International Trade Blog

One of my favorite aspects of working with our customers is getting their feedback about the export processes and systems they use and love. However, there are some instances when I hear things that make me cringe.

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In many ways, exporting is like hiring a marketing firm to represent you. With marketing, you have several options: You can do all of your work in-house with your own staff, you can hire freelancers, you can hire an agency, or you can do a combination of all of them.

Exporting works similarly—you can do everything yourself, you can hire vendors like freight forwarders to take care of parts of the process for you, or you can do a combination of both. The goal, of course, is to find resources that can help you do it efficiently.

But there’s something you must remember about both of these partnerships. No matter how you do it, you have to actively manage all the pieces of the process.

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The proforma invoices you use for your exports are quotations prepared to resemble commercial invoices. They lead your negotiation process, and if they are correct, the final commercial invoice you prepare for your buyer will closely resemble the proforma.

As straightforward as these documents appear, it’s important to carefully complete the document, paying special attention to these three things:

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When you first venture into international shipping, it’s easy to get overwhelmed by unfamiliar terms.

As an exporter, understanding the parties involved in international logistics and using the correct language is key to understanding everyone's role in the export process. It will facilitate clear communication so that you, your customer, and your logistics partners are on the same page, ensuring your shipment gets where it needs to be on time—and that you get paid on time!

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As our neighbor to the North, Canada is often the first place many U.S. exporters look to share their goods. And for good reason! A shared language, shared culture, and excellent economic relationship with Canada makes doing business there appealing to new and established exporters.

In this article, I’ll look at the history of U.S. trade with Canada; how NAFTA and now the USMCA has altered trade with Canada; the process of exporting to Canada, including documentation and compliance requirements; and the benefits and considerations for U.S. companies looking to break into the Canadian market.

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When exporters think about their company’s export compliance—if they think of it at all—they think about it on the back end of the export process. They probably check out the restricted parties lists and, hopefully, find out if a license is needed for shipping their goods.

But this isn’t good enough. To really be efficient and strategic, company staff need to be involved with compliance from the very beginning of the process.

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What does the Census Bureau have to do with international trade? More than you may think.

The government agency charged with counting the U.S. population every 10 years also has its eyes on your exports for two main reasons:

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At Shipping Solutions, we talk to dozens of exporters each week who are looking for information and help to grow their exports. These people typically recognize that something in their export process is broken, and they want to find a way to fix it.

But too often these people become frustrated by the pushback they get from their company leadership, their co-workers, or even their freight forwarders or customers when they try to implement changes. It reminds me of a well-known anecdote about collective behavior that illustrates how difficult change can be:

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As an exporter, you must be concerned with the proper classification of your goods and products.

I hear from many exporters who are confused about the Export Control Classification Number (ECCN) classification for their product and the Harmonized System (HS), Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS), and Schedule B numbers of their products.

First, it’s critical to understand that these classification systems have different purposes.

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Before you calculate your final selling price and negotiate a sales contract, you and your buyer must agree upon who is responsible for the expense of transporting and insuring the merchandise from the time it leaves your plant or warehouse to the time it arrives at your customer's premises.

To assist in this process, the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) has created a generally accepted, readily understandable nomenclature called Incoterms 2020 that defines the responsibilities of both the buyer and seller in the various transportation options.

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