Apparel / Textiles & Accessories

Note for shipments to the United States:low-value goods have new customs requirements,and sellers have been returned!

Recently,a small partner said that they received an email saying that Amazon America has issued an announcement stating that there are new customs requirements for low-value goods shipped to the United States.

The content of the announcement is as follows:

The U.S.Customs and Border Protection(CBP)has issued a new shipping guide that explains how to properly ship your goods to Amazon fulfillment centers in the United States.

The new guidelines will require sellers to provide correct information in the correct format to help ensure that your inventory is not detained or delayed by CBP during the import process.In order for FBA goods to be eligible for duty-free entry(Section 3216)into the United States,sellers must provide CBP with information about their identity(legal person or company name)through a shipping list or customs entry filing.

It is recommended that you use the following format:

1.[Legal name,enter company name or legal person name]c/o

2.FBA Amazon logistics center address

To learn more about how to properly format commodity owners in customs documents,please refer to the"CBP Guidelines".It is recommended that sellers consult the carrier or customs broker used for guidance.

In general,the new customs shipping guidelines require sellers to use the correct format as documents to ensure the accuracy of the information and ensure that the goods are not detained or delayed by the customs or CBP during the customs clearance process.

It is understood that this new regulation is only for low-value goods,and goods that do not meet the requirements will be detained or delayed.At present,some sellers stated that their goods have been returned for this reason.There are also many sellers who said that during this period,the US Customs should be stricter,and that a lot of goods have been returned recently,for various reasons.Remind everyone to pay attention to the new regulations when shipping!

The shipping schedule is seriously delayed!Shipping company adjusted the schedule of multiple voyages,involving Qingdao/Ningbo/Xiamen/Yantian/Nansha/Hong Kong,etc.

On April 22,Maersk issued an announcement stating that its trans-Pacific route will be severely delayed in 2021,mainly due to continued congestion at North American ports.Recently,congestion in Asian ports,severe weather,and congestion on the Suez Canal have exacerbated this situation.This has directly led to an increase in ship turnaround time by 2 to 3 weeks compared to the normal situation,making the interval between some voyages departing from Asia more than 7 days.

Mediterranean Shipping also added that current market challenges have affected port operations,leading to increased port congestion and shipping delays.

Maersk further stated that it has deployed additional capacity to reduce the adverse impact,but due to insufficient available capacity,it is still unable to meet all needs.The company emphasized that it is currently actively deploying all ships in the fleet and ships that can be chartered to meet market challenges.

In view of this,the 2M Alliance has decided to adjust the related voyages of 10 trans-Pacific routes,involving Qingdao,Ningbo,Yantian,Nansha,Xiamen,Hong Kong and other Chinese ports,starting from May this year.However,trans-Pacific routes such as TP6/Pearl,TP10/Amberjack,and TP88/Pelican will not be affected by this adjustment for the time being.

The specific adjustments are as follows:

Workers in important ports in North America have begun a general strike,and logistics will be delayed indefinitely!

The Montreal dockworkers’union plans to start an indefinite strike on Monday after giving 72 hours’notice to their employers,which may also cause indefinite delays in logistics.

The Canadian dockworkers union CUPE 375 announced the move on Friday,less than two weeks after the last partial strike,when dockworkers refused to work overtime on weekdays or weekends,in response to MEA's suspension of guaranteed minimum wages.

The union,which represents more than 1,100 dockworkers,said that the overall strike was in response to the change in the regular work schedule from Monday after the Maritime Employers Association cancelled the minimum wage guarantee.

As the second busiest port in Canada,the Port of Montreal has been affected by this dispute,and its throughput fell by 11%in March.

Editor's Comment

According to data from the National Development and Reform Commission,from January to March 2021,China’s exports to the United States were 774.69 billion yuan,a year-on-year increase of 62.7%;imports were 302.53 billion yuan,a year-on-year increase of 57.9%.Since the Sino-US trade friction in 2019,under the influence of the epidemic,exports to the US have resumed substantial growth.

For textile companies,the large increase in freight rates that began in the second half of 2020 has left many textile foreign traders in deep memory.Some originally profitable orders turned into losses after the increased freight charges were included.At this stage,business is becoming more and more difficult.Not only must the order be received,but the goods must be delivered to the customer in time after the order is received.Every step of this involves greater risks than in the past.Weavers need to understand in time.Corresponding information to avoid unnecessary risks.