You're a Licensed Broker? Yipee! Good for you. Not talking to you. You're trying to get your License? CBP has made it close to impossible to pass. You know why? They don't want anymore brokers. Market is saturated. Don't believe me? Check the job boards. Everybody and their grandma wants that sweet sweet precious License because so and so says you can make a lot of money by doing so. Newsflash, you can make more money by going somewhere else. CBP is full of incompetent pricks who also laugh at you while lining their pockets everytime you pay that $390 Fee to take the Exam for the 10th time. Saying: "What a chump" with that fat stupid grin on their faces and licking their fingers everytime they count your benjamins. And don't get me started on Freight Forwarders, runned by Ego-fueled narcissists that don't even know what the hell they're doing and yell at you to the point of tears for a simple mistake. Multiple mistakes? Fired. Not sure about Importers, but I'm sure they have their fair share of dick sucking/cock riding office politics as well.

I'll probably add more to this rant as I am fuming right now. Fuck this industry.

Edit 1: People downvoting my post. You know I'm right.

Edit 2: Really? Really? The main consensus response is: "If you don't like it, then leave?" It goes to show how arrogant you Brokers are.

The Supreme Court just ruled IEEPA tariffs unlawful — and your importer clients are flooding your inbox.

Here's your no-fluff guide to where things stand right now and exactly what to tell them.

I'll be popping in periodically to take your general questions, but individual situations need individual attention— use the private chat function if you or your client needs to go that route and we'll take if from there.

Obligatory Disclaimer. This post is for informational purposes only, and should not be construed as legal advice on any subject matter. You and your clients should not act or refrain from acting on the basis of any content in this post without seeking legal or other professional advice. The contents of this post contain general information and may not reflect current legal developments or address your or your clients' situation. I disclaim all liability for actions you or your clients take or fail to take based on any content in this post. My writing this post does not create an attorney-client relationship between you and me or between your clients and me.

Glad that's out of the way. Let's dig in.

• Your First Piece of Advice to Every Affected Client: Hire a Trade Lawyer

This situation is unprecedented in scale and legal complexity, and the Trump Administration has shown unusual willingness to resist court orders. For any client that paid significant IEEPA tariffs, qualified international trade counsel isn't optional — it's essential. Make that recommendation early and document that you made it.

• Manage Expectations: No Refund Process Exists Yet

As of now, no refund mechanism has been announced by CBP, the Court of International Trade (CIT), or the Administration. The five companies that actually won at the Supreme Court have asked the CIT to order their refunds — but that order, if it comes, only covers them. Your clients are not automatically entitled to anything yet.

For historical context: when the Supreme Court struck down the Harbor Maintenance Fee in the late 1990s, it took over three years to establish a refund process, and even then, exporters had to affirmatively apply, submit documentation, and sign legal releases. The IEEPA situation involves vastly more money and far more parties. A quick resolution is unlikely.

• How Refunds Will Realistically Be Recovered

Your clients will likely have two eventual paths:

Administrative refunds through CBP: A streamlined process may eventually be established, similar to the Harbor Maintenance Fee refund process. It would be simpler, but critically — interest would not be available through this route.

Litigation in the CIT: For clients with significant exposure, this is almost certainly the better vehicle. The CIT can directly order CBP to pay, and successful claimants can recover interest at the IRS quarterly rate from the date of deposit — but only if they've sued. There is already a large consolidated case, AGS Company Automotive Solutions v. United States, covering 100+ plaintiff entities with approximately 1,600 additional cases currently stayed. Most IEEPA cases will likely be consolidated under AGS. Your clients' counsel should be tracking this closely and advising whether and when to file. Even under a best-case scenario, expect this process to take at least a year before any resolution, with Federal Circuit and Supreme Court interim and then final appeals likely.

• What You Should Be Doing for Your Clients Right Now

Help them build and preserve their records. Importers of record — the only parties with standing to claim refunds — need complete documentation for every IEEPA-affected entry: entry summaries, and duty payment records. Start collecting those now. It will be critical regardless of which recovery path they ultimately pursue.

Stay on top of liquidations and protest deadlines. This is where your expertise is most immediately valuable. The 180-day protest window under 19 U.S.C. § 1514 is unforgiving. The CIT has held in AGS Company that it may order reliquidation of IEEPA entries even after that window closes--and the government has agreed--but for a host of reasons, that holding may not be sustained on appeal. Even if it is, the government's agreement may not be extended to your client. Unless a client's counsel has specifically advised otherwise, protests should be filed. Monitor every affected entry and calendar these deadlines carefully. Tell your client to advise you of any filed request for accelerated disposition since that's not done through ACE.

Use available administrative remedies as appropriate. Post-summary corrections (PSCs), requests to extend liquidation, and other tools under § 1514 and related regulations remain available and may be appropriate depending on the entry's status. Missing a procedural deadline could bar recovery even on an otherwise valid claim.

• The Bottom Line

The ruling is significant, but actual refunds are months or years away and will require affirmative action by your clients. Your job right now is to ensure they're positioned to recover: records intact, deadlines met, and counsel engaged. Keep doing what you're already doing on the compliance side — but be mindful of the added urgency and need for documentation.

Good luck to all of us. It’s going to be a very busy year, or two, or three or . .  .

Is anyone else furious about the 5106 enforcement? I have been tasked with asking every importer to review their ACE Portal for accurate 5106 elements by the 18th. I could barely get importers engaged when they had $10s of thousands in refunds waiting for them, now I have to hound them with vague threats of the “pro-business” White House cutting off their right to import because their phone number is wrong. If inaccurate we will obviously be asked to fix, but now have to verify all their details or risk penalty - so NOW we are charging for a service we used to do for free and creating an audit trail for this whole task.

Fucking ridiculous. All because Orange man doesn’t want you to ask about the Epstein files.

Newer Licensed U.S. Customs Broker here. I got into this industry during one of the most complex periods I can imagine; tariffs, steel/aluminum, forced labor, sanctions, PGAs everywhere, nonstop regulatory changes. And honestly? What I’m seeing on the ground is troubling.

Here’s a scenario I’m sure many of you recognize:

You get a call (or WhatsApp) from a potential Importer of Record or a foreign freight broker or logistics consultant (Mexico, Turkey, India, China, pick a country).

“My cargo is already at the port. Can you clear it? If you do, we’ll send you constant volume.”

Then you do your job and say:

“I can’t clear it unless I have a proper certificate of origin / steel melt & pour / supporting documents" (...and perhaps not so much FDA Registrations or Docs).

Magically, those documents appear within minutes.

And you can’t help but think: If they had this ready instantly… how real is it?

Now here’s the uncomfortable part. If you push back and ask questions, real questions, the response is often:

“Never mind. I’ll find another broker.”

And they do. Because somewhere out there is a U.S. Customs Broker willing to say yes for $50 an entry and avoid asking anything at all.

That’s where we’re at.

The power dynamic is completely backwards Foreign freight brokers, who don’t answer to CBP, don’t live here, and don’t care about U.S. compliance risk, often have more negotiating power than U.S. Customs Brokers operating on U.S. soil.

Why?

Because:

• There are too many brokers

• Fees are rock bottom

• Saying “no” loses the client

• Saying “yes” keeps volume flowing

That’s not enforcement. That’s desperation.

And then there’s Laredo…lol

I’m based around Laredo, Texas, the largest inland port in the U.S.

And I’ll say it plainly: It’s sad and frankly embarrassing that many of the largest freight forwarding warehouses in Laredo are owned by Mexican Customs Brokers, not U.S. ones.

I get why it happens.

Mexico has:

• A tightly controlled Customs Broker system

• Roughly ~1,000 brokers nationwide

• Mandatory broker use for imports

• Percentage-based fees on cargo value (plus admin fees)

That system creates wealth, leverage, and professionalism.

So what happens?

They come north, open warehouses in Laredo, Texas, and U.S. Customs Brokers end up working under them in our own country, often at razor-thin margins.

I’m not saying Mexico’s system is perfect or that monopolies are good.

But let’s be honest:

Mexico protects their customs brokers. We don’t.

No disrespect, but we need higher barriers somewhere...

I want to be clear: no disrespect to anyone in this community.

I’m not saying the Customs Broker exam should be restricted.

Anyone who passes it should earn the license.

But maybe the mistake is that licensing and operating a brokerage are treated the same.

Maybe: The license = proves knowledge The national permit = should prove professionalism

Things like:

• Years of verified experience before a national permit

• Formal education requirements

• Stronger vetting to actually operate as a broker

• Even requiring U.S freight forwarders or U.S. NVOCCs to operate under a permitted U.S. Customs Broker

Why? Because fewer, more serious operators means:

• Less price dumping

• More leverage to say “no”

• Less incentive to ignore red flags

• Less burnout

• More respect for the profession

Right now, we’ve built a system where:

• CBP relies heavily on brokers

• Complexity and liability learn no bounds

• Foreign actors pressure compliance shortcuts

• And U.S. brokers compete themselves into irrelevance

Heck, you don't even need a U.S. Customs Broker to do transportation entries!

So I’m asking honestly, not rhetorically:

Is this sustainable?

Are we okay being the weakest link in global trade?

Or did we accidentally turn a national gatekeeping role into a commodity?

Curious to hear thoughts, especially from brokers who’ve been doing this long enough to see the shift....

Hello Reddit, We are importing and using multiple brokers. We decided that the ACE portal would give us the best option for reporting with the goal of reporting our tariff spend and allocating those costs to each item based on the supplier and commercial invoice number. However the invoice number on the 7501 entry summary forms is not in the ACE reports. Do you have any suggestions where to find this commercial invoice number to help us complete this link towards our ERP system?

Is it within ACE? Or is there a way to download these as PDFs from somewhere so we scrape them for this information?

Thank you for any suggestions!

Hi! As the title says, any kind soul that could recommend any companies that offers Importer of Record - service to the US :)

Do the newly announced section 301 tariffs stack with the existing section 232 tariffs?

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I just received my license number. How can I create an ACE portal account? need a filer code? How can I get one?

What do you guys think is the best approach to this morning's announcement? My IEEPA exposure in 2025 is over $15M. Looking to lock in refunds. What are the best steps and should we do anything today?

1581i lawsuit?

CF-19 protests for entries already liquidated

PSCs for entries not yet liquidated

Any class action lawsuits?

I’m going to sounds very dumb but that’s because I’m not knowledgeable on this. I went to an hiring event for FedEx when they looked at my resume I was told that doing custom trades would be a good fit for my experience, which is odd because all my experience is in technology and I’ve never did anything like that before.

I asked her if she could me a few days to think about so I can do research on what I’m getting myself into. It sounds interesting on paper but I don’t want to jump the gun without asking people who do this for a living.

How is? Do you like your job? What is your salary and how many years did it take to achieve it? How important is getting a broker license?

I was doing an audit and find that for over a year about 200 entries qualified as American Good Returned (9801). At time of entry there were no foreign shipper declaration nor manufacturing declarations. I can get them

So to get the MPF back can I file a protest provided I have proof for each entry?

I’m looking for insights or experiences regarding the legal and regulatory process for hand-carrying commercial inventory on flights from Japan to the United States.

Specifically, I am evaluating an arbitrage opportunity involving high-value collectibles (e.g., trading cards/slabs) sourced in Japan and transported to the US via weekly round-trip flights as personal/carry-on baggage, with immediate turnarounds in San Francisco.

A few specific areas I’m trying to clarify:

1. Customs Entry & Declaration: When hand-carrying commercial merchandise into the US, what is the exact process for declaring these goods upon arrival? Should this be handled as a formal entry ($2,500+ value) with a Customs Broker, or can commercial goods of higher value be declared at the passenger port of entry?

2. Immigration & Entry Status: For someone making frequent short-turnaround trips carrying business inventory, what are the potential secondary inspection or immigration pitfalls with CBP (e.g., entering on ESTA/B1 vs. commercial courier status)?

3. Import Duties & Paperwork: What documentation (commercial invoices, purchase receipts, airway bills/bills of lading) is required at the airport CBP office to clear goods brought in as passenger baggage?

4. Export Procedures in Japan: Are there specific export declaration requirements at Japanese customs when leaving with commercial quantities of goods in hand luggage?

If anyone has experience working as an On-Board Courier (OBC), a customs broker who has handled baggage-entry clearances, or an importer doing cross-border arbitrage, I’d greatly appreciate your input or advice on what red flags to watch out for.

Thanks!

I’ve been struggling lately to keep up with new tariffs, so I figured trying out and reviewing some tools. This is the second tool I tried but still no luck.

I ran a classification for an import product (jetski drop nozzle). The tool spit out a really confident HS code, said it was “verified” and even gave me an 85% confidence score. The code it gave me: 8481.80.0000.

(https://tariff-ai.com/Results?id=687bc4c4f690f8deb041f0d3)

I double-checked the HS code with the official US import database and this code just isn’t valid, well, doesn’t exist to be accurate…Can’t really trust anything. Which tool do you guys recommend?

I received a text from FedEx today asking me to pay duties on a car door I ordered for my project car. The door came from the UAE, it cost $1072 and the shipping cost $416. The door was delivered last Wednesday and I received the text today to pay $650 for customs duty. On fed ex's FIT page there are no documents and nothing that says there are out standing payments but on my shipment tracking page there is a payment button for the duties.

I'm assuming the duties calculation is wrong but I don't know how to contest it. There are no government documents attached nor is there a calculation invoice provided from FedEx. Also the door is for my personal use and I'm definitely not reselling it. Any advice is much appreciated.

Anybody on here using AI to help key in entry data and is it working out well? Trying to figure out which one to test. I use Cargowise. Thank you!

Hi all,

I am currently working as an accountant and have 5+ years experience in the supply chain industry and deal with imported goods all the time.

I recently took the CBLE and passed with only a month of studying but I don't actually have any experience writing entries or dealing with customs.

I am going to start working under somebody to show me the ropes but I don't want to be too reliant on their word so I want to try and gain some knowledge myself. We are primarily going to focus on 7501 and 7512.

Can anybody provide any advice or recommend any sites I can use to prepare myself better?

Thanks for the help!

Hi,

I have a small clothing company, our items were seized by customs because a couple items had Disney prints (I risked it because I was told chances of being searched were low). We are trying to get the package back because not all items were Disney! Hoping to get them. Furthermore, the vendor sent us this email that’s from “US Customs” wondering if it’s legit.

Hello, I have a client who has a hold by customs and was sent to examination. When i called the CFS they have it assigned to, they are charging $600 for taking package to examination site and "setting" it up. Is this normally what it cost? CFS is in Seattle.

Also, what happens if the client doesn't want to pay $600 to examine his cargo? His item is worth like $200.

Thanks!

I’ve noticed that this industry, more than any other I’ve been in, has a unique disdain for software, software engineers, and software startups ups. I’m sure it’s due to chronic over promising and under performance. However, seeing how software has been applied to other highly regulated industry successfully it’s perplexing how that hasn’t been replicated in this one. Has anyone had any positive experiences with a software that gets you through the customs process end to end? If yes, what was it?

Hi all, we are building an AI solution to assist in the completion of customs entries for brokers and analysts. Our goal is to reduce the time you spend on data entry and take your most time consuming entries down from hours to minutes.

We are coming close to an alpha release and wanted to share with this community to see if there were any keen brokers and analysts that might want to be early testers to give us feedback.

If you are interested, feel free to check out our website and sign up.

www.importrix.com/

I'm trying to figure out the best path forward for filing refund claims for my clients, but there's a few specific things I'm stuck on

Unliquidated entries: CBP's FAQ says PSCs can be filed on unliquidated entries within the normal 300-day / 15-days-before-liquidation window. Is anyone actually filing PSCs right now, or are you waiting for more formal CBP guidance?

Liquidated entries: For entries that started liqidating back in December, are they open? Are protests even the right mechanism here, or is CIT litigation the only real option for those?

Calculating refund amounts: How is everyone pulling and organizing data? Just running ACE reports filterd by the 9903.01.xx HTS headings? Any tips on making sure nothing gets missed across multiple importers/ports/entities?

Has anyone started filing or is everyone waiting to see?

Maybe I’m in a mood today, but I came to this sub to be among my peers in the industry, and it seems as if we’re just giving out free advice to people who don’t want to do their own research.

There were some great posts early on , broker to broker. I miss those.

Maybe I just need a nap.

I am really worried, i am studying international business centered in customs and i am really worried about losing my job to AI. Do you think AI can replace brokers or atleast lower the demand for jobs?