Import Export Consulting Services: 5 Important Benefits

Import export consulting services play an important role in logistics. After all, on the surface, importing and exporting items across the country or even the world may seem easy enough, but that’s not always true. These consultants must deal with distribution and warehousing, banks, customs brokers, and even government entities to ensure timely delivery of goods. What other benefits do consulting firms offer?

Using import export consulting services provides 5 important benefits:

• Potential cost savings compared to other avenues
• Less time spent on labor-intensive tasks
• Customs compliance support so goods get where they need to go faster
• The opportunity to form a range of useful partnerships
• More efficiency and productivity

In this article, we will dive deep into each of the above benefits, explaining them in full. If you’re wondering whether it’s better to use a consulting firm for importing/exporting or if you should do it yourself, this article will answer all your questions.

The 5 Benefits of Import Export Consulting Services

1. Potential Cost Savings

When your company decides to work with any third party, one factor that will guide that choice is the potential to save money. After all, no business wants to spend more than they have to. Import export consultants understand this, which is why they strive to reduce costs in any way they can. Listed below are the ways that import export consultants can assist in cutting costs.

Classification Research

Imports and exports aren’t all classified the same way, although not every business knows this. By misclassifying some of what your company ships or receives, you could end up getting penalized and having to spend money unnecessarily on fines. 

When working with a consulting firm, they can review your company’s imports and exports and classify these appropriately. They will use the Harmonized System, which has been around since 1988. The World Customs Organization founded the Harmonized System, which nearly 200 countries use to this day.

Under the Harmonized System, all exports or imports receive a code that’s at least six digits long. Other countries may make the code seven or more digits. For instance, in India, the code is eight digits.

Whether it’s a new product—in which correct classification is of the utmost importance—or an old product, a consulting service will ensure the accuracy of your Harmonized System code. This will keep your company in compliance so your profitability isn’t at risk. 

Outsourcing

Another way you can save money with an import export consulting firm is by outsourcing for this service rather than paying for in-house professionals. You may not always need consultants, but hiring in-house staff means you pay for them year-round, even if you don’t always rely on their expertise.

Besides adding extra people to your payroll, there are all the expenses associated with a new hire. You have to pay for a job listing, then for the equipment and programs the new hire will use. They will also undergo training, which also costs money.

With an outsourced consulting firm, you utilize them when you need them. That’s more money padding your company’s collective pockets.

Auditing

Any consulting firm worth its salt will offer auditing services. Not only do these audits let you get a glimpse into import and export classification, but they serve another purpose. Audits also allow your company to save money.

How? When import and export consulting firms perform an audit, they look at your history of importing and exporting. They may also review your future import/export plans.

In some situations, you could be doing everything just fine with no opportunities to save money. In other cases, you’ll find you’re spending needlessly. The consulting firm can identify areas of overspending and help you hold on to more money.  

2. Save Time on Labor-Intensive Tasks

Saving cash is great, but did you know an import and export consulting firm can save you time as well? It’s true. If you’ve ever tried to conduct an import and export audit yourself, then you can attest to this. It’s a time-consuming process to say the least. This is even without factoring in any mistakes that are made during the audit that need to be fixed.

To this end, custom consultants can act as brokers. They’ll conduct any necessary audits, and even take care of completing customs paperwork for you. The work gets done correctly the first time, removing the need to go back and fix mistakes.

Also, you free up your schedule in a big way. You aren’t an import export consulting firm. When you pour your time into audits and paperwork, other necessary tasks around your company get put on the backburner. Now you can spend your time on what your company specializes in and let the consulting firm do the rest.

3. Customs Compliance Support

As we alluded to in the intro, importing and exporting goods isn’t always as simple as it seems. Many complexities exist that can make shipping goods time-consuming and/or difficult. Here are the issues you might run into when importing.

• Permits and Licensing., This varies from item to item in different parts of the world. For instance, if importing into the United States, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection or CBP determines which items can pass. If you try to import an item that needs a permit or license and you don’t have one, that will stop the progress of any shipment in its tracks.
• Determining Appropriate Port of Entry. Again, if we’re sticking to US imports as an example, there are ports of entry across the country. Some states have only one, though, which may not always be convenient. An import-export consultant will work with you to find the best port of entry based on your needs..
• Compliance Paperwork. For instance, the U.S. CBP gives you 15 days to do your entry forms from the day your item reaches its port of entry. These entry forms will ask for, among other things, your importer number. You cannot avoid the entry forms in most cases, even if the item you want to import doesn’t require a permit or license. Tricky commodities like medical devices come with even more red tape you'll need to be mindful. When you're trying to import medical devices to the U.S. or bring in another highly regulated product, it helps to have a reliable partner by your side.

What if you’re exporting goods instead? This comes with its own set of challenges, although they’re not always the same as dealing with imports. These issues include the following.

1. Choosing a market in which to ship to, which is often a part of a market entry strategy. This would follow up an export business plan, in which you map out the short-term and long-term goals of exporting goods. By researching, you can determine the markets that may be the most receptive to your exported products.
2. Understanding the regulations that surround exports, especially those in the US. After all, just like with imported goods, you sometimes need a permit or an export license to send out certain goods. According to Export.gov, these items include civilian and military dual-use products and more.
3. Selecting foreign buyers who may have an interest in your products, which you can conduct business with.
4. Financing your exports, which can prove difficult for up-and-coming businesses with limited capital. In the US, you can seek export financing programs, of which there are types. These are investment project financing, international buyer financing, facilities development financing, and working capital/export development funding.

Now that you understand more about the processes of both importing and exporting goods, you can clearly see the many areas in which difficulties may arise. This is where having a trade consulting service on your side can really help.

They can make sure you’re in export compliance. That export control can come quite in handy in avoiding damaging penalties. If you deal in international imports, a compliance program can also greatly help your company.

Such a compliance program may include elements like:

• Training
• Recordkeeping
• A list of prohibited imports or exports
• Re-transferred items
• Technical data on items

Besides their trade compliance, customs brokerage consultants can also work with you to solve the challenges you might face during importing/exporting. For example, what would you do if your product didn’t get delivered on time because of a delay? You now have a frustrated customer wondering where their package is when you can’t do much to speed up the delivery.

Maybe your goods get held up at customs because you don’t have a permit or license. You might have tried to send out a product that isn’t accepted through the CBP. Now you’re not sure what to do.

Your consultant will step in during these tight situations and give you guidance that could prevent a recurrence of such an issue.

4. Access to Valuable Partnerships

To make importing and exporting goods happen, you need logistics experts.. If you’re lacking in these areas, do you have partners you can call on to fill in the gaps?

It depends on what type of business you are. Given that you’re importing or exporting products, you’re probably a retailer or a goods manufacturer of some sort. You may have a small logistics team and a warehouse or two, but you’d need to expand. The problem is, you’re not sure who else to reach out to.

Allow your import and export consulting firm to help. The term Rolodex might not be used so much anymore, but that’s essentially what your firm is. They have a lengthy contacts list with all sorts of relevant parties for your importing and exporting needs. These include logistics companies, freight and other transportation options, warehousing, and so much more.

Your consultants putting you in touch with these parties once again saves you time. Their suggestions spare you from the trial and error of trying to find logistics and warehousing third-party companies yourself. You’d only have online reviews to go off, and those sometimes paint a different picture than reality.

Also, you have the confidence of knowing you made the right choice for launching your own supply chain. Since you already trust in the import and export consultant, you’re more likely to trust in their recommendations, too. The consulting firm can vouch for these third parties. Overall then, you’re likely to have a pleasant, even long-term business relationship with these parties.

Cananda is a major trade partner with the United States. Working with an import/export consultant who specializes in doing business with the land north of the border can make the process simply and hassle free. If you need help importing goods from Canada, our experts can help you.

5. Improved Productivity and Efficiency

We saved one of the most significant benefits for last. That is, by working with an import and export consulting service, it’s possible to see an increase in both productivity and efficiency for your business.

How? Allow us to go through the services a consulting firm may offer and explain how your company’s productivity and efficiency could see a boost.

Voluntary Disclosures Can Help in the Case of a Violation

Your consulting firm may ask you to consider using voluntary disclosures in the event of a compliance violation you’re aware of. These violations may include license exceptions or exports and imports without a license when the item required one.

These mistakes happen, but a voluntary disclosure lets agencies know you strive to meet compliance and didn’t intend damages through your mistake. That could lessen penalties if they come to pass.

As you can imagine, a violation of any magnitude can curtail both productivity and efficiency. While a company won’t run completely like normal during a violation, with a voluntary disclosure, the matter can be dealt with head-on. That could drive a faster resolution, taking away less valuable time from your business.

Compliance Programs Keep Imports and Exports on Track

Speaking of violations, they again attest to the need for a compliance program for your company through the consulting firm. When you import and export goods, it’s on you to know the item has the right licensing/permit (if necessary), the item is classified correctly, and it meets all government regulations. These can include regulations from the Food and Drug Administration or FDA as well as the Environmental Protection Agency or EPA depending on what you’re shipping.

As part of a compliance program, your consulting firm may offer the following services:

• Compliance training
• Audits and valuations
• Classification lessons
• Risk assessments
• Recordkeeping
• Entry documentation

Recommended Third Parties Make for a Seamless Working Relationship

We mentioned this in the last section, but when a consultancy firm recommends third parties, they’re usually trustworthy and reliable. They can assist in your company goals, as well as efficiency and productivity.

Commodity Jurisdictions Leave No Stone Unturned

Certain jurisdictions rule over the products you import or export. These include the Commerce Control List or CCL and the U.S. Munitions List or USML. The USML has 21 different categories and the CCL 10, so there’s certainly room for error.

You don’t want to guess wrong on the jurisdiction, though, as it can halt the progress of your imported or exported goods. If you run into a bind with jurisdictions, feel free to rely on your consulting team. They can quickly tell you which jurisdiction the good belongs to so that items get on the way to their destination on time.

Choosing the Right Licenses Reduces Penalty Risk

We’ve talked about the need for licenses throughout this article. Not every good requires a license, but for those that do, you can’t go without. Otherwise, you risk your items getting stopped and your company getting punished.

There are several types of licenses a company that deals in imports or exports may need. These include:

• DSP-83 Temporary Export License
• DSP-5 Permanent Export License
• Bureau of Industry and Security or BIS license
• Export Administration Regulations or EAR license

Your consulting firm can walk you through each of these licenses, explaining what they are, where and how to get them, and when you need them. Now, there’s never any need to second-guess whether you’ll have the right license to import or export goods.

Consulting Services Through USA Customs Clearance

A customs consulting service can provide many benefits to a company that makes or sells goods. Consulting firms save time with audits and outsourcing, improve productivity and efficiency, and they can even connect you with warehouses and logistics companies. A good consultant can also help you understand compliance, licenses, and the general ins and outs of importing and exporting.  We specialize in import/export consulting no matter where you're doing business.

If you’re seeking an import consultant, USA Customs Clearance is ready to help. We can help you handle everything from importing machinery to fruits and vegetables and more. We offer phone consultations to answer your importing and exporting questions. Our company can also assist you in getting a customs bond. These are necessary when importing commercial items into the US that costs $2,500 or more. This bond is mandatory for the customs clearance process.

To learn more or discuss getting your own customs bond today, click the link below or call 855-912-0406.