That does get audited - customs officials do have a look at a lot, and frequently check products against stated claims.
At least this is my experience with my own company’s cross border business - labeling, valuation, documentation of sales and invoices, etc, all matter. We’ve had shipments to the US stopped and held before over what you’d consider minor issues with labeling or newer guys at the ship desk leaving i’s undotted or t’s uncrossed. I’ve had some panicked calls about costing and valuation documentation in big shipments. There were some loopholes to a few rules, but they were small and because these tariffs apply to pretty much everything from any given country, I have a hard time imagining there would be major work arounds for this.
Smaller drop-shippers with more discreet packaging might be able to get away with reducing their numbers - or at least rolling the dice on not getting checked - but for large commercial shipments, absolutely not.
Yes, where the importer is also the manufacturer (such as cars), the factory can sell at a loss and make up the difference onshore.
However, then their tax liability is greater.
What they usually do is sell via a tax haven, the importer is based in Barbados, pays their supplier below cost, and the onshore distributor then pays the importer more than they sell for, so they make a “loss” for tax purposes. Tax is only liable on profits.
Do you have an idea of how the value is discerned? For example, what’s to stop someone from putting things on a boat and saying they’re worth a penny?
That does get audited - customs officials do have a look at a lot, and frequently check products against stated claims.
At least this is my experience with my own company’s cross border business - labeling, valuation, documentation of sales and invoices, etc, all matter. We’ve had shipments to the US stopped and held before over what you’d consider minor issues with labeling or newer guys at the ship desk leaving i’s undotted or t’s uncrossed. I’ve had some panicked calls about costing and valuation documentation in big shipments. There were some loopholes to a few rules, but they were small and because these tariffs apply to pretty much everything from any given country, I have a hard time imagining there would be major work arounds for this.
Smaller drop-shippers with more discreet packaging might be able to get away with reducing their numbers - or at least rolling the dice on not getting checked - but for large commercial shipments, absolutely not.
They have to show the invoice from the supplier.
Yes, where the importer is also the manufacturer (such as cars), the factory can sell at a loss and make up the difference onshore. However, then their tax liability is greater. What they usually do is sell via a tax haven, the importer is based in Barbados, pays their supplier below cost, and the onshore distributor then pays the importer more than they sell for, so they make a “loss” for tax purposes. Tax is only liable on profits.