Author name: Arthur O'Meara

Calm realism, disciplined process, and freedom through precision In trade, as in life, denial is expensive. The Stockdale Paradox teaches that we must confront the brutal facts of our situation while maintaining unwavering faith in our ability to endure and succeed. Stoicism meets Zen here: both demand clear perception without attachment to outcomes. The Stoic […]

“Protect yourself at all times.” Frankie Dunn’s advice to his fighter in Million Dollar Baby might as well be carved into every importer’s compliance manual. It’s also the first rule of surviving a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) audit. CBP expects importers to exercise reasonable care to take the same prudent steps a knowledgeable person

When Customs and Border Protection (CBP) asks how you arrived at your tariff classification, they are not making polite conversation. They want to know whether your decision was based on a reasoned analysis or a lucky guess. A classification justification is the documented reasoning behind your chosen Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) code. It is one

Every importer has asked the same question: Am I using the right HTS code?  It’s not small talk. That string of digits decides whether you’re paying the correct duties or quietly bleeding money. And Customs will eventually let you know which one it is. Why HTS Codes Matter The Harmonized Tariff Schedule is supposed to

When you’re in the middle of a shipment and hear of your competitor’s products hitting the U.S. market at a lower landed cost, it’s hard not to ask the obvious question: How are they getting away with that (or rather, how long CAN they get away with that)? It’s not because they’ve cracked some secret

If you’re importing something cutting-edge, niche, or just plain weird, chances are you’ve stared at the Harmonized Tariff Schedule and thought: Where the hell does this go? You’re not alone. In fact, many importers dealing with innovative or hybrid products find themselves stuck in HTS purgatory. Their products are too specific for broad categories, too

If you’ve ever scrolled through the Harmonized Tariff Schedule with a mild sense of dread and a strong cup of coffee, you’re not alone. Product classification is where many importers go off the rails. Rookies and veterans alike find themselves in deep trouble when mistakes occur.  The stakes are high: misclassification can lead to tariff

Most U.S. compliance professionals know that Customs and Border Protection (CBP) expects importers to exercise reasonable care—but few realize just how unusual that concept is when compared to how other federal agencies handle mistakes and diligence. Let’s start with my working definition of “reasonable care.”  There are other definitions, but this is what I use

Nothing stays static for long in international trade. Not your products, not the market, and certainly not the way Customs views your shipments. So what happens when you tweak a product design, change a key component, or bundle in a new feature? Do you still get to use the same HTS code? Short answer: maybe

Sets (or kits, for the general public), represent a unique tariff classification challenge.  This is because they generally do not have an easily identifiable identity other than “just a box of stuff we sell to rebuild a motor” or make a meal (see below). If you’ve ever tried to assign an HTS code to a