Who is responsible for international express customs clearance! Is it a freight forwarder?

Who is responsible for international express customs clearance! Is it a freight forwarder?

More and more foreign trade people are almost completely ignorant of foreign trade logistics, and many problems sometimes make me feel dizzy when I go around left and right. When it comes to customs clearance issues, many foreign trade people think it's the responsibility of the freight forwarder, but in fact, it's not the case. Old birds should be aware that we are only responsible for transportation, and we will do our best to handle any problems that arise during transportation. However, customs clearance issues cannot be generalized to us.

The value-added service of express delivery has caused the biggest misunderstanding of customs clearance by foreign traders:

The four major express delivery companies (DHL, UPS, FEDEX, TNT), as well as some dedicated channels such as EMS and Aramex, all belong to the traditional express delivery industry. Door to door services are provided, and the express delivery company conducts unified customs clearance for all goods in this batch. When they arrive in the destination country, the express delivery company will conduct unified customs clearance for all goods, which means the express delivery company will first help your goods clear customs. However, during this process, if customs clearance is not possible due to issues with your goods themselves, sensitive goods, or product names that do not match, DHL or UPS will prompt the recipient to contact the local DHL or UPS (many foreign trade people are scared when they see such prompts on the official website, but it is actually just a small issue. Sending an email to the customer asking them to contact the local DHL or UPS will be fine).

Many foreign trade professionals, especially beginners, may start with a small express delivery. After leaving DHL, they realize that there is nothing wrong with it and the customs clearance reaches the customer's hands smoothly. Therefore, they begin to form the idea that "freight forwarders can solve customs clearance" in their minds. Gradually, this idea deepens. Even if this mistake is corrected later, they often habitually believe that it is the responsibility of the freight forwarder.

There is also a type of foreign trade person who is well aware that the customer is responsible for customs clearance at the destination, but when there is a problem, he firmly believes that it is the responsibility of the freight forwarder, because express delivery is door-to-door, and any issues in between need to be handled by you.

In fact, the customs clearance of goods is very simple (for companies with ordinary goods), what are the factors that affect customs clearance? The most common influencing factors vary from country to country, including the value of the goods, the name of the invoice product, whether it is electrified, sensitive goods, and dangerous goods.

The value of goods is the most common operation for foreign traders. In order to save customs duties for customers, it is normal to write the declaration low. However, do not write it too low. If the goods are detained due to low declaration issues, have you considered this issue?

The invoice product name does not match the actual goods, which is still relatively rare nowadays.

Battery goods are subject to strict inspection for a few days each year due to this issue, or the channel suspends the connection of live products. Some people deliberately conceal and hide batteries in their goods. When a dead product is found, they wait for it to be returned with fasteners.

Sensitive goods, there are too many sensitive goods in the market. Generally, for sensitive goods, freight forwarders have sensitive channels for the company to operate these goods. It is generally safer to use sensitive channels, and the goods can also reach customers smoothly.

In addition to the above factors, there are also certain channels in certain countries that determine customs clearance issues. For example, the 20KG smart watch I sent yesterday and the Aramex special line goods I took with me to Saudi Arabia must provide a copy of the recipient's ID card. This is the first time I have seen Saudi Arabia's ID card, and I was stunned to see it for a long time.

So, I hope all foreign trade personnel remember that the customs clearance process, except for the market double clearance channel, is the responsibility of foreign customers and has nothing to do with transportation or sellers. Of course, sometimes in order to maintain customers, both the shipping party and the seller will do their best to help customers solve customs clearance issues, but do not confuse concepts over time.