Increased fees customs fees high volume parcel imports to the USA?
With on-going budget issues with the Federal Government, there are many proposals in the President’s FY2014 budget to increase user fees. For high volume parcel imports to the USA, the one most ominous is a 36% increase in the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) fees for clearance through an Express Consignment Clearance Facility (ECCF).
Note (October 2016): Since we initially published this blog, e-commerce imports to the USA have grown exponentially. Using Jet, e-commerce parcels to the USA under $800 can be imported duty free using and Express Consignment Clearance Facilities.
Using Section 321 type 86 entries, e-commerce merchants can clear e-commerce orders shipped via individual parcels shipped via ocean freight. Contact our team for information on clearing ocean freight shipments via duty free section 321 processes.
The partnership with US Customs at the ECCF’s have been an incredible success. Electronic processes have been developed in partnership with CBP to enable efficient high volume parcel import clearance to the USA that meet the demands of international couriers, express carriers and international e-commerce parcels to the USA.
Clearance through express clearance facilities is the only way to efficiently clear high volume parcel imports into the USA. Such express clearances are used by FedEx, UPS and DHL for their parcel clearance into the USA. Independent ECCF’s also exist and shippers can now send their shipments direct to the USA for duty free entry and last mile delivery via the USPS.
What is Section 321?
US Customs allows most individual orders valued under $800 USD to be entered and cleared duty free into the USA. This entry type is known as a Section 321 Informal Entry. Using this entry type, importers can consolidate all their qualifying orders under one entry without H.S. Codes and benefit from duty free entry.
Most goods cleared via a section 321 informal entry are imported under Part 128 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). As such, they are imported to facilities with port codes that define them as Express facilities or ECCF's. Many express operators are also able to clear via freight facilities (with section 321 processes) known as a Container Freight Station or CFS.
For importers who have H.S. codes, it may be best to use a Section 321 "type 86" entry. Using this entry type, goods can be imported via traditional methods using the Automated Broker Interface or ABI system.
