Direct filing (of Customs entries and Importer Security Filing) was a concept introduced to the industry by proactive importers and a powerful tool developed by Customs automation experts.
Prior to today’s disruptive innovation, an importer’s only feasible option for Customs clearance was to outsource the transaction to a Customs Broker. Importers’ now have direct access to solutions enabling them to eliminate the unnecessary intermediary and improve supply chain efficiency, lower costs, and avoid unnecessary Customs penalties. Best of all, it is available in the cloud; track your shipments from any computer with an Internet connection.
5 – Technology Minimizes Time
From a comprehensive parts database, templates for repetitive entries, auto-fill capabilities, manifest visibility, and immediate CBP status updates, the entry management process can now be fully automated. Today’s IT has reduced the time it takes to file: complete an ISF in seconds, an entry in minutes.
4 – You Already Prep & Audit the Filing
The majority of US importers are already providing the essential entry and ISF data to the broker’s agency and completing a post entry audit. In most cases, an employee of the brokerage firm simply reformats the data and pushes a button to send it to CBP. Streamlining the process in-house will improve your productivity and take pressure off your internal resources. An employee of the importer of record does not need Customs broker’s license to direct file.
3 – Be First in Line
Unfortunately, competing interests exist inside brokerage firms. Nine times out of ten, “your” broker will address the needs of the largest importer first, leaving the small- and medium-sized importers on hold. Utilize your expertise in-house; you own the information and have it when you need it.
2 – Cost Savings
Direct filing can drastically reduce an importer’s cost to clear their goods. A broker’s bill is sometimes a “laundry list” of random charges and can result in a total entry and ISF cost upwards of $225. Filing in-house can cost as little as $20 per entry and $3 per ISF.
1 – You are the Ultimate Expert of Your Business
No one knows more about your product line or the goods than your own employees. From classification to import practices, employees typically have access to detailed information about the product being imported as well as the intuition to understand what is correct or incorrect when it comes to entry data. No one will take greater care in the preparation and processing of an entry than your own employees, which will ultimately lead to fewer mistakes and higher levels of compliance.
