US Importer Readiness Workbook for Marketplace Inventory

Key planning facts

Use this guide to prepare a shipment-specific discussion. Verify current rules and operating instructions again before cargo is released, booked or presented for import.

Decision owner

The seller or importing entity confirms commercial, customs and receiving facts.

Primary milestone

Inventory received and available, not only port arrival or proof of delivery.

Risk control

Reopen the plan when cargo, importer, route or warehouse instructions change.

Identify the party exercising reasonable care

The US importer of record is responsible for reasonable care over classification, value, origin and admissibility, even when a broker files the entry.

Identify the US entity that will act as importer of record and the person who owns reasonable-care decisions for the transaction. Record legal name, identifiers, contact, broker relationship and record-retention owner. Keep this role distinct from the fulfillment destination and the overseas seller. If a third party is proposed, obtain a transaction-specific explanation of its authority and responsibilities before cargo release.

Document broker authority and bond status

Choose a continuous or single-entry bond with the appointed customs broker based on shipment frequency and current entry requirements.

Confirm broker authorization and bond status directly with the appointed parties. The workbook should state whether the expected entry uses a continuous or single-entry bond, who monitors sufficiency and what event requires review. Store the current power of attorney and contact path for entry questions. A freight booking does not prove that the importer-broker relationship or bond is ready for the actual value and commodity.

Build a product-specific entry worksheet

Give the broker a precise product description, composition, intended use, value basis, country of origin and available product-control records before departure.

Create one product row for each materially different SKU. Include a precise description, composition, function, country of origin, value method, proposed HTS classification and any relevant agency evidence. Link the supporting source or ruling used by the importer. Marketplace categories and supplier shorthand are not customs descriptions. Where classification or admissibility remains uncertain, mark the row as blocked instead of filling it with an unsupported code.

Stop release when admissibility is unresolved

A fulfillment warehouse or marketplace receiving address is not automatically the importer. Keep the legal entry party and delivery party distinct in the file.

The release gate should test importer identity, broker authority, bond readiness, classification, value, origin and product controls. Define who can approve each item and retain the evidence used. If the product changes, reopen the affected rows even when the SKU name stays the same. A small change in material, use or battery configuration can make the previous entry file unsuitable.

Retain and reconcile the entry record

Retain broker powers, bond evidence, entry summaries and supporting commercial records under the importer’s document-retention process.

After entry, reconcile the filed data with the commercial and physical shipment records. Retain entry summaries, duty evidence, broker communications, examination records and corrections under the importer's retention process. Compare quantities and value with the receiving result. Record lessons as dated amendments to the workbook rather than silently overwriting the assumptions used for the completed transaction.

Frequently asked questions