# Landed-cost and customs guides | ClearBorder HQ Source: https://clearborderhq.com/blog/ October 15, 2026 ## [What happens when CBP issues a notice of action on a DTC import entry?](2026-10-15-cbp-notice-of-action-cf29-dtc-brands.md) A CBP notice of action, the CF29, tells an importer the agency proposes to change how an entry was classified, valued, or rated, and will assess more duty unless the importer responds in time. October 16, 2026 ## [How should DTC brands respond to a customs seizure notice?](2026-10-16-respond-customs-seizure-notice-dtc-brands.md) A customs seizure notice starts a legal clock, not a customer service conversation. Brands that read the notice carefully, protect deadlines, and choose the right remedy can recover goods or limit the damage. October 17, 2026 ## [How do rules of origin decide the duty rate on cross border DTC goods?](2026-10-17-rules-of-origin-duty-rates-dtc.md) Rules of origin decide which country a product legally comes from, and that decision controls preferential duty rates, trade remedy exposure, and marking duties for goods sold across borders. October 18, 2026 ## [How should a DTC brand choose and brief a customs broker?](2026-10-18-choose-customs-broker-dtc.md) A customs broker turns your product data into compliant entries at the border. Choosing on price alone, or briefing with sloppy data, produces exams, delays, and duty bills that a better broker process would have prevented. October 19, 2026 ## [How do partner government agency holds work on DTC imports?](2026-10-19-pga-holds-import-filings-dtc.md) Many DTC imports need clearance from partner government agencies as well as Customs, covering food, cosmetics, electronics, toys, and more. A PGA hold is not a customs delay. It is a separate agency deciding whether your product may enter at all. October 20, 2026 ## [How do customs bonds work for DTC importers, and how much coverage is enough?](2026-10-20-customs-bonds-dtc-importers-sizing.md) A customs bond is the guarantee behind your imports: it promises customs that duties, taxes, and obligations will be paid even if the importer does not pay them. DTC brands need the right bond type, sized to their actual import pattern, renewed without gaps. October 21, 2026 ## [Section 321 de minimis recordkeeping: what small parcel importers should keep](2026-10-21-section-321-de-minimis-recordkeeping.md) Low value shipments enter the US under Section 321 with light paperwork, but light paperwork is not no paperwork. Importers using de minimis at volume need records that prove value, origin, and eligibility when customs comes asking. This guide sets out what to keep and for how long. October 22, 2026 ## [Foreign trade zones for importers: duty deferral and the weekly entry advantage](2026-10-22-foreign-trade-zones-importers-guide.md) A foreign trade zone lets an importer bring goods into a secured area near a US port without formally entering them for customs, deferring duty until the goods leave the zone into US commerce and avoiding it entirely on re exports. This guide covers who actually benefits. October 23, 2026 ## [Bonded warehouses explained: delaying duty without breaking the rules](2026-10-23-bonded-warehouses-duty-deferral-guide.md) A bonded warehouse lets an importer store goods under customs control without paying duty until the goods leave for the home market, and avoid it entirely if they are re exported. Used well it is a cash flow tool. Used casually it becomes an expensive storage mistake. This guide explains how bonding works and when it pays. October 24, 2026 ## [Importer of record responsibilities explained: the duties you cannot delegate to a broker or supplier](2026-10-24-importer-of-record-responsibilities-explained.md) The importer of record is the name customs holds responsible when something is wrong with an entry, even when a broker filed it and a supplier caused it. This guide sets out those responsibilities in plain language, where delegation helps and where it does not, and the records an importer must be able to produce. October 24, 2026 ## [Customs exam holds: why containers get flagged and what importers can do while they wait](2026-10-24-customs-exam-holds-why-containers-flagged.md) Few messages worry an importer like a customs exam hold. The container stops, costs start, and information is scarce. This guide explains why exams are selected, the types of examination, what an importer can legitimately do during a hold, and how to reduce repeat flags. October 23, 2026 ## [Entry summary filing mistakes: the small errors that turn a clean import into a customs bill](2026-10-23-entry-summary-filing-mistakes-imports.md) Most customs bills for honest importers do not start with smuggling. They start with a transposed digit, a wrong value basis, or a classification copied from a similar product. This guide lists the entry summary errors that recur and the checking routine that catches them before liquidation. October 22, 2026 ## [Customs broker power of attorney: why importers sign it and what it covers](2026-10-22-customs-broker-power-of-attorney-basics.md) Before a customs broker can act for an importer in the United States, the importer grants a power of attorney. New importers often sign it without reading it, or stall because it sounds alarming. This guide explains what the document does, what it does not do, and the checks worth making. October 21, 2026 ## [Country of origin marking mistakes that get shipments held](2026-10-21-country-of-origin-marking-mistakes-imports.md) Goods entering the US must be marked with their country of origin, legibly and permanently, and sloppy marking is one of the most avoidable reasons shipments get held. This guide covers the marking rules importers miss and how to check goods before they leave the factory. October 20, 2026 ## [Which entry data errors cause the most customs delays for DTC brands?](2026-10-20-customs-entry-data-errors-dtc.md) Most DTC customs delays are data delays: vague descriptions, wrong codes, values that do not match invoices, and missing manufacturer details. Each error repeats on every shipment of the same product until the underlying product data is fixed. October 19, 2026 ## [How do Section 321 and Type 86 entries work for DTC brands?](2026-10-19-section-321-type-86-entries-dtc.md) Section 321 lets qualifying low value shipments enter the US duty free up to the de minimis threshold, and Entry Type 86 gives brokers an electronic way to file those shipments with partner agency data included. The speed brands love depends on clean data. October 18, 2026 ## [What does denied party screening check before a DTC brand ships abroad?](2026-10-18-denied-party-screening-dtc.md) Denied party screening compares customers, consignees, and partners against government lists of sanctioned and restricted parties before goods ship. Skipping it can turn an ordinary international order into a serious compliance violation. October 17, 2026 ## [What should a DTC brand do in the first 48 hours after a customs exam hold?](2026-10-17-customs-exam-hold-first-48-hours-dtc.md) A customs exam hold freezes a shipment while officers inspect goods and paperwork. The first 48 hours decide whether it clears as a delay or grows into storage fees, a seizure query, and a lost customer. October 16, 2026 ## [What changes when de minimis treatment tightens for DTC imports?](2026-10-16-de-minimis-tightening-dtc-imports.md) As de minimis duty free treatment narrows, DTC brands face duty and formal entry costs on parcels that used to cross free, and checkout pricing built on the old rule breaks quietly. October 15, 2026 ## [What happens when CBP detains a DTC shipment under forced labor rules?](2026-10-15-cbp-uflpa-detention-dtc-brands.md) A forced labor detention stops a shipment cold: CBP holds the goods, the importer gets a short clock to prove the supply chain is clean, and weak traceability paperwork loses the cargo. October 14, 2026 ## [CBP request for information: what a CF28 asks, and how should DTC brands reply?](2026-10-14-cbp-request-for-information-cf28-dtc-brands.md) A CBP Form 28 request for information is not a penalty, but a careless or late reply can turn it into one. What officers are testing, what evidence to send, and how to set the 30 day reply up properly. October 13, 2026 ## [CBP hold vs exam: what is the difference, and how should DTC brands respond?](2026-10-13-cbp-hold-vs-exam-dtc-brands.md) A CBP hold pauses a shipment for document review while an exam means physical inspection. The response, cost, and timeline differ sharply between them. October 12, 2026 ## [What triggers a CBP intensive exam on DTC parcels?](2026-10-12-cbp-intensive-exam-triggers-dtc-parcels.md) A CBP intensive exam adds weeks to DTC delivery times. What triggers parcels to be pulled aside, and how importers can lower their exam rate. October 11, 2026 ## [What triggers a CBP focused assessment audit?](2026-10-11-cbp-focused-assessment-audit-triggers.md) A focused assessment is CBP's deep dive into your import operation. What triggers one, what the auditors examine, and how importers prepare without disrupting the business. October 10, 2026 ## [Why do related-party transfer prices draw CBP scrutiny?](2026-10-10-related-party-transfer-pricing-cbp-scrutiny.md) Buying from your own factory should be simple. Why CBP treats related-party prices as guilty until proven innocent, and how to prove them. October 9, 2026 ## [How does CBP's reconciliation program let importers correct flagged entries?](2026-10-09-cbp-reconciliation-program-dtc-importers.md) Reconciliation lets importers flag entries for later correction instead of fighting CBP entry by entry. How the program works and when it saves a DTC importer. October 8, 2026 ## [How do antidumping and countervailing duties change landed cost for apparel?](2026-10-08-antidumping-countervailing-duties-apparel-landed-cost.md) AD/CVD orders can double the duty on apparel overnight. How the orders work, why the rates vary by exporter, and how brands model the risk before it hits their margins. October 7, 2026 ## [How do CBP binding rulings lock in your duty rate before you import?](2026-10-07-cbp-cross-binding-rulings-lock-duty-rate.md) You can ask CBP to rule on your product's classification before a single unit ships. That ruling binds every port. How CROSS rulings work, what to include in the request, and why DTC brands skip this free insurance. October 6, 2026 ## [How does CBP prior disclosure work if you underpaid duties?](2026-10-06-cbp-prior-disclosure-underpaid-duties.md) You found the underpayment before CBP did. That timing is worth real money. How prior disclosure limits penalties, what a valid disclosure must include, and the mistakes that void it. October 5, 2026 ## [How do CBP liquidated damages claims work for DTC importers?](2026-10-05-cbp-liquidated-damages-claims-dtc.md) A liquidated damages claim is CBP's penalty for breaking the promises in your import bond. What triggers one, what it costs, and how DTC brands respond. October 4, 2026 ## [How does CBP decide which DTC parcels get inspected?](2026-10-04-cbp-parcel-targeting-dtc-inspection.md) Most parcels sail through; some get pulled. How CBP targets parcels for inspection, what flags your shipments, and how compliant brands stay in the fast lane. October 3, 2026 ## [What is a CBP focused assessment and how should a DTC brand prepare?](2026-10-03-cbp-focused-assessment-dtc-preparation.md) A focused assessment is CBP's deep audit of your import compliance: valuation, classification, and recordkeeping under a microscope. What triggers one, what auditors ask for, and how to prepare before the letter arrives. ## Get a free landed-cost audit We map your duty exposure SKU by SKU and you keep the report either way. [Request the free audit](mailto:hello@clearborderhq.com?subject=Free%20landed-cost%20audit%20-%20clearborderhq.com)