Most of you know about the great resources offered
by the U.S. government to exporters. The government is very interested in promoting the
sale of U.S. products to other countries so you wouldn't expect them to be much of a
resource for importers.
Well, you'd be wrong. There are lots of ways to use
government resources to help you as an importer as well as an exporter.
Start by going to http://www.cbp.gov/linkhandler/cgov/toolbox/publications/trade/iius.ctt/iius.pdf
and read the important U.S. government-published document, "Importing into the United
States."
It doesn't matter if you're an importer living in the U.S.
or a resident of another nation wishing to sell to the U.S., the book is definitely a
resource you'll want to review.
You'll learn how U.S. Customs is organized, required
documentation for imports, how duty is assigned, how to classify products, marking
requirements, prohibitions and lots more. You'll definitely want to bookmark this page.
If you don't already have it bookmarked, make it a point to
visit the U.S. Government's Trade Information Center at http://www.trade.gov/td/tic/
While this is designed to promote exports from the U.S., it
has a lot of information that can be useful to importers as well. For instance, click on
Country Information then click on any continent. You can then identify any country(s) you
wish to learn more about.
Although much of the information focuses on paperwork,
regulations and duties on products imported into those countries, both importers and
exporters can use the valuable information about the country's standards for various
industrial equipment you may want to import, general economic information, news and
product-specific information. The more you learn about countries you're trading with, the
better off you'll be. This is a great resource for discovering that information.
If you're an importer, at some point you'll probably want
to contact the American Chamber of Commerce in your supplier country. A full directory
with links is available at http://www.uschamber.com/international/directory/default.htm
These chambers in overseas countries can be a great
resource for importers as well as exporters who want to make contacts in the foreign
country.
Every importer should check with U.S. Customs before
bringing any products into the country. The U.S. Customs website is http://www.customs.gov/xp/cgov/import/
Here you'll find everything from duty rates to
international agreements, carriers, ports and lots more. If you're an exporter, you can
learn about export documents, licenses and other requirements.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration site at http://www.fda.gov/ora/ is important if you're planning
to import any of these products into the country. The more you know in advance, the
smoother your transaction will be.
Copyright 2006 by Dennis Hessler |
