Navigating the Importation Process - Tips for the New Importer

I remember one of my best friends telling me in college that she thought it would be fun to have an import business where of course, she got to do the traveling to find all of the wonderful treasures that she would sell in her shop.

I know that back then, we never could have imagined that there would be so many obscure rules, such as that articles made of wood might require a declaration from the USDA, or that beaded jewelry made of seeds from exotic forests might be subject to FDA regulations.

After all, how does an importing entrepreneur even know where to begin in terms of compliance with the law when most have little idea about the complexities of importing?

Nowadays, thanks to search engines like Google – which did not exist when we were in college (zoiks!) – getting information about importing is a much simpler endeavor. This of course, is both good and bad.

It is good in that basic importing information may be found online, but of course, not all information out there is equally correct.

The down side however, is that there is a presumption that a responsible importer would have been able to seek out information that pertained to their type of import and therefore ought to have dotted all of their proverbial “I’s” and crossed their “T’s.”

A failure to do so can lead to an accusation of negligence in the event of an importing “hiccup” or even worse, an allegation of fraudulent activity.

So where does a new importer begin?

Like people entering the country, the border is the front line of imported merchandise, and US Customs and Border Protection has jurisdiction over what is permitted to enter – and remain – in the country.

A few helpful links include the web pages on US Customs’ website (www.cbp.gov) under the “Trade” tab. Within this section is a link called "Basic Importing and Exporting" which further leads to information on US Customs import requirements as well as other federal agency requirements.

There is also a rather lengthy US Customs guide entitled “Importing into the United States – A Guide for Commercial Importers” as well as numerous “Informed Compliance” publications which offer both general importing information such as on the “Entry” of merchandise, and Tariff Classification, as well as more import specific information, such as on Eyewear, Textile and Apparel Rules of Origin, and Footwear.

More tips for new importers and exporters can be found here.

Questions/comments? Post below or email me at clark.deanna@gmail.com