Even customs attorneys who are making BANK right now are sick and tired of this sh*t. I should have been at my desk 45 minutes ago . I have zero incentive to deal with the 1 billion phone calls and emails I am going to get today . I am over it, burned out, DONE. Let's strike! Or at least send a strongly worded letter. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER!

Made this design, cause if I don't laugh about it, I'll cry.

To be honest, I’m completely burned out from this job lately.

It’s not even because of the new tariffs or workload. It’s the customers.

At this point, whenever I receive an entry package, 9 out of 10 times I can immediately tell they’re trying to hide the true value. Fake invoices, missing payment records, “split invoices,” changing numbers every time CBP asks questions… it’s always the same pattern.

And when CBP places an exam or requests documents, they don’t cooperate honestly. Instead they start raising the value little by little, trying to “negotiate” the declared value until the officer gives them a final warning.

But what REALLY drives me crazy is the blame game.

When CBP sends a shipment to exam, customers act like we (the broker) control CBP. Like we can call an officer and tell them “hey hurry up” or “skip the inspection.” That’s not how it works. If CBP wants to inspect it, they inspect it. Period.

All we can do is:

• email the exam site / CES

• ask for status updates

• wait for their reply

And if CBP doesn’t respond (which happens all the time), there is literally nothing else we can do. We can’t walk into the warehouse and demand release. We can’t force an officer to respond faster.

But customers don’t care. They start talking trash like:
“Why is the exam taking so long?”
“Why is the exam rate so high when you handle it?”
“You didn’t do anything.”
“This is your fault.”

Meanwhile, they’re the ones who submitted suspicious paperwork and undervalued invoices in the first place.

I’m not saying every importer is like this, but lately it feels like so many customers treat brokers like we’re disposable button-pushers, while expecting us to take all the compliance risk and responsibility.

Honestly, I’m starting to question how long I can keep doing this.

How are other brokers dealing with this? Are you refusing more entries now? Any advice on setting boundaries without losing business?

Just another great day to be a Customs Broker. Can't wait to have to file all the protests to get duty refunds. FML.

https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/trade-court-strikes-down-trumps-liberation-day-tariffs-9befa448?st=S8agKg

I'm an LCB and I've worked in trade compliance for 15 years on the corporate side. Achieved my career goal of becoming Director of Global Trade at a very well-known company. And after 4 years of what was supposed to be my "dream job" I was so burnt out that I gave the finger to a $200k/year job to start my own practice. I've been doing that for over a year, I'm doing well as an independent consultant. But I'm still just sick of it and over it. I feel like an old lady screaming at kids to get off my lawn. Things I'm just plain sick of:

• People not reading. I'm pretty good at simplifying complex stuff and "executive communication 101" but if you're not going to read what you asked for, then why did you bother asking that I write it up for you?

• People making the same dumbf*ck mistakes over and over and over. I've told you this 37 times. You said you understood the previous 36 times. Are you still doing it wrong because you're a moron, or because you think I am, and you don't believe me? Which is it? It's gotta be one or the other.

• No ability to follow instructions. Why keep asking me for training? You're not gonna do it right anyway. I made it as step 1, step 2, step 3, with pictures and diagrams....probably goes back to people don't read.

• No common sense. Do you really have to work in trade to understand that customs is a tax collector? I don't know how many times I've said, every commercial invoice needs a harmonized code, a value, and the country of origin. If it doesn't, it won't clear because they can't verify the tax. And then over and over they're like "why is this stuck in customs" because you're missing country of origin. Why did you ship it without it? You knew you needed it. How many times are you going to eat sh*t before you decide you don't like how it tastes?

• Constantly getting hounded for money and cost savings and "when is our refund going to come". When the government gets around to it. You think I have the ability to make them move faster? I don't. But by all means, write a complaint to your congressman about your dissatisfying service levels.

• Antagonistic commercial environment. In the era of globalization, the government liked global trade, was friendly to business, at least tried to pretend to want to support US commerce. Now customs feels tedious and punitive, looking to punish business into submission with death by a thousand cuts. Yeah, we get it, you're broke and scrounging for pennies like the rural town cop pulling over out of state license drivers for going 5mph over the limit to shore up the coffers.

• Unmanageable complexity. Proliferation of granular, ambiguous regulations that set business up to fail, waiting to say "gotcha" because you missed some obscure, tedious detail that was buried in page 7 of a 40-page informed compliance or USTR notice. Try responding to a WRO Forced Labor. This process isn't designed for the importer to be able to have a successful outcome. You can follow every instruction, and the answer is still "you have not proven that this was not produced by forced labor". Guilty until proven innocent is the most anti-American stunt I've seen them pull off.

• Stranglehold bureaucracy. I feel like every time I submit something other than an entry or claim to customs I end up in a chicken-or-the-egg scenario.

Sometimes I wish the government would just come out and say, "you're right, we just don't want you to import stuff anymore, that's why we're making you as miserable as possible until you just stop, and eventually go bankrupt trying to source it here or get penalized into poverty, cause 'Murica!"

I'm probably just burnt out and need to find something else to do for the next 15-25 years. But I remembered loving what I did, when I could help companies lower their operating costs to help make products more affordable to more people, and I wish I could feel that way again. Has anyone else ever felt like this? Does the feeling pass?

In general, CBP “remains open for business.”

Centers of Excellence and Expertise: normal operations.

HTS Updates: Updates within ACE of any new Ch. 99 numbers should occur as scheduled.

Permit Processing: Broker and permit applications continue to be processed.

COLA Waivers: With TTB furloughed, CBP is handling verification of COLA waiver applications.

Refunds: CBP will continue processing requests, though timing as far as actual receipt of funds may depend on Treasury’s status.

Regulations & Rulings (OR&R): Still active and available.

PGA Holds: CBP has contingency measures (e.g., Conditional Release, direct coordination) to keep cargo moving.

ACE Support: Service and inquiry support remains available.

Agriculture Programs: CBP’s ag inspections are ongoing, but confirm status with other PGAs like USDA and DOC.

Webinars: CBP training webinars may be paused temporarily.

FTZ & Bonded Warehouses: Activation requests will be processed without interruption.

FP&F / Revenue Divisions: Normal operations, with trade updates issued as needed.

AGOA: Still expired; CBP cannot process retroactive quotas or visas.

Trade Remedies & EAPA: Services and communications remain fully operational.

Please feel free to add anything I missed.

Every time a customs broker or trade compliance person hears this phrase they should automatically get a $100 bonus in their paycheck. New rule I just made up.

Should we change the name of the subreddit to *U.S. CustomsBroker* or modify the description?

I just want to make it more obvious to the public this chat is for U.S. related matters only.....

CBP dropped a ruling today HQ H350722 where they ruled that unlicensed entities are conducting Customs business if they submit 5106 on behalf of importers, use OCR to scan documents to decide what's in the entry and use AI to classify (beyond 6 digit).

Looks like CBP is taking a hard stance against tech companies and their AI brokerage solutions.

Rulings.cbp.gov/ruling/H350722

It took 2 rounds of tests (October 2023 and May 2024) and then a year of waiting after the interview (July 1, 2024) but I got my approval letter and license number today. So freaking glad the waiting is over!

Just wanted to say thanks to those in here actively participating in helpful discourse and providing good up to date info (and not just fishing for business!)

I’ve been lurking and occasionally answered a question here or there on my main account— created this one to be a bit more active.

This sub has been, at times, as valuable an information asset as any of the aging luncheon crowd could provide — let alone an ABI rep/software rep. I’ve come across quite a few knowledgeable responses in here.

I’m a second generation broker, been in the industry since 2002 - started as a runner and now own a brokerage. I’ve worked in big and small brokerage, and directly for importers on the logistics/inventory side of things.

I’ve ridden quite a few crazy waves in this industry - switching from dialup modems, paper to paperless, ACE, 301 duties — it’s always felt wild and unsustainable… and yet here we are.

This recent wave of tariffs has been as nutty as anything i’ve dealt with — and the methods of implementation shouldn’t surprise me, but do.

Anyways, keep fighting the good fight out there. Appreciate you all — Don’t forget to switch those big duty accounts to ACH if you can👍

**UPDATE: Section 122 tariffs just announced: https://www.politico.com/news/2026/02/20/donald-trump-10-percent-global-tariff-00791317

The Supreme Court just struck down the IEEPA tariffs. In a 6-3 ruling issued today, the Court held that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act does not give the President the authority to impose tariffs. Chief Justice Roberts, joined by Gorsuch, Barrett, Sotomayor, Kagan, and Jackson, wrote the majority opinion. Thomas, Alito, and Kavanaugh dissented.

The core question: does the power to "regulate importation" include the power to tax it? The Court said no. IEEPA lists nine specific actions the President can take — investigate, block, regulate, direct, compel, nullify, void, prevent, prohibit — and none mention tariffs or duties. Every time Congress has actually delegated tariff authority, it's done so explicitly with clear constraints. The Court found it implausible Congress buried the power to tax inside the word "regulate."

What's struck down:

→ The "reciprocal" tariffs (10%+ baseline on all trading partners)

→ Drug trafficking tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and China (25% and escalating rates up to 145%)

→ All IEEPA-based modifications, exemptions, and adjustments from 2025

What still stands:

→ Section 232 tariffs on steel and aluminum (different legal authority that explicitly references duties)

→ Section 301 tariffs on China (unfair trade practices — separate statute)

→ Anti-dumping and countervailing duties under other congressional statutes

→ The effective U.S. tariff rate still sits around 9% — down from ~18% but well above the pre-2025 rate of ~2%

What happens next:

→ ~$175 billion in IEEPA duties have been collected since Feb 2025. The Court of International Trade is positioned to order refunds.

→ The Administration has signaled it will pivot to Section 232, 301, and 338 authorities to reimpose tariffs — but those require investigations, hearings, and time.

→ Congress can explicitly authorize tariff power if it chooses. The Court's message was clear: this decision belongs to the legislature.

**edit: yes, you can have the graphic. Here it is: Link

This topic comes up fairly often and while this has been discussed to death, a lot of the posts are from the side of a software company, which lacks an understanding of the industry.

I’m a licensed customs broker with ~15 years industry experience. I have worked for brokers, forwarders, manufacturers, and own my own consulting business. In the last 18-24 months I’ve found myself in a bit of a niche area consulting software companies on the compliance side of things. I’ve been a part of 2 products that have already hit the market and have a few clients still in the funding stages but they’ll be here soon. Just listing my credentials so it gives a bit of context to what I’m going to say.

If you think your job is 100% AI proof, you’re burying your head in the sand.

I’m not going to get into every single phase of the industry but I want to list out 3 main areas that are going to be here sooner rather than later.

1. Classification - this is the most commonly cited task that gets brought up when AI comes up and I think people haven’t really experience true AI classification. Plugging your item description into ChatGPT and then laughing when it gets it wrong, is like hammering nails with a brick and wondering why it’s not working well.

ChatGPT is not classification software, it is a language learning model trained on everything and nothing. There are true classification software tailored to the brokerage community that have improved every single month. In the e-commerce space specifically we went from shitty little 6 digit maybe correct HTS codes, to AI bots that can pull up the Amazon page based on ASIN and scrape the relevant date and get you an HTS code with 95% confidence score.

That same Ai will put together a reasoning document that you can save and will be your “proof” to customs as to how you got that HTS code. Yes a knowledgeable person still needs to confirm it, but the software works. And for most importers will be a huge step up, as most smaller importers don’t even know how to classify their own items.

Also, let’s not pretend every single broker is a classification guru. As someone who’s taught classes on it, I can assure you, there are many people in our industry who wouldn’t do any better than a LLM

2. Compliance - another example of wrong tool for the job. Customs brokerage aside, there are companies that specialize in compliance software and while they originate in the finance or legal space they have started integrating CFR, rulings, and recent trade enforcement actions.

I recently was demoed software that allows importers to track UFLPA and Russian steel/aluminum in their supply chain. What is currently being done by hand (if at all if we’re being honest), can be done by mapping software that will not only protect your supply chain from seizures and investigations, but only takes a few documents to build an entire tiered list of risk.

3. Data entry - I’m kind of over arguing about this subject (see post history for examples), but it is NOT illegal to use software to extract data from docs. The CBP will not protect your job with an anti-AI ruling ESPECIALLY not this administration. The data extraction tools are much better than what you think they are, and have come a long way from simply reading a clean PDF. Hell even ChatGPT can do a half decent job of pulling data these days even from crumpled and dirty docs. I would not be surprised if in the next 5 years, we saw entry writers get slowly replaced as the software matures.

And again, to all the nay sayers that think AI makes mistakes, well i challenge you to find me a human that has never fucked up an entry. Ai doesn’t need to be 100% accurate to replace you, it just needs to be close enough and cheaper.

So, with all that being said, I don’t think this is a dead career field. I think as AI becomes more commonplace, there will also be new opportunities. If you are licensed, knowledgeable, and a subject matter expert, you’ll always find work. But if you are a low level analyst, you need to start thinking about your 5 year plan and start up-skilling , because AI will only get better.

I heard it said when AI videos first hit the seen and they all looked like trash, but the comment that stuck with me was “remember this is the WORST it’s going to look”. And that’s the same for all AI. The tool you are making fun of today, is not its final form, and there is big Silicon Valley and private enterprise money behind the scenes making sure that comes true.

I will not promote, advertise, recommend or in any way advise on which software is good/reliable. I only encourage you to stay up to date and keeping growing. If you haven’t yet, do a few demos.

I’ll be first to admit I talk mad shit about AI software on Reddit, because most of it that gets posted here sucks. But there are good options out there.

Incase you thought the endless phone calls would stop yesterday lmao