm trying to find a customs broker that can help file a one-time drawback claim for non-conforming goods with a duty amount of over $10,000. The customs broker we used to import is not able to file the drawback claim, and most of the people I've contact so far have a higher threshold or only work with existing clients. Looking for recommendations and contact info for customs brokers that are able to help with this job.

I am not asking anyone to share their actual fees here, but I am curious to know HOW other brokers are billing clients for articles that have become very complex due to all of the changes surrounding the HTS. For example, I’m working on classifying at article from Brazil that would’ve taken me 5 minutes a couple of years ago. Today, I have been working on it for almost 4 hours between all of the research I’ve had to do. Any input is appreciated.

What is everyone using to get their Continuing education done before the triennial?
As if all the bullshit changes and constant research isn’t enough to qualify for continuing education lol
Seems another money grab from the associations saying you have to use them to get credits that qualify

Hello all, I'm trying to determine - if a foreign-made good exported the US for repair, but then was replaced with a new unit and is coming back to the US, will it qualify for duty-free entry or will it need to be entered as dutiable under Chapter 1-97?

I can't find any regulation or anything clearly stating this.

Thank you.

Hey everyone, I’m making a presentation at school about different parts of the trade processes. I wanted to see if anyone here could help me with a few questions:

1: does your role change much depending on if the goods are being imported or exported?

2: what are the biggest problems you face as as customs brokers?

3: is there much overlap with your work and what other departments do such as forwarders?

Finding the application process a bit confusing. I am a licensed broker and will act as qualifying broker for an existing LLC.

1-I need to fill out a 3124 with supporting documents on the LLC and mail it to our port, there is no option to file and pay on eCBP as far as I am aware correct?

2-Can I submit a letter of intent for filer code at the same time?

3-Can I submit a national permit request on top of all of this? Or does the National permit I request cover my organization and I don’t need to do #1?