The customs agent is an auxiliary professional of the customs public function, whose license enables him before the National Customs Service to provide services to third parties as a manager in the clearance of goods. The Customs Agency is the organization supported by such agent.
The role of the customs agency is the clearance of goods, including procedures, procedures and other operations that are carried out before Customs in relation to imports and exports. The customs agency provides services to third parties as a manager in the clearance of goods and intermediary between importers and exporters and Customs. The contracting of its services is mandatory for imports above 1,000 dollars and exports greater than 2,000 dollars.
Things to consider when choosing your customs agency
#1: Level of service
The customs agency can influence several aspects of its import, such as the delay in the reservation of ships and the documentary management. A good level of service will ensure that their needs are met in terms of information, time and documents.
#2: Avoiding surprise charges
In addition to the prices for the efforts made by the customs agency, you should consider the stability of these in terms of not encountering unpleasant surprises. Customs agencies often make mistakes in management or receive charges from the supplier or agents in China and pass them on to their customers, arguing that they are “origin” charges. When saying charges of origin, they are not responsible for the changes and force the customer to make the payment.
If you wish to work with a customs agent, we recommend that you request a fixed a priori price to avoid changes in the rates after the products have already been purchased and you are traveling, as your project may be negatively affected. You can check out Clearit USA customs broker is you are importing through the US borders.
#3: Amount to import
The price level, the stability that these have and the quality of the service are the considerations that must be made when choosing the customs agency. Of course, if the amount you will buy is large, you will have access to better rates and a more dedicated service, while if your amount is low, you probably will not have many options or the best rates. Therefore, the amount that can be imported will also influence your choice. So be sure you know the amount of goods you are importing.