$49 · 20 minutes · not a broker
A $49 checklist so your China box can clear CBP.
CBP is U.S. Customs and Border Protection. They have your China box until a licensed broker files an entry. Amazon is not the importer of record — you are — and de minimis (the old $800 duty-free shortcut) is gone.
Entry Brief is a $49 checklist. Twenty minutes to gather the packet, pull three HTS candidates, and email a licensed broker so the box can move.
We do not file entries, classify merchandise, or give legal advice. HTS liability stays with the importer of record.
What changed
Until recently, a shipment under about $800 could come in duty-free as an informal entry. That was de minimis. That path is closed.
Amazon is not the importer of record on your FBA inbound. Shopify is not either. The name on the commercial invoice is. That is you.
A box from China now needs a real CBP entry: a classification, a duty calculation, and someone licensed to file it.
HTS, in one sentence
HTS is the 10-digit Harmonized Tariff Schedule code that tells CBP what the goods are and what duty applies. Pull three candidates on hts.usitc.gov. Do not guess a code and file it yourself.
Who files the entry
A CBP-licensed customs broker files the entry. Entry Brief preps the packet and, if you want, intros a broker who takes first-time FBA sellers. We are not the broker.
How it works
Collect the six fields
Product, material, use, origin, value, and FBA vs door. That is the whole intake.
Pull 3 HTS candidates
The brief shows you how to search hts.usitc.gov. You collect candidates. You do not assign the code.
Email, or intro, a broker
Copy-paste the email. Optional intro to a broker who takes first-time FBA sellers. They file.
The six fields
A broker will ask for these. Write them down before you search HTS.
- Product
- What it is, in plain English.
- Material
- What it is made of.
- Use
- What a buyer does with it.
- Origin
- Country of origin. China, for most of you.
- Value
- What you paid — not the Amazon list price.
- FBA vs door
- Warehouse inbound, or a door delivery.
Red flags. Get a broker. Do not DIY.
China 301 duties. Food. Devices. Anything a Partner Government Agency (PGA) might touch. If any of that could apply, stop. Get a licensed broker. Do not pick a code and hope.
What is inside
- What changed: de minimis ended; you are the importer of record.
- The 6 fields a broker will ask for.
- How to pull 3 HTS candidates on hts.usitc.gov. You do not assign the code.
- Red flags: China 301, food / device / PGA. Get a broker. Do not DIY.
- Informal vs formal, in one page.
- Copy-paste email to a CBP-licensed broker.
- Optional intro to a broker who takes first-time FBA sellers.
Who this is for
For
Amazon FBA and Shopify sellers importing from China for the first time after de minimis ended.
Not for
Licensed brokers. Anyone who already has a forwarder filing. Anyone who wants us to classify or file — we don't.
FAQ
Is this a broker?
No. Entry Brief is a checklist and an intro. We are not a customs broker.
Do you file my entry?
No. We do not file entries, classify merchandise, or give legal advice. HTS liability stays with you, the importer of record.
My box is already on hold. What now?
Use the email today. Speed matters more than a perfect HTS guess. A broker would rather have three honest candidates and the six fields than a weekend of you hunting for the "right" code.
Get the brief
Checkout ($49) goes live once a licensed broker is on the intro list. This page is the offer brokers review.