Guest

Can you imagine? You walk into your friend's house or even the home of a relative. Waltz straight into the kitchen. Start rummaging for an apron. Place pots and pans on the stove top. Collect ingredients from the pantry, fridge and various other locations. Bring in items you purchased into the kitchen and...

...begin to cook.

No introduction.

No requesting permission.

No inquiries about food allergies or if certain utensils can be used.

Quite rude and intrusive.

Now, think about receiving documents from a vendor. If the goods are being imported, most likely the vendor is located outside of your Customs jurisdiction. Therefore, the documents set up by the vendor will most likely reflect regulations governed by the exporting jurisdiction and not necessarily the jurisdiction into which the goods will be imported. Well, then how can the importer rely on the information provided by the vendor? Is the HS code accurate? Are the terms of sale describing the actual transaction that took place?

How in the world can an importer just assume that they can use the HS code listed on the documents that the vendor provides. It is very similar to someone walking into a strangers kitchen and just starting to cook!!!

My family and I had the opportunity to spend some time with my parents over the holidays. We had a wonderful time. One evening, I suggested an activity that I cook with my mom. It was a fantastic experience with lots of laughter. I especially enjoyed all the suggestions my mom gave me with the preparation of the dishes we made.

End result was that everyone enjoyed and I was able to gain new culinary skills in someone else's kitchen.

There is nothing wrong with cooking in someone else's kitchen as long as there is communication before hand. Similarly, using HS codes on vendor documents as a guide is a good start but not something to take at face value and use as the primary data for the customs declaration and clearance process.

Remember, a guest has to have certain etiquette while in a host home. Similarly, an importer needs to be vigilant about what information is used from vendor documents.