U.S. Customs and Border Protection Clarifies What Info Is Needed on Shipments Valued at Less Than $800

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U.S. Customs officials plan to issue a ruling this week intended to give border agents more transparency about the origin of imports destined for U.S. warehouses, improving their ability to police shipments for counterfeits and other illegal goods.

With the ruling, Customs and Border Protection aims to clarify what information some shippers must include about shipments valued at less than $800 that are heading to U.S. fulfillment centers and warehouses. Congress set that monetary threshold in 2016 as the amount at which goods can pass into the U.S. tax-free and with minimal documentation.

That law, which eased the flow of global e-commerce for retailers and consumers, also limited the amount of information shippers provided to Customs agents monitoring incoming goods for trademark violations, consumer-safety violations and other illegal behavior.

Note:  The ruling will require some shippers in the U.S. who want to import shipments under the $800 threshold to provide information about the foreign seller before the goods can enter the U.S. and continue to a warehouse to await a U.S. buyer.