U.S. Customs and Border Security for FBA Shipments

To help ensure smoother transportation, we have compiled some tips and tricks for you to follow.

DECLARATION VALUE

You are shipping 10 units of the "LeapFrog Magic Adventures Telescope". You plan to list it on Amazon for USD $70. A search on Amazon.com shows that the retail value is USD $85.99. Although you are planning to list the item for USD $70, the declared value MUST be USD $85.99.

VALUE DECLARATION EXAMPLE

You are shipping 10 units of the "LeapFrog Magic Adventures Telescope". You plan to list it on Amazon for USD $70. A search on Amazon.com shows that the retail value is USD $85.99. Although you are planning to list the item for USD $70, the declared value MUST be USD $85.99.

WHAT HAPPENS AT CUSTOMS

During the clearance process, U.S. Customs and Border Protection may open your box to verify the declaration. To validate the declared value, they will search the product on Amazon.com to see the prevailing retail price. This price will be used to assess whether your shipment is within the limit of USD $800. In the example above, using the prevailing retail price on Amazon.com, your shipment will be considered over the limit and it would be rejected with a fine.

TIPS AND TRICKS

Here are some guidelines to help you adhere to U.S. Customs and Border Protection regulations:

Ensure you have declared the correct market retail value by leveraging the example above.

On your FBA box, attach a document that states the product’s ASIN number, quantity of units, the market retail value, and the total value of the box.

Example:

ASIN: 123456789

# UNITS IN BOX: 10

RETAIL MARKET VALUE: USD $85.99

TOTAL BOX VALUE: USD $859.90

IMPORTANT NOTE: Sometimes, between the time that you prepare your declaration and ship your box, the retail market value can change enough to bring your total box value over the USD $800 limit. We recommend keeping your total box value closer to USD $700 to allow for this potential fluctuation.

FDA REGULATED ITEMS

FDA regulated items (in general, any item that goes into the mouth or is absorbed by the skin) cannot be shipped to the U.S. For a comprehensive list of FDA regulated items, CLICK HERE.

PROHIBITED PRACTICES

We have a mutual responsibility to comply with customs regulations to ensure the efficient transportation of your packages without penalties. The following practices are strictly prohibited:

Mis-declaration of your shipment value in an attempt to add more units to a box.

Mis-declaration of the shipment contents.

Smuggling of FDA regulated items mis-declared as something else.

Attempts to exploit U.S. customs laws and regulations may result in being flagged by customs and, in extreme circumstances, they have the authority to ban your company from shipping across the border altogether.

ShipSavvy reserves the right to fine your account, and in rare circumstances of repeated mis-declarations, ban you from using our services.