Your Broker Knows Blog

There is simply no other way to put it, for Customs and Border Protection, trade is at the forefront of their focus, and that means at ports of entry there is increased enforcement against non-compliance. The means of detecting infractions are becoming increasingly sophisticated, and mistakes that may have gone undetected in the past are being brought to light with even greater effectiveness.

If you have been keeping abreast of the news over the past few months, you’ll know that there is a possibility of a refund on overpaid tariffs. In contemplating what the process of managing this refund might look like, we are brought to a highly relevant topic, namely, how the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) processes corrections related to your imports. This is important information not only because it is a vital tool for ensuring accurate filing and the proper payment of duties, but also because it will likely be the mechanism used to process any potential refunds.

If your import business involves making payments to Customs and Border Protection, then now is the time to register with the CBP Automated Clearinghouse (ACH). This service is uniquely qualified to help US importers have clarity and order even during tumultuous moments in the international marketplace, and once you are registered, the benefits are many and nearly instantaneous.

Audits are increasing in 2025, there’s no two ways about it - US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is on the lookout for gaps and anomalies in import declarations across the board. In March alone, CBP completed 71 audits and identified $310 million in lapsed duties and fees owed to the US Government. They also found an additional $49 million from previous fiscal years.

We have talked at length about the good and bad of tariffs in the past few weeks, but one of the questions we haven’t quite dived into is the one that perhaps deserves the most attention: What can actually be done to help you navigate increased costs tied to new duties and tariffs? The answer is, fortunately, quite a bit.

The US government has released its official “America First” Trade Policy, and the changes listed represent a significant shift in focus for the US and its relationship to the international marketplace. With these changes on the horizon, it is worth examining and understanding some of the subject matter discussed in this policy, as knowing what is proposed in this document could be incredibly important for importers, exports, and international businesses of all kinds.

Canada and the US appear to be headed to a place of some tension when it comes to international trade. With a proposed tariff of 25% on Canadian goods looming on the horizon and some indications suggesting their implementation could happen at any point in the coming months, importing into the US from Canada could very easily become more complex very quickly.

Did you know that there are sections of the US where foreign goods are considered outside the US for the purposes of collecting duties and taxes? It’s true, and the role of Foreign Trade Zones in global supply chains is significant and a valuable addition to the international trade toolbox. These zones lend themselves to several creative uses that can provide options and cost savings for the businesses that put them to work. If you are intrigued by this idea and curious as to whether or not these foreign trade zones (FTZ) can be used effectively by your business, then you are invited to read on.

Whether in the US, Canada, or anywhere in the world, when an administration changes, change often comes with it. That change can often manifest in the form of shifted international trade relations as newly elected officials pursue different priorities and push forward new ideas on how their nation fits into the world marketplace. For this reason, new tariffs, regulations, agreements, and shifting trade negotiations can be high on the political agenda.

Let’s imagine a scenario. You are a company that imports garments from a manufacturer in India, and right now there is something of a boom for your particular kind of garment. Someone famous wore one at a televised event, and now whatever it is you are making is the talk of the town. So, you ramp up production and begin importing them on a large scale from a factory that makes them in India.