A Second Opinion

When it comes to one’s personal health, it is always a good idea to get a second opinion from a medical professional concerning critical issues. The same holds true for importers when it comes to issues involving import tariffs, valuation, Free Trade Agreement eligibility, etc. These issues can dramatically affect an organization’s bottom-line and must be approached and managed with absolute thoroughness. Seeking a second opinion from a Trade Professional is an excellent way to demonstrate an importer’s commitment to meeting Customs’ “Reasonable Care” standards and can potentially save importers thousands of dollars per import transaction.

For example, TCP recently helped a non-resident US importer with obtaining a tariff classification ruling from US Customs and Border Protection (CBP). After the ruling was issued, the importer shared the ruling information with the broker responsible for filing their US entries and were advised by the broker that although the classification held in the ruling was conditionally duty free, the merchandise was subject to the Section 232 duty on derivative iron/steel and aluminum articles upon import into the US. In our findings, the experts at Trade Compliance Professionals had concluded that the subject merchandise was not only eligible for duty free entry into the US but was also excluded from Section 232 duty on derivative iron/steel and aluminum articles by application of an actual use provision found in HTSUS Chapter 98. Following TCP’s advice, the importer instructed their broker to file entries declaring the Chapter 98 provision, resulting in duty-free entry. In this case, reaching out to an industry professional like TCP enabled this importer to re-structure their pricing and adjust their landed costs downward by thousands of dollars. This not only resulted in increased profitability, but the importer was also able to reduce the selling price to their customer, further increasing customer satisfaction.

The import landscape is changing at an alarming pace, and as a result, opportunities for cost reductions are being overlooked by importers and brokers alike. Contact TCP today for a “Second Opinion” and see how we can add dollars to your bottom line.