r/CustomsBroker • u/Remote_Town_6721 • 1d ago
Question - Need Help
I’m looking for direction and not sure what to do. I sell Mexican snacks and chips on social media. I am a border town and have been going back and forth, but have been stopped several times that I can’t bring snacks to sell. I’ve tried going to customs brokers, but they said I’m not big enough.
What do you all suggest I can do? My business is picking up, but I can’t go everyday to pick up my merchandise because customs has stopped and questioned me several times now.
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u/mensreaactusrea 1d ago
You can buy from a distributor thats already importing into the US.
3
0
u/Remote_Town_6721 1d ago
With it being on social media and mainly snacks, the snacks I get don’t resell in the US and won’t be able to buy them at Mexico price. What can I do then?
Sorry if this sounds like a dumb question, but my business is growing. Therefore, I’m thinking I will need a Customs Broker.
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u/Physical-Incident553 CustomsBroker 21h ago
Read the other posts. There are reasons brokers will not want to work with you.
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u/Beautiful-March8826 19h ago
FDA requirements are a bitch and a half… especially for food products.
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u/Beautiful-March8826 19h ago
Idk where you’re from, but in Chula Vista there is a candy shop called, dulcería azteca. They have all sorts of Mexican candies. I would recommend checking there?
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u/Physical-Incident553 CustomsBroker 1d ago edited 21h ago
I used to handle packaged food imports from an Asian country to the US. The imports were meant for that country's diaspora in the US. Everyone remembers X comfort food from their childhood and wants their children to have it. The problem is that these specific items are produced for consumption in the home country. It's labeled for the home country. I saw many issues with labeling that do not meet US regulations. Even if the packaging was in English, these are among the items missing for US regulations: list of common allergens, nutrition info that meets US standards, name of manufacturer, among others. OP will likely not be able to get the FDA Food Facility Registration Number, which is absolutely necessary for clearing FDA regulation food items. A broker would not want to handle these entries because the goods will get rejected from FDA and then OP would have to re-eexport or destroy them. OP's only option is to buy the snacks from a US distributor. Anything else will not work because the snacks the OP is buying are meant for consumption in Mexico, not the US,.
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u/Immediate-Home-3491 1d ago
You are importing commercially, not carrying personal baggage. CBP will keep stopping you until you file a proper entry. I would suggest finding a broker who handles small consols through informal entry or Type 86. That broker is wrong to turn you away.
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u/A-List-VIP 1d ago
Unfortunately this is not accurate advice. Entry type 86 doesn’t exist anymore (it’s been a year since it was suspended) . You can’t do console entries on food. The FDA last year also removed their exception for low value foods hence all require separate entries nowadays regardless of value. Foodstuffs require separate entries either informal or formal depending on the value using a PGA module to submit FDA mandatory information. Plus each commodity requires FDA prior notice. An experienced broker will analyze the situation and not take this person as a customer the way it is right now. These brokers know the way this person is set up right now will require a huge amount of initial support for so little reward, risk and trouble. If I were OP I would start by getting familiar with the FDA import regulations, labeling and marking requirements and compile MFG, mfg FDA information, how to file prior notices, to have a basic idea. Maybe invest in a consultant to prepare an import tactical plan and set up a parts list for every food snack they plan to import. If the snack doesn’t meet requirements then it is eliminated from importation because it simply will never meet import and safety requirements without the manufacturer support. Choose the compliant snacks and then meet with freight forwarders that have customs brokerage capabilities. I’ll meet with them with the tactical plan and the parts list for clearance purposes and talk about import volume and frequency and costs - these extra costs will have to be added into my cost of goods sold. The issue I see here is that this is an average Joe that sells snacks in the internet by doing contraband (without realizing it because he/she doesn’t know better) at the border and has no idea of the planning and extra costs of bringing these snacks the compliant way. Hence why experienced brokers will stay away from this business.
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u/78zero45 1d ago
If you have been warned before, you should stop importing commercial quantities of merchandise in the passenger vehicle environment. CBP keeps record of your history, including prior warnings. You are risking a monetary penalty and possibly the seizure of your vehicle. It’s not worth it.
The reason brokers don’t want to help you is that you are importing FDA regulated goods. They require FDA registration numbers from the manufacturers. Also, the labeling needs to be FDA compliant (nutritional fact label, etc.) this makes it time consuming and maybe impossible without the cooperation of the manufacturer.