Customs Brokerage for Commercial Food Imports into the USA

Customs Brokerage for Commercial Food Imports into the USA

If you are importing food into the US for resale, a customs broker can prepare the customs entry and submit the required food-import information. Before shipment, the broker needs to know exactly what the food is, where it was produced, and which business is importing...

How to Change Customs Brokers When You Have Shipments Underway

How to Change Customs Brokers When You Have Shipments Underway

You can appoint a new customs broker while imports are underway. Start by agreeing which shipments the new broker will handle and establishing what has already been filed with US Customs and Border Protection (CBP). The handover must account for work the previous...

Class Action For IEEPA Refunds

Class Action For IEEPA Refunds

The Court of International Trade (CIT) has recently announced a class action for IEEPA refunds. On October 8, the CIT said the class action will allow refunds to importers who imported cargo under the now-illegal International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA)...

Cómo elegir el agente de aduanas adecuado

Cómo elegir el agente de aduanas adecuado

Elegir el agente de aduanas adecuado es una decisión importante para cualquier empresa o persona que importe mercancías a Estados Unidos. Su agente de aduanas puede ayudarle a preparar su declaración de aduanas, clasificar sus productos, calcular los aranceles,...

Container Imports Increase Ahead of January Tariffs Spike

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Imports at many important container ports around the United States have slowed from pre-holiday peak but remain at unusually high as importers continue to bring in containers before tariffs are set to increase in January, these figures are due corresponding to the monthly Global Port Tracker report released on Nov. 9 by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates and reviewed by A1 Worldwide Logistics.

“Imports have usually dropped off significantly by this time of year, but we still see numbers that could have set records in the past,” NRF vice president for Supply Chain and Customs Policy Jonathan Gold said.

“Part of this is driven by consumer demand in the strong economy, but retailers also know that tariffs on the latest round of goods are set to more than double in just a few weeks. If there are shipments that can be moved up, it makes sense to do that before the price goes up.”

October logistic throughput was estimated at 1.89 million TEU, up 5.5% YOY. November numbers are forecast at 1.81 million TEU, up 2.9%, and December at 1.78 million TEU, up 3.7%. Jan 2019 is forecast at 1.81 million TEU, up 2.8% over Jan 2018; Feb at 1.8 million TEU, up 0.5% YOY, and March at 1.58 million TEU, up 3.2 %.

Import brokers set a monthly record of just over 1.8 million TEU in July ahead of 10% tariffs on $200 billion in goods from China that took effect in September and are scheduled to rise to 25% in January as Trump’s aggressive tariffs take effect.

“President Trump’s trade war with China and the threat of even higher tariffs in 2019 have created a mini-boom in imports and businesses have rushed to bring goods into the country ahead of the tariffs,” Hackett Associates Founder Ben Hackett said. “We are clearly in a politically motivated trade environment.”

While logistics numbers do not relate precisely with sales, the imports mirror 2018’s strong retail market. NRF recently forecasted that total 2018 holiday season retail sales are expected to increase 4.3 % and 4.8% over last year. Retail sales for all of 2018 are forecast to be up at least 4.5% over 2017.

The rate to ship an ocean container from China to the U.S. is now roughly twice as high as it was this time last year, shipping analysts said, as demand is picking up. “Capacity is insufficient,” said Philip Damas, director of Drewry Supply Chain Advisors Ltd. “Importers are not very happy because they’re struggling to get their cargoes moved in time [and] the prices are twice what they usually are.”

Have questions about how your business is going to handle these tariffs? Give us a call at (305) 821-8995 or send us an email at info@a1wwl.com


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US Department of Health, Food and Drug Administration FDA food safety modernization act

Customs Brokerage for Commercial Food Imports into the USA

If you are importing food into the US for resale, a customs broker can prepare the customs entry and submit the required food-import information. Before shipment, the broker needs to know exactly what the food is, where it was produced, and which business is importing...
Using the right customs brokerage is essential for ensuring a successful customs clearance.

How to Change Customs Brokers When You Have Shipments Underway

You can appoint a new customs broker while imports are underway. Start by agreeing which shipments the new broker will handle and establishing what has already been filed with US Customs and Border Protection (CBP). The handover must account for work the previous...
cbp forms

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DDP Shipping to the USA: What Is Included, and Who Handles Customs?

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