Content
1. Introduction
2. Consequences of customs broker’s mistakes
3. My personal stories:
3.1. Story 1. Acquaintance
3.2. Story 2. Continuation
3.3. Story 3. Culmination
4. Recommendations for choosing a customs broker
Introduction
The knowledge and skills of declaring goods at customs will be in demand as long as there are economic borders between states. What should you look for when choosing such a specialist? Here are some stories and recommendations not from ChatGPT.
Consequences of customs broker mistakes
A qualified customs broker is a very important link in the supply chain. Not all the consequences of a customs broker’s mistakes are listed here:
- illegal import/export of goods from/to the customs territory of the state (smuggling)
- adjustment of customs value
- additional charges of customs payments
- vehicle demurrage
- additional costs incurred as a result of solving problems with incorrect declaration of goods.
All this set always leads to one thing – unsatisfied demand and a decrease in added value. This is the main mistake of the entire supply chain.
My personal stories:
Story 1. Acquaintance.
My first communication with a customs broker happened 24 years ago. They were in-house customs brokers of the same company where I worked. I was an export sales manager at the time. Accidentally or not, our customs brokers shared the same office building with customs inspectors. And the relationship between them and our customs brokers was like that of a manager with subordinates. It seemed that the brokers constantly owed something to the inspectors. This sense of obligation was also reflected in our communication with brokers within the same company. We were often forced to adjust our business processes to the “whims” of this “friendly team”. And we were their clients – customers of their service.
Story 2. Continuation.
Then I got acquainted with customs brokers in a different geolocation. In the field of activity of another regional customs office. But the format, at its core, remained the same. They were also full-time customs brokers, whom I had the honor and pleasure of meeting. We even shared the same office. Here, the situation of interaction between the customs broker and the inspector was much more interesting. Every month, a budget was allocated to “maintain loyalty” in the customs broker-customs interaction. Again, the priority was given to the relationship with the customs inspector. Communication between client/customer and customs broker was relegated to the background.
Story 3. Culmination.
Then it got even more interesting. I began to use the option of customs clearance of goods outside the customs office where the foreign economic operator was accredited. At that time, this option was provided by a document called an “detachment”. My interests in other customs offices were represented by local customs brokers. And as you might guess, their client-oriented approach was also offset by their almost “kinship” relationship with customs inspectors. So “strong” that once I was even forced to change three customs posts within one regional customs office. It is good that this did not affect the supply chain. But then my cargo flow was “squeezed out” of one or another customs post. The customs service ignored me as a customer.
Recommendations for choosing a customs broker.
I am sure that many professional logistics can share similar stories. The result was likely to be the same: the end user with his or her unmet need was always held hostage. According to my many years of observation, customs brokers and customs inspectors have a kind of “magical” relationship. They do not always lead to high-quality fulfillment of their obligations by both parties.
ChatGPT will offer you a list of standard recommendations for choosing a customs broker. I would give priority to the professional qualities, experience and customer focus of the customs broker. Any service should be aimed at satisfying the client’s needs. The professional qualities of a broker will help him avoid “magic” relationships with customs. And an experience will always be able to defend the desire to satisfy the customer’s needs, even in such a service as customs.
For many years, our brokers have been declaring various goods at different customs offices. Their joint customer focus and professionalism will allow them to satisfy any requests related to the customs clearance of your goods.
Author: Mykola Soloviov
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