Insights

Ozone Depleting Chemicals: What an Electronics Importer Should Know

May 15, 2013.
Trade Publications

Some importers of electronics may be unaware of all of their tax liabilities. While the importer may be fully aware of what duties and taxes are normally due upon importation of goods, many don’t know of the additional excise taxes that are placed on imported electronic goods,...

California BOE to Visit Retailers

March 29, 2013.
Tax Publications

If you are a retailer in California, you may be getting a visit from the California Board of Equalization SCOP (Statewide Compliance and Outreach Program) teams. In a recent news release, the BOE stated that some 9,688 business owners in select zip codes will be affected. The purpose of the...

Common Classification Mistakes

March 24, 2013.
Trade Publications

It is essential that importers exercise and demonstrate reasonable care when assigning HTS classification to parts that are being imported. Misclassifying parts can lead to increased duties and penalties. Listed below are some common mistakes all importers should avoid when it comes to classifying parts for importation. Relying...

Basics in Managing your LTL Freight Spending

March 19, 2013.
Logistics Publications

As less than truck load (LTL) volumes stabilize, LTL carriers continue to look at areas to increase margins. One of these areas is ensuring shippers pay for the services they receive. Below are four essential elements you can use to improve control over your LTL transport spending: •...

Import / export documentation – AISF supports you to deal with it!

March 13, 2013.
Logistics Publications

In doing international business, import & export documentation plays a very important role. Above all in case of imports, the efficiency of the Customs Clearance procedure and/or the bank remittance for letter of credit depends on the documents requested (they may vary from a country to another), the correctness...

Logistics Tech Trends

March 12, 2013.
Logistics Publications

“I'm excited about the opportunities with mobile phones and being able to receive information on the go and relevant to what I'm doing at that moment in time.” Quoted by: Susan Wojcicki, Senior Vice President of product management and engineering at Google. Some of the technologies...

A Perspective on Globalization: European Crisis to Latin American Investments

March 09, 2013.
Logistics Publications

Since 2009, the Eurozone has been facing a fast paced and dramatic economic breakdown. As a result of the long economic struggles, several European countries have been badly influenced. Greece has a huge national debt and Spain’s market crashed due to long term loans and bankruptcy of some important...

Conflict Minerals Reporting Regulations

January 19, 2013.
Trade Publications

Is your company involved in a field that includes the manufacturing of electronics, piping, aerospace, machining tools, or any alloys used in those industries? If so, then you need to be aware of Rule 1502 recently instituted by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) regarding the use of conflict minerals that...

Successfully Importing Into Russia

January 11, 2013.
Trade Publications

While it is important to gain access to emerging markets, companies must ensure compliant processes are followed diligently. This problem presents itself in Russia, as many people would like to do business there, but won’t risk it, as they aren’t confident it can be done compliantly...

Informal Entry Changes

December 01, 2012.
Trade Publications

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued a final rule regarding changes to what may be considered an “informal entry.” An “informal entry” has been any shipment valued at less than $2000. Anything valued at more than $2000 is considered a “formal entry” and...

U.S.-Panama Trade Promotion Agreement Implementation

November 15, 2012.
Trade Publications

The U.S. - Panama Trade Promotion Agreement was signed into law in October of 2011, however it was not implemented. President Barak Obama has proclaimed that it is effective as of October 31, 2012. Here is what you need to know about the U.S. – Panama...

Customs Recordkeeping Made Easy

November 11, 2012.
Trade Publications

Having trouble locating a specific customs record? Do you have to look through filing cabinets for old documents or travel offsite and rummage though boxes and files to find a customs entry? U.S. Customs requires that importers retain their records for a period of 5 years. This...