Last month, Amber Road’s Global Trade Academy broadcasted a webinar, Classification of Apparel in Chapters 61 and 62. Our presenter, Svetlana Shubinsky, Trade Advisory Consultant at Amber Road’s Trade Advisory Practice received several questions throughout the webinar, but unfortunately, she did not have time to address them all during the live broadcast. She has compiled some of her answers into a Q&A document - here is a preview:

Customs organizations around the world are finally modernizing their systems. Importers will be able to eliminate manual processes, improve visibility to trade flows, and more easily comply with applicable laws and regulations. The WCO (World Customs Organization) labels this type of system as a “Single Window” where Customs effectively centralizes the collection of data and distributes it to all required agencies to realize a coordinated and more efficient border control.

Last month, Amber Road’s Global Trade Academy broadcasted a webinar, Classification of Parts of General Use, Parts and Accessories. I received several questions throughout the webinar, but unfortunately, I did not have time to address them all during the live broadcast. Since the influx of questions was so high, I will be posting subsuquent blogs to answer some of the more advanced classification questions. I have compiled some of my answers into a Q&A document - here is a preview:

Let’s say you’ve just imported a shipment of hoverboards to sell in the United States. You have screened all trading partners, tracked your shipment, ensured import compliance, and minimized your duty payments. However, your hoverboard isn’t legal to sell in the US just yet – it needs a label, and the guidelines surrounding packaging can be just as complicated as all the other steps you just completed.

Consumer Product Safety regulations and other OGAs exist to prevent customer deception (or facilitate value comparisons) about package contents, ingredients, size, manufacturer, and other concerns.  Any deception or non-compliance can result in heavy fines, revoked license to sell, and unflattering brand attention. So how does a company ensure that it remains compliant?

Product classification forms the basis for nearly every export/import control, tax, tariff, and fee imposed by Customs and other governmental authorities worldwide. Choosing the correct product classification code is critical for export compliance and for accurate payment of import duties at the port of entry. For this reason, Heraeus, a leading Germany-headquartered technology company, has implemented Amber Road's Global Product Master solution. With this solution, the global precious metals and technology company embarks on its first step to a full export controls program.

A 165-year-old family-owned company, Heraeus greatly expanded its international operations into 11 global business units. To support its international growth, Heraeus established a long-term global trade management strategy, starting with an overhaul of its product classification processes.

The Amber Road solution will centralize product classification for the global group, replacing largely manual classification processes handled ad-hoc by the various business units.  Global Product Master provides a central repository for all trade related attributes and is used to enforce trade policies, provide reporting, and power other trade solutions to automate cross-border transactions.

The classification of parts requires a thorough understanding of the Harmonized Tariff Classification Schedule’s section and chapter notes. Classifiers are often challenged when a part can or cannot be classified in the machinery sections.

Join Amber Road’s Global Trade Academy for an upcoming webinar, Classification of Parts of General Use, Parts and Accessories, on Tuesday, February 9^th at 2:00pm EST.

Back in November, Amber Road’s Global Trade Academy broadcasted a webinar Classification of Tooling According to the Harmonized Tariff Schedule. Our presenter, Troy Crago-Edwards of Amber Road’s Trade Advisory Practice, received several questions throughout the webinar, but unfortunately he did not have time to address them all during the live broadcast. We have compiled his answers into a Q&A document - here is a preview:

Last month, Amber Road’s Global Trade Academy broadcasted a webinar on the Key Takeaways from BIS Update and CBP Trade Symposium. Our presenter, Suzanne Richer, Director of Amber Road’s Trade Advisory Practice, received several questions throughout the webinar, but unfortunately she did not have time to address them all during the live broadcast. We have compiled her answers into a Q&A document - here is a preview:

Determining the country of origin of a good is an important consideration in international trade. The country of origin can affect the duty rate, the eligibility for special programs, admissibility and quota.  Also, the marking of products with country of origin information is not only a legal requirement, but also can be a significant factor in consumer purchasing decisions.

The classification of semiconductors continues to be a problem area because of the ever-changing environment and variety of products and commodities. It can throw off even the most experienced classifier.