Importers and Exporters struggle to keep their most closely guarded secrets.
Did you know that every piece of information on an ocean bill of lading is available to your competitor?
As an importer or exporter of merchandise, companies involved in international commerce are required to transmit business sensitive information to the United States Government. Every time your supplier ships your product (via ocean freight) from their factory to you in the United States, all of the information on the ocean Bill of Lading is collected and recorded by the Federal Government. This data is a key component of the trade statistics that the Federal Government generates. It tells us things like how our economy is doing, and if we’re importing more than exporting.
But, did you know that the specific information on each and every Bill of Lading is subject to public disclosure thanks to the Freedom of Information Act? That’s right, all of the information that you find on an ocean Bill of Lading is available to the public!
This information includes:
- Shipper
- Consignee
- Notify Party
- Commodity Description
- Marks
- Date
- Origin
- Destination
- and more.
The first company that began collecting and selling this trade information was PIERS: The Port Import/Export Reporting Service www.piers.com. In the past several years, others have also entered this market (IG Import Genius www.importgenius.com, Zepol: www.zepol.com, and there are probably several more).
This means that if you want to snoop on your competitor and find out who they’re buying from or who they’re selling to, then this information is very valuable. On the flip side, if you are trying to keep your competitors from finding out how you are able to buy such high quality items at such great prices, then you really don’t want this information out there for the world to see.
So, is there a solution? Can you prevent your information from showing up on these different trade data sites? The good news is that there is a solution, and the answer is quite straight forward. The key to keeping your sourcing information confidential is to prevent it from being released to companies like PIERS in the first place. Once the request is received and updated in CBP’s (Customs & Border Protection’s) system, your manifest information will not be released for a period of two years.
A subsequent request must be filed at least 60 days prior to the end of the two year period to assure there is no gap. Here is a link to the Federal Regulations specific to FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) as it applies to Import and Export manifest information. Title 19 Customs Duties Part 103 Availability of Information.
If you would like ACM Logistics & Consulting Inc to help you with this request, please complete the ‘Contact Us’ link on our website and we’ll be happy to assist you!
Remember, ACM Logistics & Consulting Inc specializes in helping importers and exporters make sense of all this, and your supply chain secrets really can be secret!
If you’re moving to the United States of America and want to bring all of your stuff with you, then this article is meant for you.
The good news is that, apart from a couple of restrictions, you are able to bring your Household Goods and Personal Effects into the US Duty Free! As long as you follow the rules and submit correctly completed forms, the only thing you will have to worry with is getting over your jet lag.
These are the documents you will need to submit to US Customs:
- CBP Form 3299: DECLARATION FOR FREE ENTRY OF UNACCOMPANIED ARTICLES
- CBP Form 3299 Supplemental Declaration
- Copy of your arriving airline boarding pass (recommended)
- Copy of your passport (required)
- Copy of your residency permit (if you need one)
- Copy of the Cargo BL (Ocean Bill of Lading) or AWB (Airway Bill)
- Copy of Packing List (with descriptions, values and country of origin)
Also, don’t forget the ISF (Importer Security Filing) for all ocean freight shipments.
Remember, ACM Logistics & Consulting Inc specializes in helping new importers make sense of all this. Give us a call or send us an email and we’ll be happy to assist.
Oh, and welcome to the USA! Or for all you Ex Pats, welcome home!
If you’ve never imported anything into the United States, this article is meant for you.
The good news is that there are so many new importers that the US Government has dedicated an entire section of a website just to you! The part of the US Government in charge of imports is CBP (Customs and Border Protection), part of DHS, (Department of Homeland Security).
Here is the site. . . . . Happy reading! 
This page may seem a bit overwhelming. The page is set up so you can find every bit of detail from this one launch page. What I recommend is that you start with the article Importing into the United States. It’s 211 pages and it goes over all of the basic stuff:
- Who can import
- What you need to import
- Duty rates of your commodity
- How to determine entered value
- What is a Customs Broker
- and a host of other basic import regulations
Remember, ACM Logistics & Consulting Inc specializes in helping new importers make sense of all this. Give us a call or send us an email and we’ll be happy to assist.
Oh, and good luck with your new venture!