Import taxes often have a huge impact on businesses, especially U.S. e-commerce companies that rely heavily on goods made overseas. Many of these companies are drastically lowering their import costs by taking advantage of a little-known U.S. customs statute, Section 321. Let’s look at how these businesses are benefiting.

Section 321 Cuts the Costs of Chinese Imports

What you’re importing and where you’re importing from can considerably affect the duty rates you have to pay. While this applies to lots of countries around the world, China is a central focus for many U.S. businesses. In 2020, Chinese exports to the United States topped a whopping $430 billion! And shipping directly from China to the U.S. can often cost around 20% in import taxes.

The high price of bringing goods from China to the United States was exacerbated by recent trade tensions between the U.S. and China, respectively the world’s largest consumer of goods and the world’s largest manufacturer of goods. Over half of the overall trade between the U.S. and China has been negatively impacted. The affected U.S. businesses report that the increased tariffs have considerably raised their operating costs, and many of these companies turned to Section 321 and Canadian fulfillment companies for economic relief.

How Does Section 321 Work?

Section 321 allows for the duty-free importation of qualifying goods into the United States that are valued at $800 or less. But most companies buy from China and other countries in much higher quantities at much higher dollar values. A problem, right? There’s a simple workaround to that: bring the goods to Canada, where import tariffs are much lower than they are in the United States.

A company can, for example, buy a shipment of Section 321-eligible goods valued at, say, $8,000 from China, and have them sent to Canada. Then they can have those goods brought to the U.S. in ten separate $800 shipments, on ten separate days, without paying about $1,600 in total U.S. tariffs they would otherwise incur if they imported in bulk directly from China to the United States.

Who Handles Section 321 Goods on the Canadian Side?

That’s where a Canadian fulfillment company comes in. Using a “pick-n-pack” process, Canadian fulfillment companies receive bulk shipments at a Canadian warehousing facility that’s usually strategically located close to the U.S. border. The “picking” part includes pulling items from large shipments and readying them for smaller orders that often go to multiple locations. The “packing” gathers these items according to customer needs and requirements.

From receiving the goods to final delivery confirmation, a good fulfillment company will have the ability to handle and electronically track every shipment. A good fulfillment company is also skilled in “kitting,” taking items from multiple SKUs and bundling them together under one SKU for a more economical and streamlined shipping process.

Section 321 is a Speedy Solution

Can anybody bring goods into the U.S. under Section 321? Technically, yes, but not everyone can do it with the same speed and efficiency as fulfillment companies. The detailed documentation that U.S. customs requires has to be perfect and delivered before the shipment gets to the border if you want to get the goods through smoothly. How? Fulfillment companies enjoy participation in the Section 321 Data Pilot Program, allowing them to submit the needed documentation electronically to ensure their clearance is ready before the shipment arrives at the border crossing.

And the closer to the border the better. Many Canadian fulfillment companies are close enough to the U.S. border to guarantee same-day fulfillment, bringing products into the United States that are then handed off to U.S. carriers including FedEx, UPS, and DHL for swift delivery to their ultimate destinations.

It’s been famously said that the only two certainties in life are death and taxes. But that may not be entirely true. At least not the second part if you’re taking advantage of Canadian fulfillment and Section 321.