Shipping goods internationally comes with complications. In this article, we review these nuances and discuss how a premium logistics partner can help.
Fashion companies frequently send air courier and air cargo consignments for photo shoots, press events and other urgent purposes, requiring swift yet exacting navigation through customs and regulatory compliance administrations. Express couriers and freight forwarders play a critical role in this process, helping to ensure the expeditious and legal transit of goods. Here's a detailed look at how they assist:
- Pre-Shipping Preparation
- Documentation and Permits
Express couriers and freight forwarders can help prepare and manage all necessary documentation required for international shipping. This includes:
- Commercial Invoices: Detailing the value, quantity, and description of the goods, including HS codes.
- CITES Permits, where applicable: Necessary for items made from endangered species.
- Certificates of Origin, where applicable: To help determine applicable customs duties.
- ATA Carnets, where applicable: To negate duties and taxes for shipments that aren’t staying at their destination.
While it is the responsibility of the brand to stand behind, and legally create, the documentation needed, their shipping partner can and should be prepared to assist in any part of this process. Shipping partners can also help consult on what types of documents are necessary or advantageous (for speed or tariff reduction purposes) to create for any shipment a brand may have.
- Customs Classification and Tariff Codes
Correctly classifying goods under the importing jurisdiction’s Harmonized System (HS) is essential for determining customs duties. Express couriers and freight forwarders have expertise in identifying the appropriate HS codes for fashion items, ensuring accurate duty calculations.
- Customs Clearance
- Entry Submission
Express couriers and freight forwarders submit required customs entry and supplementary documentation to the relevant authorities in the importing jurisdiction, such as the Automated Export System (AES) in the U.S. or the Customs Handling of Import and Export Freight (CHIEF) in the UK, as well as others. This ensures pre-clearance and reduces delays.
- Payment of Duties and Taxes
As a part of the customs clearance process, express couriers and freight forwarders validate the calculation of, and arrange the payment of all applicable duties, taxes, and fees. This includes import VAT, customs duties, and any other levies.
- Handling Inspections
Customs or other regulatory authorities may inspect shipments. Express couriers and freight forwarders manage these inspections, ensuring all regulations are adhered to and mitigating risk of delays, fines and seizures.
- Temporary Imports and ATA Carnets
For consignments sent temporarily for a variety of fashion related purposes, express couriers and freight forwarders can arrange temporary import permits or ATA Carnets. Carnets act as a passport for goods, allowing temporary importation without paying duties, provided the items are re-exported within a specified period.
- Compliance with Specific Regulations
- CITES Compliance
For items made from protected species, such as exotic leather goods, express couriers and freight forwarders help ensure compliance with CITES regulations, obtaining the necessary permits and documentation when needed.
- Textile and Apparel Regulations
In certain instances, express couriers and freight forwarders also navigate specific regulations related to textiles and apparel, such as labeling requirements, safety standards, and any restrictions on materials used.
Express couriers and freight forwarders often provide consultancy services to educate fashion companies about regulatory changes, best practices in logistics, and ways to optimize their supply chain. They may offer training sessions to ensure company staff understand compliance requirements.
Conclusion
Express couriers and freight forwarders are invaluable partners for fashion companies shipping goods internationally for photo shoots, press events and other urgent projects brands may have. Logistics companies’ expertise in documentation, customs classification, tariff codes, and compliance with regulations like CITES ensures that consignments navigate through customs expeditiously and legally. By managing logistics from pre-shipping preparation to post-arrival support, express couriers and freight forwarders enable fashion companies to focus on their core activities, confident that their shipments will arrive on time and in compliance with all relevant regulations.
Our next and last article in this series will focus on what a brand should look for in its express shipping partner, ensuring that it is engaging the right logistics company to secure comportment with customs, compliance and sustainability regulations while allowing for the swiftest transport as well as the most leveraged cost efficiency for each of its most important shipments and projects.