GUIDE · FIRST-TIME IMPORTERS
Importing your first product from China
A first order from idea to delivered carton: samples, a small first run, the documents you'll see, and the mistakes that cost beginners money.
VERIFIED AUG 2026 · REVIEW FEB 2027
GUIDE · ALWAYS CURRENT
What actually changes country of origin
What customs looks for, what third-country assembly does and doesn't change, and the questions to ask before anyone promises you a new origin.
VERIFIED AUG 2026 · REVIEW FEB 2027
GUIDE · ALWAYS CURRENT
What a pre-shipment inspection covers
The checklist run before goods leave the factory: counts, dimensional and functional checks, workmanship, packaging, and destination-market documentation.
VERIFIED AUG 2026 · REVIEW FEB 2027
GUIDE · ALWAYS CURRENT
How to compare a quote from one origin against another
Factory price is a fraction of the answer. A true landed-cost comparison covers duty, freight, lead time, minimums, tooling, and the cost of qualifying a new supplier.
VERIFIED AUG 2026 · REVIEW FEB 2027
GUIDE · US IMPORTERS
First sale: paying duty on the factory price
US customs value can lawfully be declared on the manufacturer's price to the middleman rather than the price you pay. The conditions are strict and the paperwork has to be built in from the start; confidentiality toward your own customers is unaffected.
VERIFIED AUG 2026 · REVIEW FEB 2027
GUIDE · US IMPORTERS
Metals tariffs: when a product is caught for what's inside it
Metals tariffs reach into long derivative lists, and an ordinary good can be caught for a bracket or a housing. The 2026 changes moved duty onto full customs value; how to check your product before it ships.
VERIFIED AUG 2026 · REVIEW FEB 2027
GUIDE · US IMPORTERS
AD/CVD: the duty orders that surprise first-time importers
These orders target specific products from specific countries, stack on every other duty, and can dwarf them. How to check for active orders before you commit to a supplier.
VERIFIED AUG 2026 · REVIEW FEB 2027
GUIDE · US IMPORTERS
Forced-labor enforcement: proving a supply chain clean
US enforcement can hold shipments until the importer proves the inputs' origin, down to raw materials. What tracing documentation requires, and why it must exist before the shipment.
VERIFIED AUG 2026 · REVIEW FEB 2027
DATED · RETIRES DEC 2026
Preserving refund rights on the expired Section 122 surcharge
If you paid the surcharge before it expired in July 2026, you may hold refund rights with a closing window. What to gather, who to ask, and the deadlines. Retires when the window closes.
VERIFIED AUG 2026 · RETIRES DEC 2026
GUIDE · ALWAYS CURRENT
Importer of record: what you own when your name is on the entry
The importer of record answers for classification, valuation, origin, and recordkeeping, whoever arranged the shipment. What the role obligates you to before the first container moves.
VERIFIED AUG 2026 · REVIEW FEB 2027
GUIDE · ALWAYS CURRENT
Keeping your supplier and your cost confidential
An intermediary can lawfully keep the factory's identity and price away from your customers, and your customers away from the factory. Customs always receives true values and true origin.
VERIFIED AUG 2026 · REVIEW FEB 2027
GUIDE · CANADA · MEXICO · CENTRAL AMERICA
One product, four rulebooks: importing outside the US
Canada, Mexico, and Central America each run their own tariff schedules, remedies, and import systems. What changes when the same product lands in a different market.
VERIFIED AUG 2026 · REVIEW FEB 2027
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