In recent years – for both importing and exporting – I’ve found that
carriers like UPS (http://www.ups.com/) and FedEx (http://www.fedex.com/us/) have made the
job of getting your goods from one country to the other a whole lot easier. UPS has a relatively new program called TradeAbility that lets
shippers estimate the landed cost of shipments. The nice thing about this service: it also
includes duties and taxes and even verifies compliance with international trade
regulations. You can access the service directly or, as is often the case, you can access
it through another Internet-based web service. As of now, this service is free and you can
receive the results instantly. Go to https://wwwapps.ups.com/tradeability to try it out.
Another service offered through UPS is TradeSense. It
includes a host of tools valuable to the international trader – both importer and
exporter. Some of these tools would have been worth their weight in gold if they’d
been around when I started in this business during the early 90s.
TradeSense Export can prepare forms, perform screening of
trade partners, and even generate reports that can be downloaded into other software for
reports or tracking. The best feature? It makes all this information available to trade
partners at the other end. Everything is transparent and easy.
TradeSense Drawback is another slick little program that
will help calculate and claim duty drawback. TradeSense Import does a lot of the work
normally performed by a customs broker and includes software that lets users file their
own entry information. This means, among other things, that it’s far easier to ensure
compliance with regulators (although you always want to check with Customs before making a
buy).
TradeSense Trade Data Repository is considered the
foundation of the TradeSense software suite. Put simply, it links product trade
information to key data elements so you can be sure you’re complying with the rules.
There’s more information about UPS TradeSense and further information on how to sign
up at http://www.ups-scs.com/international/tradesense.html
If you’re not ready to take advantage of some of the
“heavy hardware” offered by UPS, you can certainly take advantage of UPS’s
Customs Brokerage service. For many import transactions, UPS can simplify your customs
processing by providing just one broker who is available (by way of one of UPS’s
agents) ‘round the clock. They keep track of the transaction, keep copies of the
documents and even pay the duty and fees on your behalf (and then bill you, of course).
For small orders, samples and even somewhat larger orders,
I have used this service quite successfully. For shipping packages, they are quicker than
the postal service and in many parts of the world, are the only shipping service
available.
One of the most difficult product niches in which to trade
– at least in terms of quotas, regulations and restrictions – is the apparel and
textile industry. There are many special challenges in addition to the struggle to keep up
with current fashions! The UPS team keeps track of changing regulations in this hectic
industry and will keep you informed of changes as they impact you and your business.
Go to
http://www.ups-scs.com/international/specialty_trade.html to learn more about the tools
and services UPS provides to traders in this industry.
I don’t want anyone to think I am on the payroll of
UPS or any other service. I am not. I do believe, however, that the services offered by
these transportation companies can be just the ticket for global traders. Check out the
websites (I don’t have time to go into the particulars of the other delivery
companies here but they offer similar services) and see if they can be a match for you. I
have discovered they work well for many new and small-shipment traders. They might work
for you too.
On an unrelated subject, here’s a link to what UPS
calls their Media Room. Here you’ll find news stories related to international trade,
some excellent podcasts that feature small business conversations, and solutions to
problems and commentary from successful traders.
http://businessmonitor.ups.com/us_en/mediaroom.html
Copyright 2008 by Dennis Hessler |
