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HS codes

Origin and trade agreements

How to import goods into the US as an online seller

Eight steps to sell into the US: classify, confirm origin, check what may enter, price the duty, pick the importer of record, file, pay and keep records.

Updated · 20 official sources

To import goods into the United States you classify each product to a 10-digit HTSUS code, confirm where it was made, check it may enter, work out the duty, decide who is the importer of record, file the entry through a courier, the post or a broker, pay CBP and keep the records for five years. None of it depends on the order's value any more, because the $800 de minimis exemption is suspended.

Rules as of 30 October 2026.

What are the steps to import into the US?#

Importing into the United States follows the same eight steps for a single parcel or a container. The value of the shipment changes how formal the entry is, not whether one is needed. Do the first four before you list the product for sale, because they decide the price the buyer pays.

  1. Classify the product to its 10-digit HTSUS code. The first eight digits set the duty rate and the last two are the statistical suffix CBP asks for; some chapter 99 duties and agency flags are set at ten digits. The HS code classifier suggests a code with each level's official text.
  2. Confirm the country of origin. Origin is the country of manufacture, production or growth, moved only by a substantial transformation elsewhere (19 CFR 134.1(b)); it isn't where the goods ship from, and it decides most additional duties. Get it from the supplier in writing.
  3. Check the goods may enter. Some goods are banned, some need another agency's filing and some face a forced labor detention; the next section lists the checks.
  4. Work out the duty. Add the line's base rate, every chapter 99 duty for that product and origin, any AD/CVD deposit and CBP's fee. The landed cost calculator returns each line with its legal basis.
  5. Choose the importer of record. That is you (selling DDP), the buyer (DAP) or a broker acting as importer. The importer needs a CBP identification number and, for formal entries, a bond.
  6. Pick the route and entry type: courier, post or freight, informal or formal, as the entry type table below shows.
  7. Send complete paperwork: a commercial invoice that matches the goods, with codes, origin and values.
  8. Pay the duty when the entry is filed or on CBP's statement, fix errors before liquidation and keep every record for five years from the date of entry (19 CFR 163.4).

Which checks stop goods at the US border?#

US admissibility checks decide whether goods may enter at all, separately from the duty they pay. CBP enforces outright bans, partner government agency (PGA) rules, forced labor prohibitions and sanctions, and goods that fail are held, refused, seized or sent back. Run these checks on each product and supplier before the first shipment, not after a hold.

How much duty will a US shipment pay?#

The duty on a US shipment is the HTSUS line's rate times the customs value, plus each chapter 99 duty that applies to that product and origin, plus any antidumping or countervailing deposit. Customs value is the transaction value: the price of the goods without international freight and insurance, converted to dollars.

Take a seller shipping 100 stainless steel cooking pots (HTSUS 7323.93.00.80) made in India, invoiced at $2,000, by sea.

Line Rate Amount
Customs duty, 7323.93.00 2% $40.00
Section 232 derivative steel (9903.82.09) 25% of full value $500.00
Section 301 forced labor, India lifted for Section 232 goods (9903.05.90) $0.00
Merchandise processing fee, formal entry 0.3464%, minimum $34.58 $34.58
Harbor maintenance fee 0.125% $2.50
Total $577.08

The entry is formal even though it's under $2,500, because a line worth over $250 reports chapter 99 numbers. The Section 232 steel and aluminum guide explains the 25% rate and the cheaper rate for goods made from US-melted steel.

Which entry type fits the shipment?#

The US entry type depends on how the goods travel and what they're worth. Courier and freight shipments of $2,500 or less use an informal entry (type 11), and larger ones a formal entry (type 01, or type 03 for goods under an AD/CVD order). The post has its own process since July 2026.

Route Up to $2,500 Over $2,500
Courier or express Informal entry, type 11, unless a line over $250 reports a chapter 99 number Formal entry with a bond
Post Postal informal entry process or the Entry Type 13 test; see the US postal guide Formal entry with a bond
Ocean or air freight Informal entry where eligible Formal entry with a bond; ocean cargo also needs an Importer Security Filing 24 hours before loading

CBP has proposed tightening the low-value routes (91 FR 64532, comments due by 7 December 2026): informal entries filed electronically before or on arrival, a bond for every type 11 and type 13 filer, and removal of the $250 chapter 99 limit so those goods could use informal entry up to $2,500. Nothing in the proposal applies until a final rule is published.

What should the commercial invoice show?#

A US commercial invoice must describe each item in the words it is sold under, with its quantity, the price paid in the currency of the sale, and every charge such as freight, insurance and packing listed by name and amount (19 CFR 141.86). Add each line's 10-digit HTSUS code and origin.

Vague descriptions such as "gift" or "parts" are the most common reason for a hold. Say what the item is, what it's made of and what it's for. The commercial invoice generator builds one with these fields.

Common questions#

Do I need a US company to import into the US?#

No. A foreign seller can act as importer of record, but it needs a CBP identification number and a bond for formal entries, and many use a licensed customs broker or their courier to file. Selling DAP makes the buyer the importer instead.

Can I still ship low-value parcels to the US duty free?#

No. The de minimis exemption is suspended for all countries, so every commercial parcel pays the duty for its code and origin. Only bona fide gifts of $100 or less, excluding alcohol and tobacco, stay exempt.

How long do I have to keep US import records?#

Five years from the date of entry for records relating to an entry (19 CFR 163.4). Drawback records follow their own period.

Sources#