The United States is the third-largest exporter in the world. Today, the biggest export from the U.S is Refined Petroleum. Every good, however, must go through customs and undergo inspection and regulations before it is able to be sent abroad for selling. Exported goods must comply with these customs regulations and meet certain requirements in order to go through the process. This is why custom clearance services become very important to anyone looking to export their products outside of the U.S borders.
The rules and regulations surrounding incoming and outgoing cargo differs from country to country and sometimes from port to port. Customs brokers, as we are called, specialize in the clearing and inspecting of goods coming into the United States and going out. So a custom broker is an important part of the chain that makes up the larger trade infrastructure.
The Process — Trust Your Customs Broker To Ensure Your Goods
Having the proper customs broker is key to ensuring an efficient transfer of products across borders. Shipping containers usually have to be warehoused and inspected as they go through customs clearance. This process of warehousing shipping containers includes storage fees that can add up quickly. Having a problem arise with the inspection can mean added storage fees, not to mention lost business or jeopardize business deals.
A couple of things to keep in mind when looking to ship goods across borders include:
- The proper loading procedures and protocols for shipping containers. As the shipper, you are responsible for the proper loading of the container. A container that is not properly loaded can cause red flags and cause time delays and, consequently, added storage fees.
- Provide full and accurate information to your broker. Just like most transactions, paperwork is a big part of the process. Having accurately filled out paperwork is one of the biggest steps you can take to ensure a smooth process. Most paperwork, however, is handled by a trusted freight forwarder or customs broker, but accuracy is important.
After all, the goal is to have a low-risk assessment at the customs inspection so that your shipment does not need to undergo any further inspection or scrutiny that might add to your storage cost and increase the length of time before you can do business.
If you’re looking to export or import goods into the United States, give us a call today. Here at RM Customhouse Brokers, we are ready to ensure that the process for your shipping containers and cargo goes smoothly and goes through customs inspections without a glitch. Give us a call today!
