Recap of the 2019 CBP Trade Symposium

DAY ONE:

DAY ONE:
On December 1, 2016, we wrote about U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) new E-Commerce and Small Business Branch, which was created to help consumers and merchants safely navigate the complexities associated with the steady rise of global e-commerce. CBP defines e-commerce as high-volume, low-value shipments purchased via electronic means. E-commerce shipments pose the same health, safety, and economic security risks as containerized shipments, but the volume is higher and growing. Additionally, transnational criminal organizations are shipping illicit goods to the U.S. via small packages due to a perceived lower interdiction risk and less severe consequences if the package is interdicted.
In an effort to combat those risks and have a stronger trade posture in the e-commerce environment, the CBP released its e-commerce strategy. The new e-commerce strategy addresses the growing volume of imported small packages and the challenges it presents for the U.S. economy and security.
The strategy includes efforts to educate the public and trade community to ensure they understand their responsibilities as importers to comply with customs regulations.
What New Challenges Does E-Commerce Pose to the U.S.
As you know (for those of you who have been following our blog), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) held its annual East Coast Trade Symposium on December 5-6, 2017, in Atlanta, GA. Below summarizes the panels I attended, would love your thoughts if you were there. For those that couldn’t make it – hope below proves useful as a summary for you!
The event kicked off with Brenda B. Smith, CBP’s Office of Trade Executive Assistant Commissioner, introducing CBP’s trade strategy and the four important lanes CBP is focusing on:

Diaz Trade Law founder Jennifer Diaz will be speaking at the upcoming Massconversions Live e-Commerce conference in Las Vegas, Nevada. Jennifer’s presentation will focus on the TOP 10 Tips to Comply with Customs When Buying Online. Attendees will, by the end of her presentation, know and understand the importance of:
• Tariff classification
• Customs valuation
• Country of origin marking
• Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Protection and CBP Enforcement
• Free Trade Agreements (FTAs)
Attendees will also learn basic customs concepts and terms like:
With Thanksgiving in the rear view mirror and the Christmas holiday season kicking into high gear, now is the time to think of Pre-Compliance especially with the grave risks associated with shopping online and not knowing your supplier. As Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday commercial activity spikes, CBP is, in specific connection with online sales, warns consumers and merchants alike to be on the lookout for holiday shopping scams and/or criminal trade practices. Red flags to watch for in this regard include offers designed to induce the purchase of counterfeit and/or unsafe goods, prices that are too good to be true, e-commerce sites that lack legitimate phone numbers and/or addresses, and sellers who lack good customer feedback.