On Ask Liz Ryan, a yahoo group I belong to, to the question was posed: Does anyone have any experience importing items? Are there customs fees? Do I need a special license? Etc. Any advice would be appreciated.
My answer – quite lengthy - and this is only a fraction of what you need to know:
Hi Michelle,
For the last 16 years I've imported sterling silver jewelry and costume jewelry, accessories, handbags, frames, silk items, artisan goods, pottery, glassware, etc., from over 9 countries. And I don't know exactly what you are planning on importing but everything is different and you may need special licenses - depending on your product. There can be custom fees, duties, US Fish & Wildlife fees and restrictions.
Every country you are importing from is different. You can talk to US customs to try to get information from a customs broker. And you can check the Harmonized Tariff Schedule to see what the duties might be. But please do your homework before you import. Example - when I was importing glass items from Mexico, I took a sample to the FDA to make sure I could import it. The FDA told me I had to label it as "decorative". Every piece of sterling jewelry I imported had to be stamped with 925 and the country of origin. Should customs have checked my merchandise and it was not labeled properly, they could have stopped the shipment. So I always made sure I had everything labeled properly, my paperwork was done correctly and I had the proper licenses and insurance. Oh and I even tested the sterling at first to make sure it was 925.
Certain items may even be prohibited from coming into the United States. And some have quotas placed by the US. I was lucky to have a mentor when I started my importing business. He used to say that importing was a privilege not a right and one you can lose. Should you be sending your things via ocean freight, you also need special insurance to cover you against any harm that may occur during shipping - not just for the value of your merchandise. But for any harm that may occur should the ship run into another ship or any other type of damage. It's best to check with a shipping company on this.
I did see some suppliers from the US devalue their shipments in order to save money on duties. I never did. I wanted to sleep well at night.
So, there is a lot to importing jewelry and other items- although (believe it or not) it can be lots of fun.
Take care,
