What to do when goods are arrived but not available for pickup?

This happens many times when consignees have to deal with a situation when their goods are arrived at the destination port or land but not available for final clearance. Usually, importers need to file a Bill of Entry in order to clear the container. It has to be filed within 30 days of the arrival of goods to the department of customs. But, in case, the importer fails to file the bill of entry then the cargo can be resold by the custodian. Shipment from outside of the United States is quite a complex procedure for those who are not really aware of it. You need to be prepared with proper customs bonds and other requirements.

There are many key documents that can affect your transaction and the final delivery of goods can be delayed, such as:

•          Bill of landing
•          Certificate of origin
•          Commercial invoice
•          Packaging list
•          Letter of credit
•          Customs bond
•          Import license for specific goods

It is not easy for companies and businesses to fully understand the rules and regulations of international transaction. They often make mistakes and upon poor decisions, sometimes they have to cost heavy penalties. The best way to avoid common lapse is to stay connected with your freight forwarder or carrier during a transaction. Here some reasons are given below for unavailable cargo:

Absence of Cargo Arrival Notice (CAN)

The Cargo Arrival Notice (CAN) plays an important role in both importer and exporter. Once after arrival of goods at the final destination, the carrier of goods needs to the consignee on such arrival with details. In case, the importer does not receive any CAN (as it is not mandatory always), the importer can miss the delivery date. Carrier also tells the consignee if there is an issue of insufficient customs bonds NY.

Customs clearance problems

Many merchandisers utilize services of a freight forwarding company for customs clearance of their goods. The freight company then hire licensed customs brokers whose duty is to prepare required documents and submit them to the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) on behalf of the original owner of the cargo. Then the custom department of the country do a thorough inspection of the shipment and if officials find any misleading information or wrong continuous import bond amount, they can hold the cargo, until all documents found explicit.

LCL Deconsolidation

Load (FCL) and Less than Container Load (LCL). LCL is the best way to save money in a transaction via ocean vessel. You need to share space in LCL shipment in which all goods are consolidated at the origin and then deconsolidated at the destination by Container Freight Station (CFS). So, even after your goods arrive at the desired location, you may still need to wait until the deconsolidation is done.

Unpaid duties and taxes

If you are doing commercial importing and your cargo’s total value exceeds the amount $2,500, it becomes mandatory to obtain customs bonds. The purpose of the continuous import bond is to guarantee the payment of duties and taxes levied against the value of the shipment. There are certain commodities which are not allowed to enter the country before special permissions by the particular federal department. Like if you’re importing foods, you would require taking permission from the FDA.