Topic of the week – New US Import Rules And What This Means For Your Goods
New rules have been implemented in the USA regarding lower-value imports. These changes mean that there are now stricter customs requirements that must be met when shipping low-value goods, resulting in possible delays if you are importing into the USA. The implemented changes will see Entry Type 86 shipment data required to be filed either before or on the imported cargo’s arrival. Before this change, the shipment information could be filed up to 15 days after arrival, however, these new rules will be enforced to help manage the increasing number of small parcels being imported into the USA and the challenges associated.
This will now require customs brokers to file data completely and accurately including product descriptions and correct HS codes before the import arrival. If not completed beforehand, the cargo will be rejected and held until a new appropriate entry type has been filed. This could lead to customs brokers becoming inundated with customs entries for those importing into the USA as they come to terms with the new requirements. Filing these entries is also a time consuming process that will ultimately impact shipment times for shippers and their consumers.
These new requirements come as a result of the prevention of “importation of illicit substances like fentanyl and other narcotics, counterfeits and other intellectual property rights violations, and goods made with forced labor,” says the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP). “These changes are being made in response to enforcement challenges surrounding low-value shipments entered via the ACE Entry Type 86 Test.”
In order to prevent cargo being falsely entered under the Type 86, misclassified cargo, undervaluation and other challenges, shippers and customs brokers will now be required to adhere to these new rules and ensure that descriptions are precise and HS Codes that goods are entered under are accurate. Failure to meet these requirements could lead to penalties, administrative sanctions and liquidated damages may be imposed according to AirCargoNews.
In other news
A new study from Airship has shown that there is a spike in shopping app downloads amongst consumers on Black Friday, but these same consumers are less likely to use the app again than those who already use shopping apps prior to the holiday. The study looked across 88 shopping apps with at least 100,000 monthly active users. It was shown that although there was a spike in downloads during the Black Friday period, 19% of these new app installers opened the app again within the next four weeks. When comparing this to those who already had the app installed pre-peak season, the retention rate of existing app users across the weeks after peak was higher from between 2 to 4 percentage points. This evidence suggests that those downloading the app specifically for peak season sales were most likely more expensive to acquire due to the competition from other brands and app developers and the lack of use after promotional offers had passed.
eCommerce Market Stats
See some statistics relating to this week’s topics in the eCommerce market below.
USA Imports Stats
- In 2022, the total value of international U.S. imports of goods and services amounted to 3.96 trillion U.S. dollars
- As of 2021, imports of goods and services amounted to around 14.59 percent of U.S. gross domestic product
- Computers and electronic products were the most valuable imports, valued at nearly 500 billion U.S. dollars in 2022.
- China is the top supplier of goods to the United States, accounting for 16.5 percent of total goods imports and amounted to approximately 536.75 billion U.S. dollars in 2023.
*Statistics sourced from Statista
That’s all for this week…
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