5 US IMPORT Landed Costs to consider

Most companies come to us with a product thinking that all they have to do is “ship the product to the United States” and it gets to their client.  This couldn’t not be further from the truth.  First, if you are from a country with a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the US then you have one less cost to think about but there are still things to consider.

If you are shipping containerized anything where you (international seller) are required to pay past the product leaving the dock in the US then:

5 IMPORT COSTS to consider when shipping to the US, that are not freight

*Important* these are fees for container shipping only, Fees for airfreight are different

1. Port Charges: a fee that ports charge to use their dock, space in the port, and everyone who works there. This fee varies by port and can be anywhere from $400-$500 per container this fee is non-negotiable it applies to everything
2. Customs Clearance: this fee is paid to the customs broker and is pretty standard at $125
3. Inspection: there are two fees in which you could be charged if you are new to shipping, both of these fees could apply so be ready
   1. X-Ray inspection: $300
   2. Personal Inspection: $1,500
4. Harbor Maintenance: a fee to maintain the harbor, you would like this would be in the port charges but it’s not add .125% typically
5. Merchandise Processing: the only fee we don’t know why it is there honestly add .3464% or a max of $485 to the order.

We would also note that a customs bond is not included in this as well. You will need this in order to pay for product entry.  We recommend an annual customs bond.

So these are fees that are not typically announced. Make sure you know all of the fees that are to be charged on entry.  If you are shipping FOB or CIF then you can reduce these costs but your client in the US will have to pick them up.  If you do not have a US Agent for distribution we would be happy to discuss with you this process.

There is Great News!

We would be happy to explain how we can help you ship products to the United States, one charge and never worry again.

ASK ABOUT OUR US AGENT PROGRAM!