customs clearance

This is a guest post by Luka Marin. Peak season can make overseas shipping feel less predictable. Rates move quickly. Space can tighten before many businesses expect it. Schedules can also change [...]

Import fraud enforcement is at an all-time high. Consider following: Why the Crackdown? Large factors in government enforcement increases on tariff evasion and import fraud are the creation of [...]

Today’s post is an important one for importers looking to get tariff refunds. The key takeaway for shippers will be to make sure they’re registered with CBP’s Automated [...]

This is a guest post by Ellie Gabel. Many overseas shipments stall before leaving the factory. Oftentimes, it is due to supplier gaps, which cause costly delays and forced rework. Whether it is a [...]

This is a guest post by James Burk. U.S. businesses import products to scale operations, but the border presents significant challenges. U.S. Customs and Border Protection enforces strict rules. [...]

This is a guest post by Jake Cavanaugh. A shipment misses its deadline. Customs flags the wrong forms. A truck arrives at the wrong warehouse dock. These things don’t just happen in theory. They [...]

This is a guest post by Jane Dillman. Despite slightly uncertain geopolitics, global trade still presents huge opportunities for business owners and operators. Of course, that’s only true as [...]

This is a guest post by Rabab Toor. There is a lot of red tape involved in customs export paperwork, making international shipping a risky business. This article will go over nine shipping [...]

This is a guest post by Patrica Garcia. Customs regulations when shipping internationally are a crucial aspect of global trade. For U.S. businesspeople, understanding these rules is not just [...]

This is a guest post by Maggie Simpson. As the backbone of the global economy, international trade has its own history and quirks. Buckle up as we get the lowdown on some of the most bizarre [...]

This is a guest post by Jake Rheude. The final days of 2020 ended with some of China's highest container rates in recent memory coupled with port congestion, space demands, and other metrics [...]

For many, today couldn't get here quickly enough. At midnight tonight, we say goodbye to 2020 and hello to 2021, hoping for a better year. Traditionally, Universal Cargo has said goodbye to years [...]

The United States Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) issued rule changes to two sets of export laws and a proposal to change a third. The changes that are now final rules will go into effect  [...]

This blog is the publishing of a letter from Universal Cargo's house customs broker concerning the duty deferment for importers whose businesses are suffering from the COVID-19 pandemic. It [...]

President Trump signed an executive order on Friday, April 17th that includes a 90-day duty deferment on goods imported in March and April because of the COVID-19 crisis the country, along with [...]

Universal Cargo's house customs broker, INLT gave a great webinar outlining the U.S. requirements around importing pandemic supplies during this COVID-19 crisis. We thought what they shared would [...]

This is a guest post by Mary Walton Marijuana products have long been used for medical treatments. But marijuana is not legal in all countries, whereas some states made it legal. Because of [...]

Before 2020 hits, let's take a look back at 2019. What happened in international shipping this year didn't happen in a bubble. Just like events of years past affected this year, the things [...]

As 2019 draws to a close, a ton of things are happening in international shipping. You would think with the last three blogs getting into IMO 2020, Incoterm changes with Incoterms 2020, and the [...]

2020 is less than a month away, and it's not an exaggeration to say it will be one of the most eventful new years the international shipping industry has ever seen. First, IMO 2020 goes into [...]