# Amazon Sellers Are Walking Into A $10,000 Customs Trap

## Метаданные

- **Канал:** EcomCrew
- **YouTube:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yLIO0IYDsA
- **Дата:** 28.04.2026
- **Длительность:** 8:17
- **Просмотры:** 187
- **Источник:** https://ekstraktznaniy.ru/video/51033

## Описание

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US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has launched a new enforcement program called 5H (Entry Processing Hold) but the Amazon sellers importing from China are paying for it. 

CBP built the program to address one specific problem: sellers and freight forwarders deliberately under-declaring the value of goods to reduce tariff payments. 

Here is what is happening, why it matters, and what you should do before your next shipment leaves the warehouse.

## Транскрипт

### Segment 1 (00:00 - 05:00) []

It was found out last year that Chinese companies lied about over a hundred billion dollars worth of goods entering America. That means that they illegally dodged tens of billions of dollars in tariffs. And now America, they're finally putting an end to it and actively searching out this type of fraud. But, the bad news is that innocent importers are getting caught up in it. In this video, I'm going to tell you how Chinese companies were ingeniously avoiding tariffs. But, I'm also going to tell you how honest importers and Amazon sellers are the ones that are getting caught up in it and paying thousands of dollars in fines and fees. Let me back up for just a second and explain what's going on because the story behind it is absolutely wild. Earlier this year, Bloomberg dropped a report that shook the importing world. It was something that everyone suspected was going on, but that was finally proven. They found a $112 billion gap. That was the gap between what China shipped into the United States and what Chinese companies reported to the Chinese government. Basically, exporters have to tell the Chinese government the actual value of their goods being exported because the higher the value of the exports, the bigger the rebates they get on those exports. And more importantly, if they do lie, they may end up in a Chinese gulag. But, when they import into America, they pay less duties if they lie about the actual value of goods and under declare it. But, here's the part costing American businesses millions and billions of dollars. These Chinese companies, if they lie about those valuations, there's almost no consequences. Bloomberg estimates that as much as a quarter of what China shipped to American shores last year was reported fraudulently. In other words, 25% of all goods were under declared in value. And the way that it's happening is both ingenious and simpler than you think. When you import something into America, let's say lawnmowers, you tell US Customs how much those lawnmowers are worth. And whatever you tell them is how much you pay tariffs on. So, if you tell US Customs or CBP that those lawnmowers are worth $100 each, then you pay roughly 50% tariffs on that or $50. Now, if you accidentally on purpose forget a zero and declare that those lawnmowers are actually $10, well, you only pay $5 in tariffs. So, US Customs knows that importers sometimes fudge the numbers. So, they make you go and get a customs bond. You know, the same type of bond that if you end up in jail and you get released, you have to put up. And you buy these customs bonds from a third-party surety company for about $500 per year. And if you lie about the value of your goods, US Customs gets paid by the bond company and the bond company sends Dog the Bounty Hunter down to your house to collect the money from you. But, if you're a Chinese company, well, where exactly do you send Dog the Bounty Hunter to collect that money? Now, a lot of bond companies will not issue bonds to Chinese companies for exactly this reason. So, what they do is they set up a US entity or LLC or use a third-party as the importer of record. They get a real bond number under that entity. And then, they import those undervalued goods. If things go sideways, here's what happens. That entity, it disappears. CBP chases the bond company and the bond company goes and knocks on the door of a company that no longer exists. Now, this is where the story changes and CBP has made a massive change. And like everything in the world, it involves AI. So, US Customs is now using AI to analyze all of your import documents. They're looking for fake companies, fake bonds, and under declared imports. And if anything, and I mean anything, raises a red flag, they issue what is called a 5H hold. This is way different than what they did before. In the past, US Customs was not all that concerned with under-declared values on import invoices. They were mostly looking for weapons and drugs. But now that's all changed. Under-declared invoices has become a new focus of US Customs thanks to AI. Now, once your container does get one of these 5H holds, three things automatically happen. It stops moving, every document now gets reviewed by hand, and here's the sad thing, your fees start piling up. And this is the point where it gets really painful. The system doesn't care what your intentions were when you imported those goods from China. It's only looking for mismatches. So, if the packing list shows 80 units, but the invoice says 75, boom, you get flagged. If one document says kitchen knives and another says metal goods, boom, you get flagged. If your declared value is way lower than the normal market price for that product, boom, you get flagged. And if your customs bond address is

### Segment 2 (05:00 - 08:00) [5:00]

different from your importer registration address, boom, you get flagged. Even a small typographical error can lead to a hold. For example, your bond address lists 500 East Avenue and your business registration shows 500 E Avenue. Now, here's the part though that's making importers furious. The fees for these holds are not small. Once CBP slaps one of these 5H holds on your container, the fees start running. The cost of one of these holds just to fix your documentation can be thousands of dollars. Demurrage fees are $100 per day. Chassis fees are $30 to $50 a day. Drayage are $300 to $800. Inspection fees are $100 all the way up to $3,000 and daily storage fees apply. Reports from the front lines at ports across America indicate that inspection rates have now surged over 30%. As a result, thousands of Chinese export containers have been detained due to issues with declaration documents with some being forcibly returned to China. But, it's not just Chinese importers getting caught up. As a result of the increased scrutiny due to bad overseas actors, honest importers are getting caught up. They're getting caught up simply for spelling out east in full on one document and abbreviating it to e on another document. Okay, so what can you actually do about this to avoid these fees? Well, here's five things that you can start doing this week. Number one, avoid DDP shipping because that's a big warning sign. DDP is exactly what CBP is hunting down right now. The savings are not worth losing a whole container. Number two, pull out your last commercial invoice and your last packing list and your last bill of lading. Lay them next to each other on a table and make sure that the values match quantities product descriptions match. If they don't, even though you might not have had a problem in the past, you're probably going to have a problem in the future. Number three, rewrite your product descriptions. Kitchen accessories is a flag. Stainless steel kitchen knife set five piece, stainless steel, that's fine. that's more accurate and more specific and less likely to get you in trouble. Number four, double-check that your importer record info and your customs bond info have the exact same address. Not close, not similar, exactly the same. A typo on one document is enough to trigger a flag. Number five, before your next shipment ever leaves China, ask to see the commercial invoice that's going to be filed with customs. Look at the number with your own eyes. Sometimes your Chinese supplier will do you a favor and lie about that invoice value without you ever knowing it. Fix it before your container actually gets on the water, not after. Even if you've been importing from China for years and never had a customs hold, prepare for a vastly different world now. Expect to have a container held at some point in your future. If you import from China, hit subscribe down below. Until the next one, happy selling.