Customs is complicated. Learning it should not be.

Explore 30 visual, two-minute lessons about customs, duties, everyday imports, and the work performed at a customs broker desk.

Everyday imports

Start with products you already know.

  • What happens when you buy a shirt from Shein?
  • Your sneakers have a customs identity
  • Why perfume is more than a pretty bottle
  • Coffee beans at the border
  • Chocolate: sweet product, layered classification
  • A jar of skincare meets two rulebooks
  • Vitamins do not clear on vibes
  • The teddy bear has paperwork
  • An e-bike arrives as a system
  • A lithium battery has two journeys
  • The handbag material changes the answer
  • Jewelry: tiny package, precise facts

Customs 101

Build the vocabulary behind every entry.

  • What is an HTS code?
  • Who is the importer of record?
  • Customs value is not always the invoice total
  • Made in where, exactly?
  • How is customs duty calculated?
  • What does a customs bond actually do?
  • The commercial invoice is customs’ first story
  • CBP Form 7501, without the fog
  • What happened to the $800 de minimis rule?
  • CBP is not the only agency at the border
  • AD/CVD: the duty surprise you cannot average away
  • Free trade is not automatic trade

Broker desk

See what happens inside the operation.

  • What does a customs broker actually do?
  • ISF 10+2 before the vessel sails
  • The customs entry timeline in one screen
  • Your shipment is on hold. Now what?
  • Five years is longer than your inbox memory
  • Found an entry error after filing?

Explore more customs lessons